The next morning was one of the most wonderful Serena had ever experienced. She awoke shortly after the sun began to rise over the horizon, listening to the gentle crash of the waves on the beach. She relaxed and let her body sink into the cushy mattress beneath her. She sighed and slowly moved her arms and legs, enjoying the soft caress of the bed sheets. Alola sure was a wonderful place.

She wasn't sure how much time passed as she blissfully dozed in paradise, but the sound of the doorknob to her room slowly turning focused her attention in an instant. She kept her eyes closed and listened as the door was carefully pushed and the quiet sound of bare feet padding over the carpet entered the room. Thrills and excitement surged inside Serena's chest as she realized her man, Ash, was approaching her. She tried to remain still and appear to be sleeping, but a silly smile forced its way through her resolve and pulled at her lips.

Serena abruptly felt the edge of the mattress compress and she realized that Ash was climbing in bed with her. Her heart began to hammer and her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head and looked to her left at the man she loved so much. He was laying on his side, a wry smile on his face and an amused twinkle in his eyes. He was wearing a colorful shirt with blue-white patterns which had palm trees overlaid on it. She wondered, was he here to make love to her or did he have other ideas?!

Serena stretched her arms above her head, sighed happily and spoke in a sleepy, blissful tone. "Good morning, Ash…"

Ash chuckled and grinned. "Morning," he replied.

Serena finished her stretch and let out a feminine grunt. She relaxed her limbs and looked over at her man, waiting to see if he was going to make a move. Given all the crowds of people they'd dealt with yesterday, in the back of her mind, she was still a little leery of having sex; but if Ash put forward the idea, she wasn't going to turn him down.

Ash carefully eyed her up-and-down. His gaze tracked back up to her eyes and they shared an intense stare. After a few seconds of silence, Ash leaned forward and their lips gently pressed together. It was a lovely, soft kiss and Serena drew in a happy breath as her mouth hummed with wonderful sensations. Their lips moved and Ash moved his left hand over to caress Serena's right shoulder. They pulled apart, looked into each other's eyes once again and… Ash's stomach abruptly growled.

An embarrassed expression formed on Ash's face and Serena sniggered in a very amused fashion. The girl from Kalos sighed and sent her man a teasing smile.

"Haven't had breakfast, Ash?" she asked, playfully.

Ash grinned sheepishly and subtly shrugged his shoulders. "Uh, not yet," he said.

Serena sniggered some more and let out a loving sigh. "Let me guess, you'd like me to come and fix breakfast…" she said with a smile.

Ash looked a little guilty and pursed his lips before answering. "Well…" he said.

Serena grinned and wiggled closer to Ash. She laid down right next to him and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"And I here I was hoping that you were going to fix me breakfast in bed…" she breathed in a teasing tone.

Ash's guilty expression became more pronounced and he let out a tense chuckle. Serena's eyebrows went up and she let out another amused sigh.

"Ohh, don't tell me… You tried to fix me breakfast in bed…" she said in a caring tone.

Ash chuckled again and briefly looked away before meeting Serena's gaze. "I think you'd better do the cooking," he croaked.

Serena chuckled and raised her right arm. She playfully traced her pointer finger over Ash's left cheek, down his neck and across his shoulder.

"What do you want?" she asked with a smile.

Both of them giggled and then Ash sat up and moved off the bed. Serena followed and soon the two of them were in the kitchen, preparing a proper meal for them to enjoy.

It didn't take Serena long to cook up a tasty pile of sizzling pancakes. It wasn't until they were sitting down to eat that Ash mentioned how popular pancakes were in Alola, much to Serena's surprise. She would have guessed foods like fruit would have been at the top of the favorite meals list.

Several pancakes into their breakfast, Serena started thinking about exploring the island and her mind was quickly filled with images of being mobbed by crowds of people, eager to see the champion and his bride. Her face fell and she let out a disheartened sigh. She'd really hoped to have a relaxing vacation.

Ash glanced over and saw Serena's look of distress. He swallowed a mouthful of food and spoke up in an upbeat tone.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Serena looked over at her man and sent him a kind smile. "Oh, I was just thinking about what will happen when we go out today," she said in a melancholy voice. "If yesterday is any indication…"

Ash immediately brightened. "Hey, you don't have to worry about that!" he said proudly.

A puzzled expression crossed Serena's face. "Huh?" she grunted.

Ash grinned. "I made a few calls to the local newspapers this morning. I asked if they would not mention anything about you, or about us being married."

Serena sat up straight in surprise. "Uh, you did?" she replied.

Ash appeared proud and nodded.

Serena let out a wary chuckle and eyed her man, hoping what he said to be true. "And they just agreed to not print a story like that?" she said skeptically.

Ash continued grinning and shrugged. "Well, they didn't want to offend the champion," he said with a bit of humor.

Serena giggled and felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. Maybe now they could have a peaceful vacation.

"So what did you tell them about us?" she asked. "Did you say we weren't married?"

Ash's grin faltered and he suddenly appeared uncomfortable. A sense of dread immediately formed in Serena's stomach.

"Ash, what'd you tell them?!" she pressed.

Ash hesitated for a moment before replying. "Well, I… told them that we'd… eloped, and that we didn't want anyone knowing that we'd gotten together…"

Serena bowed her head out of exasperation and rubbed at her temples with her fingers. It wasn't the worse excuse in the world, but she could think of a dozen ways it could go horribly wrong. What if her mother somehow heard about this…?

"Uhghh, okay," she groaned. A few moments passed and she glanced up at Ash. He appeared a bit anxious and she quickly put on a smile for him. After all, it wasn't his fault people had gotten the wrong idea about their relationship.

"Well, hopefully it will make it easier us to get some peace and quiet while we're out."

Ash smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he said.

Serena let out a sigh and shook her head. This was certainly an interesting vacation, so far.

Once breakfast was eaten, Ash and Serena cleaned up and then got ready to go. Ash was already wearing casual clothing and Serena decided to match his style. She donned a cute, red and white patterned shirt with images of various Alolan Pokémon scattered all over it. She pulled on a pair of blue shorts and then donned the special necklace she'd gotten the previous day. She really liked how the souvenir looked on her. As she thought back, she chuckled and hoped this day wouldn't feature another shop owner loudly announcing their presence for all to hear.

A few minutes later, they exited their suite and headed for the hotel Pokémon care center. They picked up Pikachu and the three Sandshrew before leaving the lobby and slipping out a side exit. With his hat pulled down low and Serena shielding him from view, Ash slunk away from the hotel, carefully avoiding any contact with his adoring fans.

Within a few minutes, the two of them were away from the city and walking along the beach. Serena finally relaxed, let out a cheerful giggle and pulled off her shoes. She spent the next few minutes happily stepping barefoot through the sand, enjoying the sensations of the grains scrunching between her toes.

The morning sun continued to rise and the happy couple slowly walked along the beach. Ash pointed out a few landmarks and told Serena a few stories about his time in Alola. Serena smiled and listened intently. She loved every second of their walk and occasionally leaned close to her man, lovingly brushing her shoulder against his.

After the better part of a half-hour, they reached a part of the beach which was very familiar to Ash. He pointed up at a small house just up from the beach and Serena's eyes brightened in recognition.

"Oh, that's professor Kukui's house!" she said in an eager tone.

Ash grinned and nodded. "Yep, that's where I stayed while I was here."

Serena's eyes flashed left and right as she took in the sight. She imagined a younger Ash living here while she was exploring Hoenn and performing. She wondered what might have happened if she'd decided to follow Ash instead of setting out on her own path. Would they have still ended up together like this?

Ash waited a minute while Serena finished her thoughts. She finally looked back at him and they shared a warm, smoldering gaze. Ash's lips twitched and Serena pursed hers. They hesitated for a moment and then leaned closer. They shared a short, sweet kiss and giggled as their noses brushed together. Ash reached down and slipped his right palm against Serena's left. Their fingers interlaced and they let out hot, happy breaths.

Ash glanced at the house and spoke in a soft tone. "So, you want to meet, Professor Kukui?" he said.

A small knot of nervousness twisted inside Serena's belly. She wasn't scared of meeting the man who Ash had spoken so highly of, however she didn't know how she was going to deal with the misunderstanding of her and Ash's supposed marriage. It had been on her mind for a while. She still didn't know what she could say without looking like a total fool.

Serena stared into Ash's eyes and let out a sigh. "Well, I guess we better," she breathed.

Ash smiled and gave Serena's hand a small squeeze. With that, they started walking toward the house. After a few steps, Serena leaned against Ash and spoke in an anxious tone.

"So, what are we gonna say to them?" she said.

Ash sent her a curious glance in response, not understanding the comment.

Serena sniggered and elaborated. "Burnet thinks we're married and I'm sure she told Kukui," she said.

Ash's eyes widened in realization. "Ah," he said, sounding conflicted. He appeared thoughtful for a moment before replying. "Well, I guess we'll tell them the truth."

Serena's expression became pinched. She let out a tense breath and subtly grimaced.

"That's gonna be awkward," she said in a low voice. "What's the rest of the island going to think?"

At this, Ash pursed his lips became quiet. Long seconds passed before the world's greatest Pokémon trainer spoke again.

"Maybe we could just keep it to Kukui and Burnet and not tell everyone else." he said. "We are practically married, after all… It's not like we're lying to people. They just assumed…"

Serena heard Ash's words and nodded. "Yeah, that's true," she said. A sneaky smile instantly spread across her face and she sent Ash a playful glance. "When we actually get married we can just say we're renewing our vows." She chuckled and bumped her should into Ash. "You know, like they do on those cheesy television shows."

Ash appeared puzzled. "Huh?" he said, having never seen one of those shows.

Serena was about to explain when a very loud howl sounded from directly in front of them. She quickly looked up and saw an orange and white blur with flashing green eyes descending on them from above. A split second later, she heard Ash call out in an enthused voice.

"HEY! Lycan"

The rest of Ash's words were cut off as the blur slammed into him, whizzing past Serena and driving him down into the sand. Serena stood utterly stunned as she watched a dog-like creature begin licking Ash's face. A moment later, her memory triggered and she recognized the Pokémon as the Lycanroc he'd told her about.

"OH!" she exclaimed happily. "This is your Lycanroc!"

Half buried in the sand, Ash made a few grunts and mumbles as he struggled beneath his Pokémon's affection. A few moments later, an upbeat and slightly amused male voice rang out from the direction of the house.

"Ha, figures Lycanroc would be first to sense him."

Serena turned toward the voice and saw the tan-skinned, buff, open-coated form of Professor Kukui standing at the doorway of the house.

Serena let out a merry chortle and waved a greeting. "Hello professor!" she said.

Beneath a pawing and happily growling Lycanroc, Ash waved an arm and managed a muted reply. "Hhhheeey, prrofffessrrr!"

Kukui looked on with a wry smirk. A moment later, Burnet emerged from inside, wearing a joyful smile and carrying a young boy in her arms. Serena instantly felt her heart swell with warm emotions as she saw the little boy's yellow eyes turn toward her. The way he clung to Burnet's chest made her long for a child of her own. Perhaps one day soon…

Burnet grinned and lifted one of her hands close to her son Lei so she could point at Ash. "Lei, who's that?" she asked in a sweet voice.

Lei's eyes focused on the mess which was Ash and Lycanroc. "ROKK-ROKKK!" the youngster blurted out.

Burnet smiled and laughed. "Yes, but who's that under Lycanroc?" she continued in her sweet voice.

Ash finally wrestled his way out from under Lycanroc and rose to a sitting position. His clothing was now wrinkled and covered with sand. His hair was askew and his face dirty. Serena had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at his appearance.

"AAASSSHHHHH!" Lei called out in a loud voice.

Serena took in a ragged breath as she felt her heart swell yet again.

A few minutes later, Ash was inside the Kukui household, getting himself cleaned up. His other Pokémon all gave him a warm welcome, although with a bit less enthusiasm than Lycanroc. Serena marveled at the size of Melmetal; paused at the fierce appearance of Incineroar and doted at the cute nature of Rowlet.

Pikachu and the Sandshrew stayed outside to play with other Pokémon while Ash, Serena, Burnet, Kukui and Lei all moved inside. All of them exchanged pleasantries and swapped a few quick stories. Burnet offered to fix a meal, but Ash said that they'd already eaten. The mention of food however seemed to remind Lei of his own hunger and he began chirping while tugging at his mother's shirt.

Burnet looked down at her son and sent him a warm smile. "Mmmm, you want a little snack before momma leaves for work, don't you?" she cooed.

Serena looked on with wonder while Kukui's wife moved to the couch and sat down. She arranged a pillow on her lap, underneath Lei, and started getting comfortable. Ash abruptly realized what was about to happen and suddenly appeared very uncomfortable. He glanced around, looking for a distraction or task to take him away from Lei's imminent feeding. Kukui saw this and sniggered before gesturing toward the front door.

"Hey, Ash, let me show you what I did with the house while you've been gone," he said in an inviting tone.

Ash didn't need to be asked twice. He immediately fell-in beside Kukui and marched out of the house, just as Burnet slipped her top to the side.

Serena stayed behind and sat down with Burnet. She felt a little awkward at the situation, but she also felt immensely drawn to the spectacle of little Lei. She watched as his mouth fastened around Burnet's left bosom and he began to eagerly get his fill. She felt a small tingle inside her own breasts at the prospect of one day feeding her own children in a similar fashion.

Burnet watched Lei for a few moments before turning to look at Serena with smiling eyes. "So, have you and Ash got any plans for the future?" she asked.

Serena's smile instantly became tense. "Uh… heh, heh," she chuckled. "Well…"

Kukui shut the front door and stepped to the side so he could lean back against the railing surrounding the porch. Ash stood opposite him and leaned his back against the front of the house.

The two men shared a respectful stare before Kukui smirked and spoke in an amused tone.

"So, you've been wrangling Pokémon in Pallet Town the last few years…" he said.

Ash chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, Professor Oak left me in charge. It's been pretty fun."

Kukui's smirk expanded into a smile. "Yes, he's told me all about it. He's very proud of the job you've done."

Ash blinked and paused for a moment before smiling broadly. "Oh… that's great!" he replied, trying to keep his excitement over the Professor's approval from showing too much. "I'm going to make sure I see him before we head back to Kanto."

Kukui nodded in approval before shrugging and putting on a sly expression. "You know, after you won the masters eight tournament, I'd expected that you'd go on to even bigger feats."

Ash blinked again. "Huh?" he grunted in puzzlement.

Kukui nodded and maintained his sly expression. "Then you just stayed in Pallet Town and stopped traveling altogether. I wondered if you'd lost your drive or desire to battle."

Ash stood slack-faced, not sure how to respond to Kukui's critique. A long moment of silence passed before the man from Alola grinned and let out a belly laugh. Ash let out a sigh of relief and laughed as well, realizing that Kukui was making a joke.

Burnet's husband laughed a few more times before sighing and putting his hands on his hips. "Little did I know, you'd been doing battle with the fairer sex all that time!"

Ash chuckled and nodded his head in an amused manner. "Yeah, sort of," he said. The man from Pallet Town hesitated for a second. With the subject of Serena broached, perhaps now was the time to fess up and tell Kukui that he and Serena weren't actually married. Better sooner than later… Ash grimaced, took a breath… and Kukui resumed speaking.

"Ah, marriage is one of the greatest adventures life has to offer!" he said, proudly eying Ash. "And to think, I was worried you, of all people, would be wasting time!"

Kukui let out a laugh and Ash nervously chuckled along with him. The world's greatest Pokémon trainer had a feeling he'd just missed his window to come clean…

Serena waited a moment as Burnet shifted Lei over to her other breast before continuing her story. "So then I offered to help Ash out at the Pokémon reserve and that led to us getting together."

Burnet shifted her arms and settled down into the couch. "That's such a sweet story," she said. "I'm so happy you and Ash found each other."

Serena blushed slightly and she nodded bashfully. "Yeah, it's been really special."

Burnet eyed Serena for a moment and then spoke up. "So, you didn't answer my question earlier," she probed.

Serena simply stared back.

"Are you and Ash planning to have kids?" Burnet said, her voice becoming a bit excited.

Sweat beaded on Serena's brow. "Uh, well… we've talked about it several times…" she said awkwardly.

Burnet nodded eagerly and looked at Serena with anticipation in her eyes. Serena swallowed and continued.

"Say, about that," she said in a curious tone; adeptly changing the subject. "Lei is a few years old now, but you're still breastfeeding him?"

Burnet smiled and looked down at her son. "Yes, I know he's a bit old. We've been trying to get him on solid foods but he's pretty stubborn." The white-haired woman let out a cheerful laugh before continuing. "He really likes his momma milk!" Burnet sighed and spoke in a wistful tone. "And, I really love feeding him, so I'm not sad that he's take a while to move on from this phase."

Serena nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get that."

Burnet looked at Serena and smiled while blushing. "I just can't believe Ash got married and didn't tell us!" she said in a squealing voice.

Serena kept a tense smile fixed on her face but didn't say anything. A few moments later, Lei made a gurgling sound and Burnet lifted him to an upright position. She grabbed a nearby towel, tossed it over her right shoulder and rested Lei there as well. She started gently patting his back before casting a glance at Serena.

"Children really are wonderful!" Kukui's wife sang. "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mom!"

Serena felt like crawling under a rock. This hadn't gone at all how she'd hoped…

Kukui nodded several times in approval. "Building a house, now that's impressive," he said.

Ash smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Uh, yeah, I didn't really think the lab was a good place to live permanently."

"Or raise a family…" Kukui added, raising an eyebrow.

Ash managed a smile and chuckled awkwardly. He glanced out at the beach and saw Pikachu was playing along with Incineroar and Lycanroc. The Sandshrew were sitting to the side with Melmetal and Rowlet. Eager to shift the conversation away from his faux marriage to Serena, he pointed at his Pokémon and spoke in an eager tone.

"It looks like all of them are doing really well!"

Kukui glanced out at the Pokémon and smiled. "Yes, they've all been really happy. They love going to the lab or the school and playing with who is there."

Ash nodded. "Good, I was hoping that they'd all be okay with me being away for so long."

Kukui watched Ash's Pokémon for a few seconds before casting a sidelong glance at the man from Pallet Town. "You know, Ash, have you thought about bringing your Pokémon back to Pallet Town with you?"

Ash appeared surprised. "Uh, no I haven't," he replied in a subdued voice.

Kukui smiled kindly and continued. "Well, since you and Serena are together, I'll let you know from my experience that when kids enter the picture, life gets really chaotic and busy. I wouldn't be surprised if it will be a while before you can get back here to Alola."

"Uh, okay," Ash answered.

"So, since you're going to be away from your Pokémon for a while, you might want to have them go back with you to Pallet Town so they can be with you."

Ash frowned at the thought of taking his Alolan Pokémon away from their home. He knew they loved being here where they'd always lived. He understood Kukui's point, however, he and Serena weren't actually married…

"Uhhh, well…" Ash hesitated. "I don't know… I'll have to think about that."

Kukui smiled. "Be sure you do. There's lots of changes ahead for you, soon."

Serena felt a warm glow building inside her as she cradled Lei in her arms. She looked into the little boy's yellow eyes and couldn't help but chortle. She took a breath and spoke in a sweet, soft voice.

"You're such a big boy! It won't be long and you'll be running around with Lycanroc."

Lei gaped his mouth before blurting out, "Rokk-rokkk!"

Serena giggled. "Yes, Lycanroc!" she whispered.

Lei's open mouth turned upward in a smile and he reached with his hands for Serena's face. Serena chuckled and leaned close enough that Lei could touch her nose and cheeks. To the side, Burnet looked on with smiling eyes and a sweet expression.

"You're so good at that, Serena!" she sang.

Serena made a happy sound and cast an appreciative glance at Burnet. "Thanks!"

Burnet raised a hand to her right cheek and started to blush. "You know, Kukui and I hadn't planned to have kids right away," she said in a girlish tone.

Serena raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Oh?" she replied.

Burnet nodded and blushed some more while letting out a small squeal. "Oh, this is probably too much information, but so what." She giggled and scooted a bit closer to Serena. "When Kukui and I got married, Ash was still staying here, so we decided to keep apart because we just didn't feel comfortable with it…"

Now it was Serena's turn to blush. "Ah, I see," she said in a tight voice.

Burnet turned a darker shade of red and squeaked as she continued. "But, when Ash left, we… made up for lost time... HA ha ha ha!"

Serena felt immensely awkward and simply smiled in reply. Burnet finished laughing and continued in a gasping voice.

"Before we knew it, Lei was on the way… HA ha ha!"

As if on cue, Lei started chirping and batting his right hand at Serena's face. Burnet let out a few more laughs and sighed happily.

"Mmm, you never know what life is going to send your way, Serena," she said. "Just always make the most of it!"

Serena nodded politely and smiled. She really appreciated Burnet's words, but internally, she desperately hoped the older woman didn't start pressing her for more information about her and Ash's plans for children. Before either of them could say anything, a low rumble began outside the house and quickly grew in intensity. Burnet brightened and looked toward a window. Lei's eyes darted around and he started to get a bit agitated. Serena frowned at the noise and asked a question.

"Burnet, what's that?" she said, hoping it wasn't something crazy like Team Rocket flying in on a jet powered balloon or similar ridiculous contraption.

Burnet smiled and let out a low chuckle. "That's my ride to work," she replied.

A puzzled expression crossed Serena's face. "Huh?" she mumbled.

The rumble resolved into a loud whine and, a moment later, sand started swirling outside one of the house's windows. Lei became quiet and Serena stared at the nearby, outdoor plants as they thrashed from intense wind. A few seconds later, a small airplane, with pod-mounted jet engines pointing toward the ground, descended to the beach.

"Uhhhh," Serena murmured.

Burnet chuckled and stood up. She gently took Lei from Serena's and bounced him in her arms.

"Ready to go outside?!" she breathed to Lei in a happy voice. Her son looked concerned, however, not excited, and made a few subdued noises.

With a befuddled expression on her face, Serena turned toward Burnet and spoke in a pitchy, shocked voice. "You fly to work in a plane?!"

Burnet didn't even blink. "Mmm-hmm," she hummed while nodding. "Didn't Ash tell you?"

Serena glanced at the airplane and back at Burnet. "He told me you work at the Aether Foundation. He didn't mention anything about airplanes."

Burnet chuckled. "Well we use them to get around when the distances are too far and ride Pokémon don't quite work." The older woman held Lei close to her and sweetly nuzzled her nose against his face. "Okay, time to go!" she sang.

Serena stood up and stepped after Burnet as she headed for the door. They headed outside and immediately ran into Ash who had an excited expression on his face.

"Hey, profess… uh, Burnet, is something going on?" he said.

Burnet smiled and glanced at Kukui. "I'm just heading to Aether Paradise for work," she replied. A moment later, she held out Lei and Kukui gently took hold of him. The young boy let out a soft, unhappy whine as his mother stepped back. "There's some Pokémon to take care of and a little research I need to review."

Ash's eyes brightened and he glanced at Serena before looking back at Burnet. "Hey, Burnet, is it okay if we come along with you to Aether Paradise?"

Serena frowned and looked over at Ash. "Huh, you want to go someplace, Ash?" she said in an apprehensive tone.

Ash grinned. "Yeah, Aether Paradise. You'll love it! There's all kinds of Pokémon there and it's out on the ocean."

Serena's expression lifted somewhat. Ash had told her a few stories about Aether Paradise and Professor Burnet. However, she hadn't been expecting an airplane to come flying in. Perhaps a trip to this mysterious lab would be fun.

The girl from Kalos put on a smile and nodded in approval. "Okay, it sounds like an adventure."

Ash grinned even wider and turned back to Burnet. "Can we go, Burnet?!" he said eagerly.

With a very amused expression on her face, Burnet chuckled and nodded her head. "Okay, Ash," she said with a smile.

Ash pumped both his fists in the air in celebration. "Yay!" he shouted.

Burnet and Kukui shared a humorous glance. "Nothing much changes," Kukui mumbled.

Burnet smiled in agreement and looked at Lei. "You be good for Daddy, okay!" she said in a loving voice.

Lei continued to look concerned. He held on to Kukui with his right hand while reaching for Burnet with his left. He made a few whimpers and stared longingly at his mommy.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Ash started to walk toward the plane. Serena followed and after a few steps she spoke up in a chiding tone.

"Didn't you want to drop off the Sandshrew?" she said.

Ash stopped in his tracks and cringed. "Uhhh, right!" he mumbled. He turned around and looked at Burnet with an embarrassed expression. Before he could say anything, Kukui spoke up.

"If you need to take those Sandshrew to Professor Oak, I can take care of that."

Ash's demeanor changed once again and he became happy. "Oh, wow, you'd do that?!"

"Sure. Happy to help," Kukui replied.

Ash grinned. "That's great!" He took a step to the side and looked toward the beach where Pikachu and the other Pokémon were still playing. "Hey, Pikachu, Serena and I are going to go to Aether Paradise. Kukui is going to take care of you."

Pikachu waved and shouted back a happy reply. With that, Ash turned toward the airplane and gestured for Serena to follow him. Burnet was already a few steps ahead of them and so the golden-haired girl skipped forward to join Ash.

As she moved closer to the plane, Serena looked at the sleek aircraft with amazement. She'd flown several times over the course of her travels but she'd never seen anything like this. Also, what kind of job did Burnet have if she got a private plane?!

Burnet briefly turned around and waved goodbye to Kukui and Lei. "See you later tonight!" she said emphatically. "Mommy loves you!"

Kukui held up Lei with his left arm while waving with his right. Lei did something akin to a wave but he also started making a few sounds which indicated he was less than excited to see his mommy leaving.

Burnet stepped toward the plane and sent one more wave toward her son and husband before stepping through an open door. Ash grinned and stepped forward. Serena followed and moved close enough so she could whisper a question to Ash.

"I thought you said Burnet was a researcher?" she breathed in a critical tone.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, she works for the Aether Foundation," he said.

They paused in front of the door and Serena continued. "And they just give out planes at the Aether Foundation?" she asked incredulously.

Ash took a step inside the plane and frowned. "Uh, well, I guess so," he said, partially at a loss for words.

Serena had a befuddled look on her face as she moved toward the door. Ash had told her some about the Aether Foundation, but he'd made it seem like just a big research lab, akin to Cerise labs. Apparently he'd left out a few details…

Serena stepped inside the plane and immediately felt like she was on another planet. Everything was sleek, futuristic and clean. Most of the surfaces were either grey or white. To her right was a small, empty cargo chamber and to her left was the cockpit. She saw Burnet and Ash were already getting seated so she moved to join them. The cockpit had four seats in total; two pilot chairs mounted up where the consoles were and two passenger chairs mounted behind the pilot seats. Burnet was sitting in the left pilot chair while Ash was in the right passenger seat. Serena immediately sat down in the available passenger seat and started looking around for the restraints.

Burnet tapped a few buttons and glanced back over her shoulder. "Are you all settled?" she asked.

Ash grinned. "All ready pr uh, Burnet!" he said.

Serena pulled the safety belt across her waist and pushed the fastener in with a reassuring, metallic click. In front of Serena Burnet settled into her seat and then tapped a screen in the middle of the console.

"Okay, Giles, we're ready to go," she said in a casual tone.

Both of Serena's eyebrows went up in surprise. She hadn't seen anyone else on the plane…

" Very good, Professor," a regal and somewhat synthetic sounding male voice replied. " Initiating takeoff sequence."

Serena leaned to the side and spoke up in a puzzled tone. "Burnet, who's that?"

Burnet looked back at Serena and smiled. "That's Giles. He's the autopilot that flies the plane."

A subtle vibration started as the engines began to spin up. Serena felt a knot of fear suddenly form inside her stomach.

"WAIT, you mean no one's flying the plane?!" she screeched.

Burnet nodded. "Well, it's more of the plane flies itself," she said. "It's all automated."

"Cool!" Ash said.

Serena's breathing started to increase and her heart began to pound. The idea of a plane flying itself while she was inside it was extremely unnerving to her. "Uhhh, uhh but you can fly it if you have to… right?!"

Burnet laughed. "Nope, I'm just along for the ride, like you."

The engines started to whine and a moment later the plane gently rocked as it lifted straight-up, off the ground. Serena's fingers dug into the armrests as she gripped her seat with strength she never realized she possessed. The plane steadily rose into the air and turned so it was point toward the ocean.

" Destination, Aether Paradise," Giles stated.

"Cool!" Ash said, sporting a big grin.

The engines started to rotate so they pointed forward and the plane began to speed ahead. Serena gritted her teeth and clinched up her body.

"Okay! It's flying itself!" she said to herself in a frantic, dismayed voice.

"Cool!" Ash said.

The trip to Aether Paradise went smoothly. The autopilot provided all of them a very smooth ride and, over time, Serena finally started to relax. She released her death grip on the armrests and began to breathe normally once again. As her fear receded, she started to look around and enjoy the view of the ocean. After a few minutes of cruising, the large, white construct of Lusamine's foundation started to come into view on the horizon. Ash rose up in his seat and craned his neck to take in the sight.

"There it is, Serena!" he said in an upbeat tone.

Serena let out a cheerful reply and mirrored Ash's movements so she could see. "Oh, wow, it's floating out in the ocean!" she said in an impressed tone.

Ash grinned. "Yeah pretty cool, huh."

Serena continued eyeing the structure as they grew closer. "From what you'd told me, I thought it was on an island," she said.

Burnet looked back at Serena. "Nope, it's a self-contained, floating facility. We do all kinds of experiments there and take care of injured Pokémon."

Serena nodded in reply and watched as they continued flying closer. Seconds passed and the facility kept growing larger and larger and larger. Serena's expression slowly changed from one of wonder to one of shock.

"Uhh, Ash, I thought you said this is a research lab!" she said in a pitchy, disbelieving tone.

Ash appeared puzzled. "Uh, it is…" he replied.

Aether Paradise kept growing in size and Serena gestured wildly at the massive facility. "This isn't like Cerise Labs! This place is bigger than Pallet Town!"

Burnet let out an amused laugh. "There's also an entire underwater facility almost as big as what you see above the water."

Serena's right eye twitched involuntarily. Ash had seriously underplayed the scale of what the Aether Foundation was!

Ash pointed to the side and spoke in an eager voice. "There's Manalo Stadium!"

Serena looked in the direction Ash indicated and her eyes bulged even wider. "H-h-how did you build that?!" she stammered, her mouth falling open in astonishment.

Ash glanced over at Serena. "Kukui convinced the island leaders to build it so they could have their own Pokémon league."

Burnet glanced back again. "And Lusamine contributed quite a bit as well," she added in a kindly voice.

Serena slumped down in her seat, her mind working to process the fact that Ash was apparently great friends with a foundation which built floating cities on a regular basis. She'd thought she'd learned everything about him but apparently he still had a few secrets…

The golden-haired woman had only a few moments to meditate on these revelations before the plane performed a bank to the right. Serena instantly grabbed hold of the armrests of her chair and gritted her teeth. She took a hissing breath and frantically glanced around; afraid they were about to crash.

" Initiating landing approach," the regal, male voice stated.

Burnet calmly glanced at her phone; Ash chuckled and looked around at the ocean; Serena, meanwhile, tried to swallow but her mouth had gone dry. Her heart hammered and her fingers turned white. Her distress continued right up until the moment the plane gently touched down. Serena took a few tense, sharp breaths and as the aircraft experienced a pair of subtle bumps before coming to a stop.

Serena had flown on many planes, ridden on Pokémon, fallen through the air and even jumped off a cliff alongside Ash with only trust as a guide. Nothing however had terrified her as much as the idea of a plane flying itself. She wasn't sure why this was, but she'd discovered a new phobia.

" Landing complete," the voice said curtly. " We have arrived at Aether Paradise."

Burnet and Ash unbuckled their harnesses while Serena tried to get her fingers to let go of the chair. It took a few seconds but soon she was stepping out of the sleek aircraft and on to one of the landing pads of Aether Paradise. Serena took a few deep breaths of the salty air, immensely relieved that the flight was over. She ran her hands through her golden locks and let out a sigh. After a few seconds of recovery, she lifted her head and let out a gasp of amazement as she took in the full scale of the floating island.

There were huge pools of water, stacks of cargo containers, towering constructs whose purpose she could only guess at and the massive, square central building which was lined with huge vertical windows. Everything was so gigantic it stretched Serena's ability to comprehend.

Serena abruptly came back to reality and saw Burnet and Ash had gotten a dozen steps ahead of her. She walked quickly to catch up and reached their sides just as Burnet's phone rang. She frowned and glanced at it before her expression immediately softened. She answered the call without delay and the image of Kukui appeared on the device. Her husband was holding Lei in his right arm. The little boy's face was scrunched up and red. He appeared quite unhappy.

"There, see, there's mommy!" Kukui said in a calm voice.

Lei's lips trembled. "MOOMMMAAA!" he called out in a whiny voice, a couple of tears streaming down his face.

Burnet made a kind sound and spoke in a sweet voice. "Hey there!" she sang. "Momma's fine. I'm just at the big lab!"

Lei made a very sad noise and cuddled against Kukui's chest. Burnet glanced over at Serena and Ash and shrugged while smiling helplessly.

"Some days Lei is okay when I leave and others not," she breathed.

Kukui bounced Lei in his arms a few times before smiling and speaking in a friendly tone. "Mommy will be back soon, but she needs to get to work now. Wave goodbye, okay."

Burnet waved at the phone and put on her best smile. "I'll be back soon!" she said.

Burnet was about to end the call when Lei's face suddenly scrunched up and the youngster let out a very loud, unhappy scream. Kukui grimaced, the screen went blank and Burnet let out a heavy sigh before glancing over at Ash and Serena.

"Ohh, there are some days when I wish I could just stay home with him," she said in a tired voice.

Ash briefly frowned before sending Burnet a positive expression. "Well, you'll be back soon, right? I'm sure some of your work can wait 'til another day."

Burnet smiled kindly and nodded. "Yes, it shouldn't be that long," she said. "Just a few hours and then we can head back."

Ash smiled. "Cool! Maybe we could fly over to Manalo Stadium so Serena can see it."

Serena didn't hear Burnet's reply as it suddenly dawned on her that she'd have to fly in that computer controlled contraption one more time. Her stomach flip-flopped and a deep sense of dread took hold of her. She should have just stayed on the beach…

"Hey, Serena!" Ash said.

Serena blinked and came back to reality. Her man was a few steps ahead of her and looking over his shoulder at her. Serena forced down her dread and put on a smile.

"Oh, sorry, I was just… looking at how big this place is," she blurted out.

Ash grinned. "Yeah, it's huge!" he said. "Just wait until you see the Pokémon park inside."

Serena let out a sigh and followed after Burnet and Ash. She'd already had her fill of excitement and surprises for the day. A long walk on the beach was really appealing right now. Hopefully nothing else dramatic would happen.

The three of them continued on across the deck of Aether Paradise until they reached a standard sized, heavy duty door. Burnet pulled out a badge and held it up to a panel next to the door. A few moments later, some heavy latches clacked and the door swung open.

Burnet and Ash stepped though the opening without hesitation while Serena looked over the structure and mechanism. She was used to their humble operation on the Pokémon reserve. For her, high-tech was the automatic watering system Ash had installed into the aviaries; which saved them lugging water up the ladders each day. This place was simply incredible.

The door shut behind them and Burnet led them down a corridor before a smooth, female voice called out to them.

"I had a feeling you'd have a couple of passengers on your flight today," Lusamine said in an amused tone.

Ash chuckled and Burnet smiled. Serena turned and let out a happy sound at the sight of the tall, thin, woman, with flowing platinum blonde hair, dressed in a white and gold outfit. For one moment, Serena was about to call out Lillie's name, however she took a second look at the woman and noticed a few subtle age lines and other signs of years past. This definitely wasn't Ash's friend from the Pokémon school, although the family resemblance was impressive.

"Lusamine!" Ash said in a happy tone.

The president of the Aether foundation had her hands folded at her waist and nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's good to see you again Ash," she said in a kind tone. "Mohn and Gladion are away; else they'd be here to greet you as well."

Ash made a dismissive gesture. "Eh, I'm sure we'll run into them before long," he said in a happy tone.

Lusamine moved a few steps closer; her posture as regal and elegant as ever. "Lillie's been away for a few days on an Ultra Guardian's mission, but she should be back soon." She smiled and continued. "I know she'll be very happy to see you."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it's been awhile."

The Aether Foundation president glanced at Serena and regarded her for a moment. Without saying a word, her eyes widened ever-so-slightly and her mouth partially fell open.

"Oh!" she breathed in a surprised manner. She then chuckled and blushed slightly before looking at Ash. "Ash, I guess congratulations for you two are in order!"

Ash's mouth scrunched up in mortified surprise while Serena cringed. The woman from Kalos leaned to the side and whispered into her not-so-secret husband's ear.

"I thought you told the papers to keep quiet!"

Ash glanced at Serena and emitted a helpless grunt while subtly shrugging his shoulders. "Someone must have told her," he whispered back.

Burnet abruptly let out a girlish squeal and took a few steps toward Lusamine. "Ash surprised us all!" she said in a bubbly tone. "They just showed up and ALOLA SURPRISE! they're married!"

Ash and Serena replied with tense smiles. Lusamine held a hand to her mouth and giggled a few times. She turn turned her attention to Ash and spoke in a warm tone.

"So, Ash, who is this beautiful woman you've brought into the family?"

Ash pulled at his collar and nervously chuckled before replying. "Uh, this is Serena!" he said, nearly garbling her name.

Serena managed a poor curtsy and wobbled on her feet. "Pleased to meet you," she said awkwardly. Internally, she cringed at the poor presentation.

Lusamine nodded and smiled at Serena. "Well, I'm so glad to meet you Serena," she said sweetly. The older woman's eyes started to glisten and she glanced between Ash and Serena. "You know, after everything Ash has been through with us, he's practically part of our family," she said, holding a hand over her heart. "I can't wait to learn all about you."

Ash shifted uncomfortably. "Aw, Lusamine," he said in an embarrassed tone. "It's not that big of a deal."

A jovial expression crossed Lusamine's face. "Not that big of a deal," she said sarcastically. She looked directly at Serena. "He only saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably have been eaten by a Nihilego."

Serena's eyes stretched wide in surprise and she glanced at Ash. This was a story she'd never heard before.

"Uhh, Ash?!" Serena posed.

Ash grinned sheepishly and made a casual gesture in an effort to downplay the situation. "Yeah, I… guess I helped out with that…" he said.

Lusamine chuckled at Ash's modesty. "Rode through a wormhole on the back of a legendary Pokémon; battled countless horrors; kept my two children alive and made sure everyone came back home."

Ash continued to look uncomfortable. "Well, it wasn't just me…" he mumbled.

Serena pursed her lips, and pondered what Lusamine had just described. Ash always downplayed his role in his adventures. She wondered what else he'd done in Alola which he hadn't told her about.

Burnet leaned close and interjected herself. "He even had to battle Lusamine's Pokémon because the Nihilego had mind controlled her."

Serena's mouth fell open. "Uh, mind control…" she warbled.

Burnet nodded. "But even then, he tried to keep from hurting her Pokémon as much as possible."

Ash shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Well, we all did," he added quickly. The red-faced man from Pallet Town scratched at his chin then spoke up in an overly casual voice. "Say, you said Lillie was out on a mission?" he said, desperate to change the subject.

The midday sun flashed and gleamed off the ocean as it sped past just below the twin-engine Aether Foundation aircraft. The sleek, futuristic, white and gold transport craft was built for speed and elegance. The central fuselage was narrow and featured a twin cockpit with an additional pair of chairs behind the pilot seats. The jet engines were mounted on pylons, out to the sides, and the craft ended in a sleek, outward-flared, double tail.

The transport was capable of much greater speed than what it was currently cruising at, but Lillie had no reason to be in a hurry. She was partially reclined in the left pilot seat with her feet up on the cockpit console. She was wearing her magenta highlighted Ultra Suit and her face was twisted up in a look of troubled thought. She held an audio recording device in her right hand, slowly turning it over in her fingers as she furrowed her brow. She let out a sigh and clicked the device to resume recording.

"The Buzzwole's behavior was unlike anything we've observed before," she said in a perplexed and exasperated tone. "It almost seemed to be protecting the Nihilego, even though I initially presented no threat to them."

Lillie frowned and clicked the device to stop the recording. She spent a moment searching her thoughts before clicking the device again.

"This aggressive and… seemingly corporative behavior between Ultra Beasts is something we've never witnessed. We should investigate the possibility that there may be something wrong in the native environment which is causing them to act erratically or to team up."

Lillie clicked the device again, rubbed at her face with her, gloved, left hand and ran her fingers up through her pulled back, platinum blonde hair. She let out a tired groan and reactivated the device.

"Personal note, we need to switch to using replaceable power sources in the Ultra Bracers. Two charges aren't going to be enough if more Ultra Beasts keep showing up."

Lillie clicked the device a final time and slipped it into her handbag, which was nestled in an alcove to her left. She then held up her right arm and looked at the Ultra Bracer which was built into the forearm of her Ultra Suit. She'd utterly depleted the device during her recent encounter. She reached over with her left hand and pressed a pair of small nubs on the top of the bracer. Her Icium Z crystal popped free of its resting place in the bracer and into the palm of her left hand. She held the small, sparkling gem up to her eye, examining it carefully. Satisfied, she stowed the crystal in her handbag and raised her arms above her head in a long-overdue stretch.

Lillie let out another tired groan and lifted her booted, feet off the dash before dropping them to the floor. She sat up straight and blinked a few times before speaking in a casual tone.

"Giles, what's our ETA to Aether Paradise?"

A regal, male voice promptly replied. " Approximately seven minutes, Ms. Lillie."

Lillie mildly started in surprise at the short time to arrival. She must have been lost in thought for much longer than she'd thought. She rubbed at her face again and settled into her pilot seat. She glanced at the displays, saw nothing was wrong and fastened the restraints around her torso. She looked over to the co-pilot chair and saw her Vulpix, Snowy, peacefully sleeping. She smiled at the sight and then reached into her handbag, retrieved her phone and started tapping commands. She glanced at her weather app, saw the forecast was wonderful, like usual and then looked at her messages.

To her surprise, she had dozens of texts from Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Sophocles and even a half-dozen from Gladion. She hadn't checked her messages in a few days, so a backlog wasn't unusual, however this was far more than normal. A small tinge of worry stirred inside her stomach. She hoped something bad hadn't happened while she'd been away. She tapped on Mallow's texts first; she usually kept the drama to a minimum. Lines of text appeared on her phone's screen but Lillie's eyes only saw the first message from her green-haired friend.

"ASH IS HERE IN ALOLA!"

A jolt of energy shook Lillie's body. She gasped in a tense breath and looked at the text again to make sure she hadn't misread it. She then scanned through Mallow's other texts and read that there'd apparently been an impromptu banquet in Ash's honor the previous night. With her heart starting to pound, Lillie quickly checked the local Alola news site and saw that front-and-center was a picture of Ash posing with the mayor of Melemele Island. Ash was indeed back!

Lillie stared at the image of her long departed friend and her phone began to shake as her hands started to tremble. She set her phone down in her lap, closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. She took few deep, shuddering breaths in an effort to calm herself. This was affecting her a lot more than she'd imagined.

Lillie brought her hands together, interlaced her fingers and raised her knuckles to just beneath her nose. For so many years she'd lived in a daze. Her emotions, her wants, her family, even her memories had all been a jumbled mess of chaos. She'd been afraid, uncertain, shy and practically helpless. Then into that disaster had come a young man from Pallet Town. Ash had first cured her fear of Pokémon and united her with Snowy. He'd then built her confidence, reunited her family, saved her mother and even put her on a course to find her long-lost father. She didn't have words to express just how much she appreciated that Ash had come into her life.

Then Ash had achieved his long-stated goal and won the masters eight tournament; becoming the best Pokémon trainer in the world. The night of Ash's victory, Lillie had laid awake in bed thinking about all the things Ash had helped her with and how blessed she was to be friends with such an amazing guy. Because of her troubled childhood, clarity of thought was something of a rarity for Lillie. However, in that moment, she suddenly realized with absolutely certainty that she didn't feel mere friendship toward Ash, but something much more intense.

She wasn't sure when her feelings for him had changed. Perhaps it had happened when she'd bid him farewell as she'd set out in search of her father? Maybe her heart had turned when Ash had appeared out of nowhere to help rescue her father? It could have even occurred when he'd defeated Leon in such spectacular fashion. Regardless, that night, she had realized that she loved her friend Ash and she wanted to be with him forever.

The next couple of years had been something of a blur for Lillie. All the work at the Aether foundation, her father's rehabilitation and her continuing education had kept her immensely busy. Throughout it all, she'd kept tabs on Ash and followed him as he managed the little Pokémon reserve in Pallet Town. She'd always intended to pay him a visit; however her life kept getting in the way. There was always a task or a distraction which popped up every time she started planning an excursion to Pallet Town.

Months had passed, and then years. She'd always hoped that Ash would visit Alola, but it hadn't happened. Reuniting with him had constantly stayed just out of her grasp. Even Kiawe, Lana, Mallow and Mimo had gotten to go and see him, but not her…

If she was honest with herself, though, the reason for her lengthy separation was due to her own procrastination, not scheduling. Deep in her heart, she was terrified at the thought of speaking to him. What could she possibly say?! How could she express her feelings?! What if the worst happened and he rejected her?!

Anxious fear twisted inside Lillie's stomach alongside nervous anticipation. She slowly breathed in and then breathed out. Fate had brought Ash back to Alola, now it was her turn to finally make a move. She was older now, stronger, wiser and much more confident. She didn't know what she would say, but she would finally take her shot at Ash!

Lillie opened her green eyes and picked up her phone. She was about to start looking through her messages to see if any of them mentioned where Ash was when a much better idea popped into her head. She smiled and looked up at the ceiling of the cockpit.

"Giles, scan social media and find out where Ash is right now," she said breathlessly.

" Unnecessary," the male voice curtly replied.

Lillie cocked her head to the side in surprise. "Huh?" she grunted in curiosity.

A moment later the voice continued. " Ash Ketchum is currently on Aether Paradise. He arrived with Professor Burnet a short time ago."

Lillie's eyes went wide in shock. She sunk into her chair and stared straight ahead. Fate had dropped the man she loved right into her lap. She was flying to him right now. He was only minutes away. This was destiny!

A nervous, girlish laugh burst from Lillie's lips and she quickly retrieved her small makeup mirror from her handbag. She swiftly assessed her appearance and determined that she was an utter mess. Three days of camping out without a shower had left her looking grimy and unkempt. Doubt and uncertainty started to rise within her but she immediately crushed them down. Ash had seen her in way worse shape. He wouldn't care if her hair had a few strands out of place. This was fate! She would not miss her chance!

Lillie sat up straight in her chair and looked toward the horizon. She could see the familiar, white shape of Aether Paradise a short ways off. Her lips turned upward in an eager smile and she started to chuckle. It seemed to take forever for her speeding plane to cross the remaining distance, but just a couple minutes later, Giles announced that it was beginning the landing sequence.

Lillie already had her handbag clutched in her grasp; ready to go. She rocked in her seat, eager to get out of the plane and go find Ash. The aircraft rotated its engines, came to a halt in midair and slowly descended to the deck of the floating facility. The moment Giles said they had landed, Lillie threw off her restraints, bolted from the transport and started running full speed into the laboratory. With each rapid stride, she felt nervous energy surge within her. Soon, her entire life would change! It would be so scary and also so amazing to pour out her feelings to Ash! Nothing was going to stop her now!

Serena chewed on her lip as Lusamine finished her explanation of Ultra Wormholes. "So, you jump through these things into a whole new world and hope you can get back…" she said, sounding both scared and dubious.

Burnet appeared sheepish and shrugged helplessly. Lusamine smiled kindly and replied in an even tone.

"Well, the technology has come a long way from when we first started out," she said.

Ash chuckled and spoke up in an eager tone. "Yeah, that first time we went through, we had no idea how they worked!"

Serena's eyes bugged out. "WHAT!" she squawked.

A bead of sweat appeared on Lusamine's forehead. "Uhh, Burnet, it wasn't really that risky, was it?" she said in a tense voice.

Burnet tried to look calm but she couldn't help letting out a tense chuckle while forcing a smile. "Well, we had a working theory that Solgaleo could summon Ultra Wormholes at will and thus could bring you back."

Distraught only began to describe Serena's expression. She turned to Ash and barked in a sharp, concerned wail.

"You never said it was THAT dangerous!"

Ash waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I knew we'd be able to get back. Between Nebby and the Guardians, we were good."

Serena visibly sagged as the full reality of the peril Ash had faced sunk in. While she'd been dipping her toe into the Hoenn contest scene, Ash had been off risking life and limb in another dimension… Internally, she figured she should be used to this sort of thing by now, however it seemed her valiant man could still surprise her with his knack for charging into danger.

Upon seeing Serena's distress, Ash stepped over and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Ultra Wormholes are really safe," he said.

Serena snorted sarcastically and sent him a disbelieving look. Ash chuckled and continued.

"Even that time with the Guzzlord, I" Ash abruptly stopped midsentence. He belatedly realized that telling Serena of how he'd nearly been trapped in an alternate reality of a destroyed Alola region with a ravenous, rampaging Ultra Beast might not be the best way to reassure her. He looked at Serena and she intently stared back.

"The Guzzlord…" she prodded.

Ash grinned as the gears of his mind spun. "Yeah… Kukui and I totally sent it packing when it attacked Manalo Stadium…" he said in an overly upbeat tone. "It didn't stand a chance!"

Serena folded her arms and fixed her man with a glare which could melt steel. "Really…." she growled.

Ash began to sweat. "Yeah… it was all over the news… It nearly destroyed… the entire stadium… uhh… ferry… barge…" he said; his words becoming more and more awkward as he blundered ahead. "In fact"

The sounds of rapidly moving, booted feet clanking on the metal floor saved Ash from further explanation. He stood with mouth partially agape as Lillie dashed out of the far corridor and came to a stop. Her green eyes were bright with energy and her tied-back platinum blonde hair swayed behind her head. Her gaze settled on Ash and her mouth spread into an open mouth smile.

"ASH!" she joyfully exclaimed, her hands slightly trembling with nervous excitement.

Ash turned his head and smiled in response. "Lillie!" he said in a friendly tone of greeting.

A small shudder went through Lillie's body and she let out a feminine chortle before stepping forward. Her white and magenta Ultra Suit stood out against the blue-grey metal of the room. Lusamine turned toward her daughter and offered her a welcoming smile.

"Glad you made it back, safe," the older woman said happily.

Lillie seemed to not hear her mother's words and proceeded straight toward Ash, her hands slowly clenching and unclenching.

"I just got back from an Ultra Beast mission!" the girl said in her usual, pitchy voice which warbled a bit more than usual. "I hadn't heard you were here in Alola or I would have called you!"

Ash grinned and chuckled while Serena folded her hands together and replaced her previous frown with a kind smile. "What kind of Ultra Beast did you run into?" Ash asked with the usual, excited glimmer in his eye every time Pokémon came up in conversation.

Lillie took a shuddering breath and stepped closer. "It was a couple Nihilego and a Buzzwole!" she said, her voice cracking. Her eyes remained fixed on Ash and she brought her hands together; tightly interlacing her gloved fingers. "It was all very exciting!"

Serena ran her eyes up and down the sleek Ultra Suit Lillie was wearing. Ash had told her of his days in the Ultra Guardians and the cool equipment he'd used. Seeing it first-hand was truly impressive.

"Were you able to send them back to where they came from?" Serena asked in a sweet tone?"

Lillie blinked a couple times and it took a moment for her eyes to track over to Serena. "Uh, yeah, I sent them back after Snowy battled them a bit," she said her voice faltering at the distraction. Her gaze immediately returned to Ash and she froze for the briefest of moments, unable to summon any words. The woman from Alola then made an uncertain sound and brought up her right arm to show off the Ultra Bracer attached to her forearm.

"We've made a lot of advancements since you were here," she said quickly. "We don't have to lug around those big Ultra Wormhole generators anymore. Now we can just use these to send back Ultra Beasts!"

Ash let out an impressed laugh and crossed his arms while eyeing the Ultra Bracer. "Isn't science amazing?!" he said, glancing over at Serena.

Serena smiled and nodded in agreement. "Ash has told me some about the Aether Foundation," she said in a kind tone. "It's all really impressive."

Lillie's gaze switched over to Serena and the platinum blonde seemed at a loss for words. "Uh, yes, a lot's changed," she stammered. She quickly returned her gaze to Ash and gulped in a tense breath. She smiled broadly, glanced again at Serena and wrung her hands before speaking in a trembling voice. "Ash, I know a lot of time has passed and things have changed. I'm sure there's a lot we need to catch up on but…" Her gaze once again flitted over to Serena and Lillie suddenly froze. Her eyes widened and abruptly twitched. Her lips trembled and her open mouth slowly moved as if trying to form words. Finally, she spoke in an extremely high-pitched voice which was nearly a shriek.

"YOU'RE….. MARRIED!?" she exclaimed in utter and total surprise.

Ash's grin became tense and Serena subtly bowed her head in exasperation while maintaining her best smile. She glanced to the side at Ash and mumbled under her breath.

"Does everyone around here talk to each other?!" she said in an annoyed tone.

Ash subtly shrugged and sent Serena a sheepish expression.

Lillie's mouth trembled for another pair of seconds before she continued in an equally shrill tone. "THAT'S…. SUCH A SURPRISE!" she said with a laugh which was beyond tense.

Burnet, smiling from ear-to-ear, stepped up behind Ash and Serena; planting a hand on their left and right shoulders, respectively. "I know!" she said happily. "We could hardly believe it ourselves! It doesn't seem real!"

Serena rolled her eyes out of irony. "You can say that again," she murmured.

Lillie's expression started to degenerate into one of total dismay and she quickly straightened up. She idly wiped at her face and a rush of tears suddenly burst from her eyes. She continued wiping at her nose and cheeks, trying to hide her face from sight. A soft whimper escaped her throat and Burnet let out a coo of sympathy while sending Lillie a smile.

"I know, I've been crying too! It's so happy!" the wife of Kukui said sweetly.

Lillie let out another whimper and nodded in agreement while covering her face. She spent a few more moments smearing tears across her cheeks and gasping in breaths before lowering her hands. She kept her gaze focused on the floor; not wanting to look at another person.

"Uhh, I'm going to go…. change out of this suit…. It was a long… mission!" she said, in a voice choked with tears and emotion. Her eyes were glistening and her cheeks red. She turned and started to take a step away when her eyes drifted back to Ash. Her lips trembled and she spoke in a warbling voice.

"It's really good to see you, Ash!" she managed.

Ash nodded and looked at Lillie with smiling eyes. "I'm glad to see you too, Lillie!" he replied.

It took every bit of will Lillie possessed to keep from sobbing right there. She gasped in a ragged breath and walked away.

Once Lillie had left them, Lusamine and Burnet took Ash and Serena on a tour of Aether Paradise. Quite a few things were the same as when Ash had last been there, however there were a few changes. The facility now had a dedicated place for taking care of and studying Ultra Beasts. Lusamine explained that sometimes they found an Ultra Beast which was injured or disoriented and needed caring for. She said that they still had lots to learn about the creatures, but they were making progress.

A little further into the tour, Burnet happily showed off her new lab and a few of the Pokémon she was currently studying. They then went into the large Pokémon park in the center of the lab, much to Serena's amazement. She was again impressed by the size of Aether Paradise and at the variety of Pokémon there.

While they were transiting across the park, Serena caught sight of a group of flight capable Pokémon all lounging around what appeared to be a moderately sized garage. There were a couple of Altaria, a Flygon, a Garchomp and two Pelipper. Ash immediately recognized the Garchomp and went running up to the Pokémon he used to ride on Ultra Guardians missions.

At first, Serena chuckled and smiled as she watched Ash fawn over the Garchomp and the other Pokémon. Then, after he explained why he knew the Garchomp, and the nature of its mission, she immediately became much, much, much more interested in it. She walked up to the various flying types and began speaking to them in a sweet voice.

"Aww, aren't you so big and strong. I'll bet you can fly all over Alola!" she said to the Flygon.

Burnet nodded in affirmation. "Yes they can. That's why they make such great ride Pokémon."

With her eyes bright and her smile just a little wider than usual, Serena turned toward Ash and spoke in a loving tone. "Wow, so these Pokémon can take us anywhere we want to go, Ash; even back to Melemele Island!"

Ash chuckled and rubbed underneath Garchomp's chin. "You bet," he said. "We had to fly all over the place when we were doing missions."

Serena sauntered up to Garchomp and gently ran a hand down the side of its neck while speaking in a syrupy voice. "You really want to go flying, don't you?!" she asked of the Pokémon. "You want to soar around in that big blue sky!"

The Garchomp blushed slightly and nodded in reply. Serena immediately grinned and looked at Ash with smiling eyes.

"See, Ash, it really wants to go flying. We could take it back to Melemele Island instead of that… airplane," she sang.

Ash frowned slightly and appeared conflicted. "Uh, well, I guess," he said uncertainly. "Although I was looking forward to flying back with Professor Burn"

While Ash was still speaking, Serena stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Garchomp's midsection. "How long's it been since you had a good brushing. I'll bet you really want one of those!"

Garchomp blushed some more and appeared bashful. The dragon type partially shrugged but also seemed to nod in happy acceptance of Serena's offer. The girl from Kalos didn't miss a beat and immediately looked toward Lusamine.

"Do you have a brush or something else to tend to their appearance?" she said eagerly.

Lusamine smiled and chuckled in an amused fashion. "She really likes to take care of Pokémon. I can see why you married her," she said, casting a look at Ash.

Ash smiled tensely and shrugged. "Yeah, among other… reasons," he managed.

Serena continued hugging and caressing her safe ride back to Melemele Island while Lusamine turned and glanced at Burnet. "Isn't there a grooming kit in there?" she asked.

Burnet nodded. "I think so," the white-haired woman replied. "Let me check."

Burnet stepped toward the side door of the garage and Lusamine turned to watch her. A moment later, the president of the Aether Foundation started slightly and glanced at the corner of the building.

"Oh! Lillie!" she gasped, holding a hand over her heart. "I didn't see you there."

With her eyes wide with dismay and skin even paler than usual, Lillie tensely leaned into view from around the side of the garage. She'd changed out of her Ultra Suit and was now wearing a white blouse and skirt that had highlights of pale blue around the edges of the garments. She also sported simple, white shoes which didn't come up past her ankles. Her platinum blonde hair hung loose; neither braided nor tied back.

After a few aimless steps, Lillie came to a halt and hesitated before speaking in a quiet, uncertain tone. "I, uh… just got changed and wanted to see… if, uh… you were… doing anything?"

Ash turned around and looked at Lillie. As his gaze met her green orbs, Lillie's eyes flitted away and she had to struggle to bring them back to look at her friend from long ago. Her lips trembled and wetness built in the corners of her eyes. The man from Pallet Town spoke up in his usual happy voice.

"Lusamine was just showing us everything that's new," he said. "You sure have done a lot the past few years."

Lillie swallowed and sniffed in a breath. "Yeah, uh… it's been pretty busy…" she managed in small, timid voice.

Lusamine sent a puzzled and somewhat concerned expression at her daughter; not understanding her behavior. A few seconds later, Burnet emerged from the garage carrying a small, grey case.

"Here you go, Serena," Kukui's wife said with a smile. "I think this has everything you need."

Serena quickly took the case, opened it up and immediately grabbed a brush. She promptly moved to the Garchomp and began expertly running the brush down the length of the flying Pokémon's back.

"I'll have you contest ready in no time," Serena said with a chortle.

Garchomp growled in approval, Burnet laughed, Ash grinned and Lillie's shoulders heaved. Lusamine held her right hand up to her chin in an expression of contemplation before speaking.

"Well, I was going to show you around the lower levels, but there's nothing really all that special down there," she said in a dismissive manner.

Lillie flinched and spoke in a sharp, indignant tone. "Nothing important!" she barked. "Mother, it's all the Ultra Energy stuff!"

Lusamine blanched at her daughter's sudden outburst. Tense silence hung in the air and Lillie suddenly appeared very shy over her explosion of emotion. She looked toward the ground for a couple of seconds before raising her gaze to look at Ash.

"Uh… what I meant is that… there's some really big, uh… discoveries we've made," she mumbled.

More silence followed, interrupted only by Garchomp's happy growls as Serena continued her brushing routine while speaking kind words to the dragon type. Lusamine finally cleared her throat and broke the awkward silence.

"Well, Lillie is right. We've made some impressive discoveries regarding Z-Energy and Ultra Wormholes," she said.

Ash immediately brightened. "Oh, wow, really?! You've been looking into Z-Moves?!"

Lusamine nodded. "Yes. That and quite a bit more actually."

Lillie took a hesitant step toward Ash. "I've been spending a lot of time on it, actually," she said in a small voice.

Ash looked at Lillie and smiled. "Cool!" he said. Lillie stared back with her mouth partially agape. Her lips made tiny movements but she spoke no words. To the side, Lusamine glanced between Ash and Lillie before smiling and speaking in a kind tone.

"Lillie, why don't you take Ash and Serena on a tour of the lower levels. I'm sure you'll make it interesting."

Lillie's eyes widened and she glanced at Ash before quickly looking away. "Uh… I, uh," she mumbled uncertainly.

Ash quickly spoke up in a boisterous voice. "Sure, that sounds great!" he said.

Lillie tensed up and sniffed in a sharp breath. Ash turned around and shouted to Serena in an enthusiastic voice.

"Hey, Serena, how'd you like to see the lower levels of Aether Paradise?"

Serena stopped her brushing movements and her face scrunched up into an expression of apprehension. She paused for a few moments before replying in an overly happy tone.

"I think I'll pass, Ash," she sang. "I really want to get this Garchomp all spiffed up so we can ride it back to the island!"

Ash pursed his lips in a curious manner while Lillie held her breath at the prospect of taking the, now married, man of her dreams on a tour, alone. A couple of hammering heartbeats later, Ash turned toward the platinum blonde girl and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, looks like it's just me," he said nonchalantly.

Lillie breathed in sharply as her lungs began working again. She swallowed and took an aimless step forward before gesturing with her trembling left hand toward a nearby elevator.

"Uhh… it's just over here…" she mumbled, nearly garbling her words.

Ash smiled and began making tracks for the elevator. Lillie stood in place for several seconds before flinching and taking a quick step forward. She nearly tripped over her own feet and stumbled a couple of steps before falling into stride aside Ash. They entered the elevator without a word and turned around to face the door. Lillie interlaced her fingers and squeezed her digits until her hands trembled. Barely able to think, she took tense breath after tense breath. How had all her dreams come to this?!

"Hey, Lillie?" Ash prodded.

Lillie grunted and flinched. She snapped her head around to look at Ash and saw him staring back at her with some amusement. He smiled sheepishly and inclined his head toward the elevator panel.

"What floor is it?" he asked tactfully.

The color drained from Lillie's face as horror and embarrassment washed over her. The elevator wasn't going to run itself, was it?! With a feminine grunt of dismay, she unclasped her hands and quickly hit a button on the elevator. The doors began to close and Lusamine's daughter grunted in dismay again before hitting the cancel button and then finally the correct button for the floor she wanted.

The doors of the elevator slid shut and a moment later the small chamber began a rapid, downward journey. Ash smiled and glanced around the elevator's interior, enjoying the trip to Aether Paradise's lower levels. Next to him, Lillie's gaze flitted over to Ash before she returned to staring straight ahead. A few seconds of silence passed while Lillie's mind spun and heart pounded. Finally, the Alolan resident spoke up in a hesitant voice.

"So, umm, I heard that you've been running Professor Oak's old research lab and you turned it into a Pokémon reserve," she said, wringing her hands as she talked.

Ash turned his head so he could look at Lillie. "Yeah, I have," he said with a grin. "Professor Oak left me in charge and I've been keeping the place going."

Lillie pressed her lips together and paused a moment before replying. "That's really impressive, Ash!" she said in a tense, complimentary tone. As she spoke, she partially turned her head toward her friend but she didn't look directly at him.

Ash made a bashful expression and shrugged. "Well, it's the least I can do for the professor. He did so much for me when I was a kid," Ash abruptly grinned. "Plus, I get to hang out with Pokémon all the time, so that's great too!"

Lillie's chin trembled before she replied. "And, uh, Serena helps you out with the work as well?" she said, her voice warbling.

Ash chuckled and appeared embarrassed. "Yeah, she's always helping out with all kinds of things."

Lillie bit the corner of her lower lip before continuing. "You two seem really happy together…" she said, barely able to get the words out.

Ash's expression became a bit tense and he laughed in an ironic manner. "Uh… yeah! We're really happy…" he said awkwardly. The man from Pallet Town absently worked his mouth, struggling for words, before he continued. "We've known each other since I traveled in Kalos. Serena actually traveled with me for that whole adventure."

Lillie thought for a moment and a small tremble went through her body. She blinked a few times and her eyes went wide. She finally turned her head toward Ash and spoke in a stammering, emotional tone.

"B-but, that m-means you met her before you came here to Alola?!"

Ash paused for a second before nodding. "Yeah, that's right," he replied casually. "I'd just gotten back from Kalos a little while before my mom won that raffle and we came here."

Lillie made a few stilted, movements with her limbs. She started to cross her arms before absently running the fingers of her left hand through her hair. She shifted on her feet and her knees threatened to buckle.

"H-how come you didn't ever mention her?!" she said, her voice cracking.

Ash shrugged and held up his hands in a dismissive manner. "Well, we weren't together back then. We were just friends."

Lillie's lips pressed together until they turned white. Her eyes stared into space and, for a moment, she was lost in her thoughts and memories. A few seconds later, when she blinked her eyes, an agonized expression momentarily played across her features.

"So… when I… left to look for my father… you were just… friends with Serena?" she choked out.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't until I ran into her at Sootopolis City and then she came to the Masters Eight tournament that we started to get close."

Tears started to form in Lillie's eyes and she looked away from Ash so she could wipe at her face. While she did this, Ash thought back and scratched at his chin.

"Actually, I guess it wasn't really until Professor Oak left me in charge that we started getting close…" he said absently.

Lillie managed a pitchy hum of acknowledgement and continued wiping at her face. The elevator began to slow and a few moments later, it came to a halt. The doors slid open and the lower level of Aether Paradise was revealed.

Lillie sniffed back tears and quickly stepped forward so she was ahead of Ash. The move prevented him from seeing her pinched expression and reddened eyes. The platinum blonde took a steadying breath and did her best to speak in an even tone.

"A lot has changed since you were here," she said. "We've converted this whole section to the study of Ultra Energy."

Ash looked around and took in the sight of several labs beneath the extremely high ceiling. There was so much open air above them it felt like a skyscraper could fit into the space. Scattered amongst the labs were several high, thin towers made of crisscrossing metal framework. The towers had green and orange highlights running along their lengths and periodically featured large, metallic rings encircling the inner frame. Large cables ran out of the rings and trailed off to somewhere else in the facility. The man from Pallet Town grinned like a child and chuckled.

"Sure is cool," he said. "What's it all for?"

Lillie took a few more breaths as she walked and swept her hand across the vista. "After we determined that Z-Moves and Ultra Energy from the wormholes were linked together, we started studying it a bit more closely. It turned out that the energy field wasn't just localized here in Alola."

Ash cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. "But I thought the Guardians were responsible for the Ultra Energy?"

As she continued speaking, some of the emotion began to leave Lillie's voice. "That's what we thought at first, but it turned out that the energy is just more concentrated here in Alola." Lillie paused mid-step and looked back at Ash. Her tears had dried and her face had mostly returned to normal. She looked at Ash's befuddled expression and hesitated a moment. Then, with an excited breath, she smiled and gestured toward a nearby lab.

"Come on! I'll show you!" she said, her voice warbling with energy. With that, she stepped lively toward the lab; a chuckling Ash right on her heels. She entered the facility, set her handbag on a table, and stepped up to a large holo-projector in the center of the room. She tapped a few commands into a touchscreen and an image of the earth flashed into existence above them.

Ash stepped up to the side of Lillie and looked at the glowing image of the earth. "Cool," he said in a happy tone.

Lillie stole a glance at Ash before tapping a few more commands into the touchscreen. Above them, a shimmering, golden aura surrounded the projection of earth.

"The energy field wasn't just linked to the Guardians here in Alola," she said. "After some study, we discovered that it seems to be linked to all things Pokémon!"

Ash pursed his lips. "Wait, so a Pokémon energy field?!" he asked.

Lillie looked at Ash again and a feminine chirp escaped her throat. "Sort of," she began. "The field changes somewhat in how it's composed depending on where in the world you are, but it seems to always be present."

Ash nodded in partial understanding. "Okay," he said.

Lillie hesitated and tapped the touchscreen again. The image of earth shifted to the side and an antenna-like construct took the center of the projection. The antenna featured a single metal rod which rose vertically from a central base before splitting into three, evenly spaced, large prongs which leaned outward. The prongs were each covered with around two-dozen small rods which ended in sharp points.

"The last few years, we've been working on finding a way to tap into the Ultra Energy," she said in an excited tone. "We finally made a breakthrough and that's the result!" she said with a smile while gesturing at the antenna. "The Ultra Collector!" she said proudly.

An awkward silence hung in the air as Ash looked to Lillie for an explanation. The platinum blonde stared back at the world's greatest Pokémon trainer for a long second before blinking and continuing her description.

"With the Ultra Collector, we found a way to harvest some of the Ultra Energy; sort of like how the Z-Rings work when they power up."

Ash's eyes immediately brightened. "Woah, so you're saying you can use Z-Moves with this thing?!"

Lillie chuckled. "No," she said mirthfully. "It's not like that. We're hoping to one day use the energy to power homes and cities."

Ash's face fell slightly. "Oh, so it's that kind of energy…" he said, sounding disappointed.

A faint smile pulled at Lillie's lips. She eyed Ash again and opened her mouth to speak.

"It's actually a really big discovery," she said. "It could be a huge source of renewable energy."

Ash nodded a couple of times before his face twisted up in an expression of concern. "Wait, if you're sucking up that much energy, what will happen to the Z-Moves?! Won't they stop working?!"

Lillie smiled kindly. "That's actually part of our calculations," she replied. She tapped the touchscreen again and the antenna disappeared; replaced by the earth. The image then shifted to show the Alola region and several flashing gold areas around the islands.

Lillie pointed at one of the flashing areas. "Before we deployed the Ultra Collector, there were periodic spikes of Ultra Energy throughout Alola," she said. "When that happened, usually the result was an Ultra Wormhole opening and an Ultra Beast coming through."

She tapped the touchscreen again and glanced over at Ash.

"We think the Ultra Wormhole is a way of nature rebalancing itself when the energy gets too saturated in one area," she said, as an aside.

Ash nodded in response.

The image of Alola shifted again and the glowing areas suddenly reduced in intensity. "After we deployed the Ultra Collector, we've been able to keep the Ultra Energy balanced and at stable levels," she said happily. "We draw off the excess energy but we don't drain more than is needed." She flashed a smile at Ash. "There's still plenty left for everyone's Z-Moves."

Ash continued nodding. "That sounds really impressive, Lillie!" he said.

Lillie faintly blushed and looked away. "Uhh, yeah," she stammered. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Another nice effect is that because there's no buildup of Ultra Energy, there aren't any Ultra Wormhole incidents."

Ash looked impressed. "Wow, really?!" he said.

Lillie started to nod but her face fell. "Well, at least that was the case, initially," she said with a sigh. The Alola native frowned, tapped the touchscreen again and the golden field above the islands disappeared. "The first few months the collector was active, we didn't have a single wormhole event." She tapped the screen again and the image zoomed out to show the entire world. A bunch of red dots appeared, scattered all over the globe. "Recently, though, there've been wormholes opening up all over the world; not just here in Alola!" she said.

Ash stared at the image of the globe. "Huh, really?!" he said.

Lillie nodded and put her hands on her hips. "Yes," she sighed. She shook her head in frustration and continued. "We don't know what's causing it," she said. "We've even tried turning off the Ultra Collector to see if it was causing it, but it had no effect." She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "There's still so much about this we don't understand."

Ash continued looking at the globe before noticing Lillie's frustrated expression. He smiled at her and spoke in an encouraging tone.

"Hey, don't worry!" he said. "I'm sure you'll figure it out and find a way to keep the Ultra Wormholes from opening."

Lillie's eyes stretched wide and her mouth fell partially open. She met Ash's stare for a long moment before blinking and turning her head away. She examined a few random floor tiles to avoid looking at Ash before she tapped more commands into the touchscreen. Above them, the earth disappeared and it was replaced by a greatly enlarged 3D model of the Ultra Bracer Lillie had shown Ash earlier. The platinum blonde gulped in a tense breath and spoke again.

"This is the Ultra Bracer I was telling you about earlier," she said, looking at the projected image.

Ash examined the 3D model and smiled. "Cool!" he responded in an impressed tone.

Lillie blushed a little and appeared bashful before speaking in a slightly more upbeat tone. "I, uh, actually did a lot of the work designing this!" she said, her words running together as she spoke quickly.

Ash nodded again. "So what's it do?" he asked.

A smile pulled at Lillie's lips and she tapped the touchscreen a couple of times. Above them, the sides of the 3D bracer opened up and some panels extended outward, somewhat resembling a segmented dish.

"The Ultra Bracer uses stored Ultra Energy to create an Ultra Wormhole." Lillie pointed to a small recess on the Ultra Bracer and continued. "You put your Z-Crystal in there and it works just like a Z-Ring; only it creates an Ultra Wormhole when you use the Z-Move."

Ash folded his arms and nodded in approval. "Wow, so it just makes a wormhole when you use the Z-Move," he said.

Lillie nodded and smiled. "Yeah!" she said in an energetic voice. "The idea is that your Pokémon hits the Ultra Beast with the Z-Move and that knocks them back into the Ultra Wormhole. It sends them away in one move! It's a lot easier than the way we used to do it."

Ash grinned. "That is cool!" he said, matching Lillie's energy.

Lillie chortled and took a step closer to Ash. "Plus, the Ultra Bracer holds enough energy for two Z-Moves, not just one."

Ash's eyes widened. "TWO Z-Moves!" he exclaimed.

Lillie nodded several times in rapid succession. "And I'm working on making the capacitor in the bracer replaceable. So, as long as you've got spares, you can use as many Z-Moves as you want!"

"That is so AWESOME!" Ash practically shouted. He looked to the side and stared into space. "Imagine a battle with unlimited Z-Moves…!"

Lillie laughed. "I know! Gladion tried to see how many Z-Moves he could use in a row, but he could only manage two."

A glint appeared in Ash's eye and he grinned. "Yeah, I need to have a rematch with Gladion. It's been too long…"

Smiling broadly, Lillie took a step close to Ash and spoke in a happy voice. "Well, he's coming back later today. In fact he might already be on Melemele Island."

Ash turned his head toward Lillie and looked her in the eye. "Well, I've only got Pikachu, but I'm sure he'd be up for a one-on-one battle!"

Lille nodded. "I'm sure he would be!" she said confidently.

Ash stared off into space for a moment, thinking back to his previous clashes with Gladion and imagining what the future battle might bring. A step away, Lillie stood tensed up and hesitating. A second ticked by and then another. Finally she spoke up and reached out with her right hand.

"Hey, Ash, there's one more thing you should see!" she said in a pitchy voice.

Before he could say anything, Lillie took hold of his hand and began pulling him toward the door. He followed along, chuckling at his old friend's eager attitude.

Lillie led Ash out of the lab, around a structure and down a corridor before coming to a stop in an open area. Still holding on to his hand, she pointed up with her left hand at a rectangular, silver structure mounted on an elevated platform a short distance away. The structure was about as large as a cargo container and featured several boxy outcropping along its length. Both ends of the device tapered down and were smoothly rounded. There were several large conduits and cables attached to the boxy outcroppings. The cables and conduits mostly led up to the ceiling but a few hung in the air, attaching to the metallic rings on nearby thin towers.

Ash had a look of puzzlement on his face. "Uh, what is that?" he asked.

Lillie beamed. "That's the Ultra Capacitor!" she said ebulliently. "It's what we use to store all the Ultra Energy we've collected!"

Ash still looked puzzled and Lillie quickly continued.

"That's what we're hoping could one day revolutionize the world! If we can figure out how to use the energy to power homes and cities, there's no limit to what we could unlock!"

Ash's eyes immediately brightened. "WOW that is cool!" he replied.

Lillie took a gasping breath and squeezed Ash's hand. "I know, right!" she exclaimed, her voice warbling out of excitement.

The feeling of Ash's strong hand within her grasp caused Lillie's chest to fill with sparks of excitement and streamers of intense emotion. She suddenly felt a powerful urge to step forward and kiss him on the lips. She wanted to express everything she felt in one singular outpouring of affection. Words simply wouldn't do!

Her lips tingled, her stomach filled with Butterfree and her heart hammered like never before. Then, as quickly as the amorous urge had come upon her, her emotions crashed down into the depths of despair. She couldn't step up and kiss Ash. He was married. His love belonged to another girl, Serena. Serena was the one he held close. Serena was the one he kissed. Serena was the one he took to his bedroom each night… Serena was the one who experienced his love, not her…

It took every bit of Lillie's resolve to not collapse into a sobbing heap. Her lips trembled and her eyes blurred with tears. She gently let go of Ash's hand and spoke in a soft voice.

"Uh… well, that's basically everything we've got," she managed, her gaze drifting down to the ground.

Ash smiled and spoke in his usual, friendly tone. "Well, it's all really impressive, Lillie! I'm glad you showed me around!"

Lillie pressed her lips together until they turned white. She nodded and sniffed in a shuddering breath. "I'm glad you like it," she said, her voice nearly failing her as emotion tightened her throat. She pointed to the side at an elevator and continued. "You can take that back up to the main level. Just hit the sea level button."

Ash partially frowned. "You don't want to come along?" he asked.

Lillie forced a smile and shook her head. "No, I've got a few things I need to take care of down here," she managed. "I'll see you later."

Ash's smile returned and he spoke in a happy tone. "Well, okay. I'll see you later, Lillie!"

Lillie held up her trembling, right hand and offered Ash a wave. "Bye," she said softly.

Ash returned the wave and stared walking toward the elevator. "Bye," he replied.

Ash entered the elevator, the doors slid shut and he began the trip to the surface. Below him, Lillie leaned her back against a nearby wall, slid down to the floor, pulled her knees to her chest and stared into space; wondering what might have happened all those years ago, if she'd made a bold move toward Ash, instead of being so timid and scared.

"You really do have a knack for taking care of Pokémon," Lusamine said in a kind voice.

Serena shrugged and kept an overly happy expression on her face. "Yeah, putting on shows and competing in contests really taught me how to make Pokémon look their best." She spoke quickly, trying to prevent Lillie's mother or Professor Burnet from, once again, changing the subject to her marital status. "There was this one time in Slateport City that Sylveon got all dirty after a battle and I had to clean her up really quickly. She'd gotten covered with goo after this Sludge Bomb attack. It was hectic but I got her clean."

Burnet laughed and chuckled. She held a hand over her jiggling stomach and spoke in a jovial tone.

"Oh, that reminds me of a time that Lei's diaper exploded!" she said mirthfully. "It was like a Muk had crawled all over the living room." She laughed a few more times and then looked right at Serena. "That's just some of the territory that comes with parenting."

Serena kept her smile glued on and continued brushing Garchomp's tail. "Fortunately we were able to win that contest. It was actually my third ribbon overall. It set me up for the next contest in Rustboro City." She was starting to think letting Ash go off on his own had been a mistake…

Mercifully, before the two older women could grill her for more relationship information, Ash came traipsing into view. Serena promptly stood up and walked toward him.

"Ash! Did you have a good time?!" Serena said without pretense.

Ash froze mid-step, surprised at the sudden question. "Uh, yeah, it was really cool," he said, managing a partial smile.

"Great!" Serena said happily. "I've got Garchomp all nice and shiny! Take a look!"

With a bewildered expression on his face, Ash followed Serena to the garage and took in the sight of his old ride Pokémon. Serena had indeed worked her magic; his trusty steed had never looked better.

"Wow, that's great!" Ash said, sounding pleased and impressed.

Serena smiled happily and chortled. "So, do you wanna go flying?!" she said eagerly.

Ash chuckled and glanced at Lusamine and Burnet. "Uh, is it okay if we take Garchomp out for a ride?"

Lusamine smiled and waved off the question. "Of course it is," she replied. "You two go have a fun time."

Ash looked at Garchomp and the dragon type let out a lively growl. The world's greatest Pokémon trainer quickly set to work preparing his old friend for another flight. The saddle was strapped on and everything was made ready. Soon, Garchomp was standing tall; looking every bit the heroic Pokémon it was. Ash climbed on the saddle first and Serena was about to follow when a blushing Burnet stepped up and whispered to her.

"I know it's been a little crazy for you two," she said in a bashful tone. "But, if you want to get some time to yourselves, there's a little sandbar a ways to the north." Burnet turned a deeper shade of red and continued in a pitchy whisper. "It's very private if you want to… have some alone time together…!"

Serena felt her face flush as hot embarrassment washed over her. She chuckled nervously and forced a partial smile.

"Uhh, thank you," she managed. "We'll think about it…"

Burnet chuckled and stepped back as Serena pulled herself up behind Ash. They strapped themselves in and Lusamine sent a command for a set of wall panels to slide aside so they could fly out of the facility. As the walls slowly opened, Ash grinned and spoke over his shoulder in an amused tone.

"This isn't quite a cool as when we were doing Ultra Guardians stuff. We had a whole underground launch ramp system and everything."

Serena's face twisted into an anxious expression. "You had what?!" she croaked.

Ash nodded. "Yeah it was great. Sort of like that stuff Agent Kozo does."

Serena's expression became befuddled as well as anxious. "That's all made up, Ash," she said flatly.

Ash frowned. "It is…?" he replied skeptically.

At that moment, the panels finished moving aside and Garchomp let out a rumbling growl. The dragon spread its wings and planted its feet. Ash looked to the side at Lusamine and Burnet.

"Thanks a lot for showing us around," he said.

Lusamine smiled kindly. "Thanks for visiting, Ash!" she said in a sincere tone.

Burnet sniggered and waved at them. "Have fun you two!" she said in a joyful tone.

Serena glanced at Burnet and felt more embarrassment wash over her. She'd thought it had been awkward with her own mother hassling her about refraining from intimate activity. It turned out; having an adoptive mother actively encouraging her to get frisky was way, way worse…

A moment later, Garchomp lunged forward and took to the air with a couple powerful flaps of its wings. Serena held on tight and felt the air rushing against her face. They quickly soared out of Aether Paradise and over the open ocean. The ride was bouncy, jarring and rough. If something went wrong, only their safety belts and their grip would stand in the way of them plummeting down to their doom. Serena took hold of Ash and let out a sigh of relief. This was way, way better than being flown around by some kind of computerized airplane. She preferred being on the back of a creature with a brain rather than something controlled by wires and circuits.

Once they were flying above Aether Paradise, Ash gave Serena a quick tour of the exterior of the facility before moving on to Manalo Stadium. Serena was thoroughly impressed by the floating city and Ash's short descriptions of what had happened there. Seeing where he'd won his first championship filled Serena with tingles of joy and happiness. She wrapped her arms firmly around her man and held on to him as they soared ahead.

Garchomp let out a happy cry and they circled higher and higher over Manalo Stadium. The sparkling, blue ocean stretched out in all directions and Serena let out a contented sigh. This was what she'd expected in a vacation to Alola; not mobs of people chasing them down.

They cruised along for a couple of minutes and Serena's mind drifted back to Burnet's suggestion. While she certainly wasn't going to act on the older woman's not-so-subtle nudge that she and Ash make love on a sandbar, the idea of lounging around in the sun with the man she loved was very appealing.

Serena considered the idea and debated it in her mind. Finally, she decided to be bold yet again. It had gotten her this far with Ash, after all. She leaned forward and whispered the sandbar's location to Ash, making sure to avoid any mention that it was supposedly a good place to do the deed.

Just a dozen minutes later, Garchomp's feet sunk into the sand of the small landmass out in the middle of the ocean. There was not another speck of land in sight. Not even Aether Paradise or a ship on the sea. They were completely alone.

Serena let out a supremely happy sigh and pulled off her shoes. She took a few steps and smiled blissfully as soft sand slipped between her toes. This was what she'd been waiting for!

Ash dismounted Garchomp and the happy creature trotted over to an isolated corner of the sandbar. It lay down and began sunning itself. Serena glanced over at the dragon type and decided that it had the right idea. After she spent a few minutes enjoying the sensation of sand beneath her feet, she walked up to Ash and spoke in a sweet tone.

"So, how'd you like to work on a tan?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Ash grinned. "Really, you wanna do that, here?" he said with some amusement.

Serena playfully shrugged and inclined her head to the side. "Well, it is winter time in Kanto. We're not going to be getting sun there for a while."

Ash thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. He lowered himself to the sand and sat down. Serena followed his lead and sat as well. She looked over at him, fluffed her golden hair and let it billow in the breeze for a moment. She then let out a happy sigh, crossed her arms, gripped the hem of her shirt and began to pull it upward.

Ash's eyes immediately stretched wide. His gaze fastened on Serena's lovely waist as it was revealed; next, her ribs and then the area just below her bust. His heart began to pound as her shirt slipped upward and revealed her lovely bosom, cupped elegantly by a flesh-colored bra. Serena finished pulling her shirt over her head then turned her gaze to Ash. She hummed in amusement and bounced her eyebrows.

"What are you looking at?" she asked coyly.

Ash smirked and spent a moment continuing to stare at Serena's feminine hardware before raising his gaze to her eyes. "Just the most beautiful girl in Alola," he said smartly.

Serena's eyes sparkled and her smile widened. She let out a happy chuckle, set her shirt aside and also took off her necklace, stowing the souvenir in her handbag. With a happy sigh, she slowly laid down on her back. She interlaced the fingers of her hands behind her head before resting her head in the upturned palms of her hands. She was about to close her eyes when she shot another glance at Ash and saw he was staring unabashedly at her breasts. She took a deep breath, causing her scrumptious flesh to stretch and rise toward the sky, before letting out a sigh and relaxing.

The lovely sand, the warm sun and the soft splashing of the ocean as it kissed the sandbar nearly lulled Serena to sleep. She remained barely awake, however and enjoyed every wonderful moment of this quiet getaway with her man. Next to her, Ash laid down on his back and began to doze as well. Neither of them knew how much time passed. It simply wasn't important.

Eventually, Serena started to feel her stomach become quite warm from the sun. Wary of getting a sunburn, she rolled over on to her stomach and rested her chin on her folded forearms. She glanced over at Ash and saw that he'd taken an interest in her movements. A silly grin spread across her face and they shared a playful snicker. She really loved being sexy around Ash. It was a lot of fun!

Serena continued to lie on the sand for a minute before a naughty idea popped into her mind. She pondered it for less than a dozen seconds before deciding to put it into action. With a rotation of her shoulders, she reached around her back, twisted her bra clip and undid the strap holding her undergarment together. She saw Ash's eyes widen and she struggled to keep from sniggering. She calmly dropped the strap halves to either side of her torso, leaving her back completely uncovered.

Ash continued to stare and Serena finally shifted her gaze over to him. "I don't want any tan lines," she deadpanned.

Ash snorted and Serena grinned maniacally. She let out a chuckle and settled down for another session of sunbathing. She closed her eyes, soaked in the warm sun and then suddenly felt Ash's fingers gently caressing her sand-speckled back!

Serena slowly inhaled as sensual sparks sizzled wherever Ash's fingers ran. She felt his digits track over the place where her bra strap should have been and then continue up and down her back in slow, careful motions.

Serena waited for Ash to do something else, but he simply kept caressing her sun-kissed back. His fingers moved, her skin tingled and slowly the fires of passion began to build inside her chest and loins. Her thoughts became sensual. She began to ponder just how easy it would be for her to get something truly erotic started. All she'd have to do is lift herself up on her elbows, leave her bra lying in the sand and then roll over on her back. She imagined Ash crawling over to her, laying down atop her and then the two of them carrying out Professor Burnet's not-so-subtle suggestion with passion and enthusiasm.

A wicked smile began to form on Serena's face. The timing wasn't great. In fact, it was quite risky right now; however that only added to the excitement she felt. As the seconds ticked by, she felt her resistance to the idea of sex eroding away. This wasn't where she imagined their fist time would take place, but it certainly would be a memorable experience.

Ash's fingers dipped down and stroked the left side of Serena's torso, just above her breast. She felt her loins twitch and fire explode in her bosom. She took in a ragged breath and relished the yearning sensation in her nether regions that was steadily building in strength. Her man had really done it this time! She was fully fired up and ready for sensual activity! With barely any hesitation, she made a decision. It was time to close the deal; go for a tumble; churn butter; get railed; make love!

With her heart pounding, Serena spent a moment gathering herself and savoring her last moments of being a virgin. She took a deep breath, wiggled her toes, flexed her fingers and then disaster struck!

Ash's phone suddenly rang.

Serena heard Ash grunt in surprise at the interruption. She desperately hoped the call was nothing and she could promptly resume her plan to blow the mind of her not-so-secret husband. Ash lifted his fingers from her back and answered the call. A moment later, a squeaky, electronic, voice came issuing out of the phone.

"Why did you return to Alola noooowww! Tracey and I are in Unova and won't beee back for daays!"

Ash chuckled a few times and the pitchy voice quickly continued in an indignant tone. "This is no laughing matter! bleebrree! Everyone is going to see you but usss!"

Ash struggled to suppress another chuckle. "Okay, Rotom, sorry, but how were we supposed to know you'd be gone."

Instead of a reply there were only several pitchy, electronic sounds which could best be described as groans, whines and barely contained dismay. Before Rotom could say anything more, there was a clunking sound as the phone on the other end of the call changed hands.

"Uh, hey, Ash," Tracey said in a sheepish tone. "We just wanted to say 'Hi.' "

"Hey, Tracey!" Ash replied enthusiastically. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Tracey made a happy sound. "Pretty good, actually. Before I left for Unova, I was studying some of the performance habits of Primarina."

Ash grinned and turned his head toward Serena. "It's Tracey!" he said in a hushed voice. Ash turned away and an incredulous frown formed on Serena's face.

The golden haired woman couldn't believe this. Moments ago Ash had been teasing her back and she'd been literally seconds from presenting her glorious bosom to him. Now, he was on the phone with an old friend and his very aroused girlfriend was left in the lurch. Serena waited a moment to see if Ash would return his attention to her. When he continued chatting on the phone, she raised her head a bit, bent her knees and slowly kicked her lower legs in the air.

"I've also been working on figuring out how Primarina make their bubbles so strong," Tracey continued.

Ash's eyes lit up and he looked out toward the sea. "Wow, that's so cool!" he said. "You know, a bunch of people can float inside those things."

Serena's frown deepened. Ash was now looking out at the ocean, rather than at her. A few seconds ticked by and the girl from Kalos rolled her eyes in exasperation. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, letting her bra fall away from her chest and rest on the sand. She was now topless and Ash's gaze was directed elsewhere.

"Wait, Lana did what with Primarina?!" Tracey said in a surprised tone.

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, pretty cool, right!" he said.

Still sitting, Serena turned toward Ash, leaned back and planted her palms in the sand behind her to support her. She slightly arched her back, putting her breasts on full display for no one to see. The sun was nice and warm upon the luscious mounds of flesh adorning her chest. Serena waited for Ash to turn toward her, and waited, and waited…

"Yeah, Pikachu's doing great!" Ash said. "We came over here with three Alolan Sandshrew that hatched from normal eggs."

"Alola forms from normal eggs!" Tracey squawked.

Serena reached up with her right hand and casually flicked her fingers first across her right breast and then her left. Her elastic flesh jiggled and swayed as she brushed flecks of sand away. She returned to her arched pose and glared at her man. She really couldn't believe this…

"Scyther really likes the warmer weather in Alola. Professor Oak does too," Tracey said.

Ash made a thoughtful sound. "Yeah, I've got to make sure I go see Professor Oak before I leave."

Serena felt the fires of passion quickly dying out inside her. Nothing killed the mood like her man turning his attention elsewhere. With a groan and a sigh, she reached over, picked up her bra and resecured it around her torso.

Ash's conversation with Tracey went on for another five minutes. When he finally ended the call, Serena was still sitting without a shirt. Ash turned around and spoke in a happy tone.

"Boy it's been a while since we've seen Tracey," he said.

"Mmmmm," Serena hummed, through tightly pressed together lips.

Ash looked intently at Serena and a naughty glint flashed at his eyes. Serena saw his gaze drop down to her boobs and she felt quite a bit of irony roll over her. Given the big opportunity he'd missed out on, there was no way she was going to show him her boobs now. That would have to wait until later. Ash had missed his chance and would have to do without for a while…

Ash scooted closer until his shoulder brushed against Serena's. "So, what do you wanna do?" he said in a sultry voice.

"Mmmmm," Serena hummed. "I was thinking we might head back to the island," she said flatly.

Ash frowned. "Uh, already," he said.

Serena nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of boring here…"

Tracey put his phone away and stepped across the rocky floor of Mistralton Cave. "What were you saying earlier about this stuff?" he asked.

Rotom Dex floated across the dimly illuminated cavern and struck a dramatic pose. "After investigating, it's now obvious what happened here!" it said confidently.

Tracey stood and waited attentively. Rotom Dex spun around, put on a blonde wig and began speaking in a higher-pitch, more energetic tone.

"There was obviously a big clash between two eccentric cults, right here in this cave!"

Tracey's eyes went wide. "Huh, really?" he murmured.

Rotom Dex made a confident sound. "Without a doubt! Blrbbree!" The Pokémon spun around and pointed at the char marks, and impact craters scarring the stone. "The first cult believes that technology is going to bring about the destruction of humanity and that Pokémon are the only way forward. Here you can see the attacks their Pokémon inflicted on the second cult!"

Tracey looked at the destruction and rubbed at his chin as his mind worked. Rotom Dex then spun again and pointed at all the many phones, devices and appliances scattered across the cave floor.

"Here you can see the work of the second cult. They spent months gathering all of these devices. They believe that technology has the ability to unlock doorways to other dimensions if a proper sacrifice is made!"

Tracey's jaw fell open. "How can you possibly know that?!" he stammered in a disbelieving tone.

Rotom Dex floated over to a shiny toaster and picked it up. It flipped the appliance around and showed Tracey a bloody handprint, clearly visible on the metal.

"Here you can see the result of one of their rituals to open an extra-dimensional portal. The handprint is small, likely belonging to a child!"

"Barbaric!" Tracey blurted out.

Rotom Dex nodded solemnly. "Indeed!" the Pokémon commented. It then dropped the toaster with a loud *CLANG* and struck a dramatic pose. "But now that I have the trail, there's nowhere these two cults will be able to hide! DETECTIVE LAKI IS ON THE CASE!"

"YEAH!" Tracey shouted, pumping his fists in the air. When he'd set out on this investigation of a strange Ultra Wormhole event in Unova, he never would have guessed that it would take such a dark and dramatic turn. He was glad to have an experienced adventurer like Rotom Dex along. It would know what to do.

The beautiful Alolan sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon when Garchomp soared over the Pokémon School on Melemele Island. Ash let out a happy laugh and pointed at the place where he'd made so many memories with his friends.

"That's where Professor Oak and Kukui taught us!" he said excitedly. "We really had a lot of adventures there!"

"Mmm-hmmm…" Serena hummed in a disinterested manner. She was sitting right behind Ash, gently holding on to his waist.

Ash's expression fell for the briefest of moments. For some reason, Serena had been rather distant since they'd left the sandbar. He hoped she wasn't getting bored with Alola. He thought quickly and decided that maybe showing her around the Ultra Guardians facility might reenergize her. He gave Garchomp a subtle nudge and the creature banked to the right to begin a descent.

"Let's go check it out!" he declared with extra enthusiasm. A few moments later, Garchomp flapped its wings and gently landed in the courtyard. Ash thanked his old friend and Serena gave its snout a kind caress. The ride Pokémon then took to the air again and began the trip back to Aether Paradise.

Ash chuckled and looked at Serena who stared back with a somewhat pensive expression. He swallowed nervously and gestured at the large tree near where the classrooms were located.

"You're gonna love it!" he said.

"Mmmmm," Serena hummed.

Ash grimaced and started walking down a path he'd trodden many times before. He really hoped Serena's wasn't bored out-of-her-mind. His woman followed in his steps, speculating how long it would be before she would allow him to share her bed. After the day's events, the date was looking quite a ways off…

Five very long minutes later Ash was regretting bringing Serena to the school. He grinned tensely as he waved his arm across the empty school room where he'd spent so many days with his friends.

"Uh, so this is also where we'd get ready for Ultra Guardians missions," he said awkwardly.

"Mmmm-hmmmm," Serena mumbled.

Ash chewed on his lower lip and was about to ask Serena if things were okay when a very familiar, gravelly voice sounded from the corridor.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd finally turn up!" Professor Oak said.

Ash beamed and Serena smiled. She turned around and her face immediately scrunched up in surprise and disbelief.

"Uhhh, Professor, you're really…. tan…" she remarked, eyeing the older man's complexion, which was much, much darker than when he'd called them just a couple of days ago. "You… been spending a lot of time in the sun…?"

The professor and Ash blinked in uncertainty and then laughed.

"Nah, this isn't our Professor Oak," Ash said with a grin. "This is his cousin, Samson Oak."

Serena blinked and stared closer at the man who looked an awful lot like the man who'd once run the lab in Pallet Town. She noticed a few differences, like hair and gait, but the resemblance was still impressive. She remembered Ash telling her all about Samson Oak, but she'd completely failed to recognize him. Feeling a little silly, she chortled tensely and spoke in a bashful tone.

"Oh, uhh, hi!" she managed. "It's good to meet you."

Professor Samson grinned and spoke in an amused tone. "Yes, I'm very Happiny to meet you too!" he said, briefly contorting his face into a strange expression as he substituted the Pokémon's name and spoke in a different inflection.

Serena tried to avoid looking unsettled while Ash merely chuckled at the professor's antics.

"So, professor, did Kukui drop off the Sandshrew?" Ash asked.

Samson nodded. "Yes, he brought them by a little after noon. They were all pretty tired and had a Snorlax sized appetite!"

Ash pointed down the corridor. "Are they down there now?"

"As we speak," the professor said glibly.

Ash grinned and sent the older man an appreciative look. "Thanks a lot, professor! I'm gonna go check on them!" Ash started to move, but Samson cleared his throat, stopping Ash in his tracks.

"Are you going to go to the luau later this evening?" the Alola native asked in a curious yet hopeful tone.

Ash turned around. "A luau, tonight?!" he replied, sounding pleasantly surprised.

Samson nodded. "Yes, it should be a great time," he said in a happy tone. He then glanced at Serena and smiled. "There's even going to be a traditional dance where all the local women can participate."

Serena's expression finally lifted a little. "Oh, a dance?" she replied in an intrigued manner.

Samson nodded again. "Yes. It's just a simple affair. Nothing fancy; but it's a lot of fun and a great place to meet people."

Serena thought for a moment and found that she liked the idea of joining in a dance routine. Even though she'd given up on Kalos queen, she still wanted to perform. This would be a great chance to keep up her skills. She turned to look at Ash and spoke in a positive tone.

"Let's go to the luau, Ash!" she said.

Ash returned her look and smile. "Okay," he said with a grin. "You wanna watch the dance!"

Serena's expression fell a little. As far as Ash had come, he still had a ways to go…

"No, I'm gonna be in the dance, Ash," she said with a sigh.

Ash blinked and then his smile expanded. "Hey, even better!" he beamed.

Serena chuckled and struggled to avoid rolling her eyes. First he'd missed her being topless and now this… She loved him dearly but sometimes she felt like she had to lead him around on a leash.

To the side, Samson Oak grinned and laughed. "Oh, it's clear you two Luvdisc each other very much. You sound like you've been married for a couple decades!"

Ash and Serena tensed up and choked out a few coughing laughs. Ash gestured down the corridor and spoke in a garbled tone.

"Well… I guess we'll go look at those Sandshrew…" he said.

Serena plastered on a grin and waved goodbye. "Thanks professor, it was nice meeting you!" she said.

Samson waved goodbye as well and replied in a happy tone. "The pleasure was all mine. I hope to see you at the luau tonight!" he said.

"Sure thing!" Ash called over his shoulder. With that, he and Serena stepped lively down the corridor and out of view of the professor. After a few moments of being alone, Serena spoke up in a harsh whisper.

"Ash, what are we gonna do?! Everyone thinks we're married!"

Ash grimaced and put on a helpless expression. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait for it to blow over…"

Serena's eyes narrowed and her face fell. "I was sort of hoping for a better idea," she grumbled.

Ash shrugged and looked at a loss. "Well, we could always hide out at Pallet Town until we get married for real…" he said, sounding flummoxed.

Serena pursed her lips and considered the halfhearted suggestion. With the way things were going, hiding out in Pallet Town might end up being their only option to avoid catastrophic embarrassment…

Ash led Serena through the Pokémon School and down to a lab on the ground floor. She was glad it was late in the day. There was hardly anyone around and thus no one to quiz them about their marriage. As they entered the lab, they saw a silver-haired man sitting with his back to them, at a desk, on the far side of the room. Ash straightened up and Professor Oak turned around. The older man immediately smiled warmly and spoke in a happy, easy-going tone.

"Well, I'd heard you were on the island," he said wryly.

Ash, acting and sounding like he was ten years younger, giggled and dashed forward. "It's so good to see you professor!" he said boisterously. The man from Pallet Town threw his arms around his long-time friend and mentor and eagerly embraced him.

Professor Oak smiled and gave Ash a few hearty pats on the back. "Ahh, same to you, my boy."

Serena took a step inside the room and stopped. She felt warm, emotions bubble inside her chest and her eyes filled with happy tears. She knew this meeting meant a lot to Ash. The two men maintained the embrace for a few seconds longer and then Ash stepped back. He wiped at his eyes, chuckled and cleared his throat.

"So, how's it been going?" he asked with a smile.

Professor Oak replied with smiling eyes. "It's been wonderful, Ash. I've been working with my cousin and Kukui, and when I'm not doing that I study the Pokémon here in Alola." The older man chuckled and held up a finger to make a point. "Honestly, it feels like I'm retired, even though I'm still working. It's just so nice here!"

Ash nodded vigorously. "That's really great to hear!" he said emphatically.

The professor smiled and glanced at Serena. The woman from Kalos immediately felt her throat tighten in apprehension. She could predict the question which was about to be asked and she decided to preempt it. She quickly spoke up in a sweet tone.

"Ash is always wondering how you're doing!" she said. "He thinks about you all the time while he's taking care of the Pokémon."

Professor Oak redirected his gaze to Ash and Serena blew out a sigh of relief. "Oh, well you'll be happy to hear that I'm more than recovered. I haven't felt this good in a decade!" To emphasize the point, he playfully flexed his arms and bounced on his knees.

Ash chuckled and Serena giggled. The young man from Pallet Town put his hands on his hips and glanced around the lab.

"So, have those Sandshrew been behaving?" he asked.

Professor Oak nodded. "For the most part," he replied. "They're still a bit feisty, like all newly hatched Pokémon are, but I think they'll settle in soon enough."

Ash grinned. "Great!"

The next few minutes of conversation were a whirlwind of topic between Ash and Professor Oak. Ash asked him all about life in Alola while the professor was curious how the reserve was doing. Time passed quickly and it was Ash's old mentor who made a move to end the conversation.

"How would you like to continue this conversation on the beach?" the professor asked.

Ash appeared curious. "Huh? What do you mean?" he replied.

Professor Oak grinned and continued. "There's going to be a luau tonight. It will be a lot of fun!"

Ash immediately brightened. "OH, that! Yeah, Professor Samson already told us about that. We're definitely going to be there!"

Professor Oak chuckled at the mention of his cousin. "Well, it looks like Samson beat me to the punch. I guess great minds do think alike!"

Ash laughed and the professor joined him. Serena chuckled a few times as well before Ash turned to look at her.

"Yeah, I guess we better get going if we want to go see the luau!" he said to his not-so-secret wife.

Serena nodded in reply. In her stomach she was starting to feel a little worried about the luau. She wasn't looking forward to the inevitable barrage of questions she would face about her 'marriage' to Ash. It would be terribly embarrassing and she would have to keep up the appearance of being Ash's wife. She hated deceiving people, even if it was just a big, innocent misunderstanding.

The golden-haired woman shrugged and smiled at Ash. "Yeah, it's starting to get a little late."

Ash stepped to Serena's side before looking over his shoulder at Professor Oak. "So you're going to be at the luau?" he asked.

Professor Oak smiled. "I wouldn't miss it!" he said happily.

Ash smiled. "Great, I'll see you there!" he said.

"Indeed," the professor replied.

Ash waved goodbye and started to walk out the door. Professor Oak waved as well before adding in a cheerful tone.

"You two really do make a great couple!"

Serena gritted her teeth and smiled broadly. Internally, she wondered how in the world this was going to work out. She really wanted to have a wedding. Now, would they have to skip that and just go along with the fantasy which had taken hold? She didn't know, she just hoped she could find some peace, away from prying questions.

Ash and Serena arrived at the beach, where the luau was taking place, not far from Hau'oli City. A temporary stage had been set up next to a beach pavilion, complete with a large curtain concealing the backstage. A large number of chairs had been set up on the sand to seat the audience. There were several women milling around the pavilion and a fair number of people already sitting in the chairs.

Serena rocked side-to-side on her heels, feeling apprehensive about the luau. Normally she would have been excited to participate in a dance, however with everyone thinking that she was married to the champion, she wasn't looking forward to the inevitable questions.

The woman from Kalos blew out a tense sigh and looked over at her man. She wondered if she could tag along with him and just hang out in the audience. A second later, Ash perked up and started waving at the field of chairs.

"Hey! Pikachu, Kukui!" he shouted eagerly.

Serena followed Ash's gaze and saw the professor was sitting in the audience with Lei in his lap and Pikachu in a neighboring chair. Kukui waved back at Ash and smiled. Ash promptly turned around and grinned at Serena.

"I'm going to go sit down with Kukui and Pikachu!" he said happily. "You have fun with the dance!"

Serena hesitated for the briefest of moments and Ash was immediately gone. She stood chewing on her lower lip, conflicted as to whether she should go inside the pavilion or chicken out and follow after Ash. After a few seconds of consideration, she steeled herself and took a step toward where the women were gathering. Ash wasn't a quitter and she refused to become one!

Serena walked up to the entry way and slipped past a couple of ladies who were chatting about someone named the masked royal. The inside of the pavilion was mostly open except for the back area where roughly a dozen folding tables had been stacked upright, alongside stacks of chairs. In the center of the room was some kind of rolling closet with what seemed to be a lot of leaves and tall grass stuffed inside it.

Serena did a double-take when she spotted a striking, black-haired woman walking by; wearing what appeared to be a grass skirt and a bundle of leaves for her top. She would have continued staring at the strange sight except a familiar voice called out to her.

"Serena! It's so good you decided to join the luau!" Burnet sang.

Serena whirled around and saw the white-haired professor beaming and blushing at her. Ash's not-so-secret wife swallowed and smiled tensely.

"Hi! Long time, no see…" she said with some irony.

Burnet chuckled and rested her hands on her hips. She looked Serena up and down before smiling again.

"So, have you ever been a part of a luau before?" she asked.

Serena shook her head. "Nope, this is my first," she replied. Internally, she hoped there wasn't some sort of embarrassing catch concealed within the event.

Burnet laughed happily and folded her hands together. "Oh, you'll love it!" she said. A naughty glint briefly flashed in her eyes. "And Ash will love it too!" she quickly added.

Serena's stomach twisted and she laughed nervously. The last thing she wanted was for her and Ash's romance to be put center-stage. She glanced around and spoke in the best casual voice she could manage.

"So, what do we do?" she said.

Burnet glanced at the rolling closet and then back at Serena. "It seems Anela has wandered off," she said in an amused fashion.

Serena appeared puzzled. "Anela?" she queried.

Burnet turned toward the exit and glanced over her shoulder at Serena. "Older woman; silver hair. She sets these events up but she gets distracted and talks to everyone." Burnet took a step and continued. "I'll go get her."

With that, Burnet left the pavilion and Serena was left in the room, surrounded by a bunch of women she didn't know. Some of them were young; some were older; most of them featured black hair but there were some with blonde, brown and even red hair.

Serena spotted another woman walking around in the strange, grass skirt outfit. The Kalos native furrowed her brow and looked toward the rolling closet and then back at the woman. What was going on here? Was there going to be some kind of cosplay show? Were they going to do a historical reenactment?

Serena took a few steps toward the rolling closet and its leafy contents. She had just started to eye the odd looking outfits contained within when a familiar voice called out from behind her.

"There she is!" Mallow chirped in an insistent tone. "Now we can get to the bottom of this!"

Serena whirled around and took in the sight of a determined looking Mallow striding toward her followed closely by Lana, who sported a sneaky demeanor. The girl from Kalos felt apprehension surge within her. What was going on?!

Mallow came to a stop and fixed Serena with a piercing stare. "Okay, did you and Ash get married?!" she barked. "We only left like a week ago!"

Serena blanched and tried to appear innocent. "Uhh, where did you hear we were married?" she managed in a guilty sounding tone.

Mallow frowned and replied in the same insistent tone. "Half the island is saying you're married and the other half says it's just a wild rumor!" Mallow leaned closer to Serena and put her hands on her hips. "SO, which is it?!"

Behind the green-haired girl, Lana absently swung her arms and bopped her fists together. "I told you to just let it go…" she said casually.

Mallow glared over her shoulder at her blue-haired friend and then turned her stare back to Serena. Ash's not-so-secret bride swallowed nervously and croaked out a reply.

"Well…" she began awkwardly. "There was a bit of a misunderstanding when we got here…"

Mallow's eyes stretched wide while Lana simply suppressed a chuckle. "So, you're not married?!" the almond-skinned beauty squeaked.

Embarrassment and shame wracked Serena. Her face started to feel hot and her stomach performed a flip-flop. She shook her head at Mallow and grimaced for whatever came next. To her surprise, Mallow appeared mortified. The green-haired woman slapped her hands to her cheeks and spoke in a sympathetic.

"Ohh, that's so horrible!" she said. "You've got to be so embarrassed!"

Serena continued to grimace while nodding in reply. "Yeah, a bit…" she managed.

Mallow lowered her hands and slid them together, interlacing her fingers. "What are you going to do?" she asked softly.

Serena froze for a moment. She'd been asking herself, and Ash, that exact same question all day.

"Uhhh, I guess Ash and I are hoping it will… just blow over…" she croaked out. At this point, she had no idea how to correct the record without unimaginable shame.

"Hurricanes have less energy than this rumor…" Lana deadpanned in a low voice.

Mallow glanced at Lana before looking back at Serena. "Lana's right, this probably isn't going to go away." Serena appeared at a loss for words. Mallow waited a moment then continued. "What do you want us to do?" she asked.

Serena hesitated. She really hated to keep the rumor going, but she couldn't see how they could roll it back now.

"Uhh, I guess just don't tell anyone about the mix-up, for now," she sighed.

Mallow's face was a mask of sympathy. She nodded in reply and was about to say something but Anela entered the pavilion with Burnet at her side. The older, silver-haired woman glanced at Serena and then spoke to Burnet.

"It's always so exciting having another young woman join the tradition!" she said happily.

Burnet blushed and clapped her hands together in an expression of joy. "I know! It's always so much fun!" She laughed excitedly, blushed some more and then continued. "Kukui always loves watching me!" She then looked directly at Serena. "I'm sure Ash will love watching his wife up on stage!"

Serena grimaced and forced a grin in reply. She glanced to the side at Mallow and saw the green-haired girl was sending her a sympathetic look. At least she had one person, other than Ash, to commiserate with.

Now that Anela had returned, things began to pick up backstage. Serena saw some more women arrive and begin milling about. Some of them were young but most of them were middle age. Among the younger woman, Serena spotted Nina, the well-known pancake chef which Ash had mentioned to her during their discussion over breakfast. It seemed the event was well-attended.

After a few minutes, Anela moved to the center of the room and spoke up. "All right, everyone; it's time to start getting changed into the dance outfits."

Serena's curiosity was more than piqued about these traditional outfits she'd heard about. After her time in Kalos and Hoenn, her mind was filled with beautiful images of flowing colors, feathers, ribbons and everything else which seemed fitting for a region as lovely as Alola.

Serena moved along with the other women to where Anela was handing out the garments. A moment later, she caught sight of the outfit she would be wearing. It appeared to be a grass skirt and bunch of leaves…

The girl from Kalos frowned and stepped up to Anela. The older woman eyed her for a moment and then pulled a bunch of knitted together leaves out of a small rolling closet. She presented the foliage to Serena and Ash's not-so-secret wife cautiously accepted it.

After a moment's hesitation, Serena spoke up in an uncertain tone. "Uh, Anela, what's this?"

The older woman smiled and replied in a cheery voice. "That's what you'll be wearing, dear! It harkens back to the clothing of centuries past."

Serena examined the bundle of leaves again. She could see that they were crudely sewn together into some kind of… she wasn't quite sure what it was…

With a nervous chuckle, the girl from Kalos spoke up again. "So, uhh, how do I put this on? Do I wear it over my shirt…?"

As she was speaking, Mallow stepped up and Anela's eyes brightened. She reached into the closet and pulled out a bigger bundle of leaves.

"Here you are, Mallow," she said in a kind voice with a touch of humor. "I made yours extra large, as usual."

Mallow immediately blushed and appeared bashful. She chuckled in an embarrassed manner as she took the leaves and a grass skirt, before turning and stiffly walking away. As she went, she glanced down at her chest while shaking her head and smiling wryly.

Anela handed Serena a grass skirt and finally answered the Kalos native's opened-ended question. "No, dear, you just wear that as your top." The older woman smiled kindly. "It's actually quite comfortable. It doesn't pinch like most of those modern bras do."

Serena was starting to feel very uncomfortable about this whole dance. The idea of prancing around in front of a crowd of people with only leaves covering her modesty wasn't her idea of a fun time. As her mind spun, Burnet stepped up and Anela handed her a leaf-top and grass skirt.

Serena swallowed and spoke in her best, diplomatic voice. "Uhh, it just seems a bit… risky to go dancing around in only… this…" she said.

Anela promptly replied with a hearty belly laugh. The older woman looked at Burnet and spoke in an amused tone. "The kids these days, so worried about everything." She turned her attention back to Serena and continued. "Why, back when I was your age, we only had the grass skirts, and no one thought anything of it!"

Anela and Burnet shared a jovial laugh while Serena grimaced. She now felt even less confident about this leaf-top. She stared down at her new coverings and bit her lower lip. She really hoped this dance didn't turn into a peepshow…

Ash grinned from ear-to-ear as he sat with Professor Kukui on his right and Professor Oak on his left. He really couldn't have imagined this day going any better. He'd gotten to see nearly all of his friends from Alola, he'd visited Aether Paradise and Serena was soon going to perform a dance for him. Things sure were great!

In Kukui's lap, little Lei was chewing on a plastic toy while his father gently held him upright. Ash looked at the young boy and received a silly smile in return. The Alola champion then spotted a familiar face just a few strides beyond Kukui.

"Hey, Gladion!" Ash called out to the platinum blonde-haired man.

Sporting a serious expression, Lillie's sibling stepped closer and replied in a monotone voice. "It's been long time, Ash."

Ash grinned. "Yeah it has! How's it been going?"

Gladion barely moved. "Busy," he said. "There's always something going on at the Aether foundation. If I'm not taking care of something for mother, I'm helping Lillie out."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, same with me. I've always got something going on at the Pokémon reserve."

"You probably don't have Pokémon from other dimensions showing up and wrecking things, though…" Gladion deadpanned.

Ash frowned at the comment for an instant before he saw the corners of Gladion's mouth turn upward ever so slightly. The man from Pallet Town laughed and glanced at Pikachu before turning back to his old rival.

"You know, we're gonna have to have a battle sometime," he said eagerly.

Gladion nodded. "I'm looking forward to it."

Before Ash could say anything else, a sly, young, female voice called out from behind Gladion. "Hey, Gladion! Glad you made it to the luau!" Mimo sang.

Gladion's eyes briefly widened before he regained his composure. He casually turned around to face the brown and yellow-haired teen but his demeanor was noticeably stiffer than before.

"Hey, Mimo…" he said without enthusiasm.

Mimo grinned and spoke in an upbeat tone. "So, are you gonna watch the dance?" she asked.

Gladion hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Uh, I was going to… with Lillie… er watch Lillie…" he stammered. The young man abruptly blinked and looked directly at Mimo. "Wait, why are you here?" he asked.

Mimo's grin got bigger. "I'm gonna be in the dance, too!" she stated. "You can watch me along with Lillie!"

Gladion's face scrunched up in an uncomfortable expression. "Uhh, I thought you needed to be older…" he said uncertainly.

Mimo scoffed. "Nah, it's fine!" she sang. She then reached up and playfully slapped Gladion on the arm in a show of camaraderie or reassurance… or something else. "Be sure to check me out when I'm up there!"

Gladion maintained a straight face but his left eye slightly twitched. Mimo giggled and glanced at Ash and Kukui.

"Well, I'm off!" she cooed. She turned and started walking away. A moment later she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Gladion. "See you later…" she sang.

Gladion cringed and glanced around awkwardly. Once Mimo was out of sight, he stiffly turned to Ash and the professors.

"You know, I just remembered that… mother needed me to pick up… something from the market…" He froze for a moment before continuing. "Be sure to tell Lillie 'hi' from me."

With that, the son of Lusamine turned and rapidly vacated the area. Ash, Oak and Kukui all watched him go. With a nonplussed expression on his face, Kukui turned to his son and spoke in a sweet voice.

"And you're never going to turn thirteen, are you?!" he said playfully.

Lei simply giggled and continued gnawing on the plastic toy.

When Serena had figured out that the bundle of leaves she'd been handed was supposed to be her top she'd been more than surprised at the exposure risk all the women were willing to take. The sewn together leaves looked like they could come apart at any moment, especially during a dance. However, as she'd started looking around for a place to change, Serena had discovered that modesty might not have been all that big of a concern for the Alolan women. She saw several women changing into the outfits in plain view, caring not for who saw them.

Granted, there were no men around but Serena still felt rather uncomfortable seeing the other girls. She certainly didn't want to lift her shirt in the presence of strange women, let alone friends. Even though she hailed from Kalos, and carried some of that region's risqué attitudes, she kept those sensual outpourings exclusively for Ash. Her man, and only her man, was going to enjoy the pleasure of viewing the succulent flesh of her chest!

Thusly, after searching around for a few minutes, Serena found an out-of-the-way corner where she could get a little privacy. She huddled herself away and gingerly changed out of her shirt. She slipped off her bra and felt immensely self-conscious at being topless in public. She fumbled with the foliage for a few seconds before finally pulling it over her head. She slipped it down around her chest and didn't feel much better about her situation. Every movement she made seemed like it would cause the leaves to tear apart. Additionally, there were small gaps between some of the leaves and Serena twisted the covering several times, trying to make sure none of the gaps allowed her nipples to peek out.

With sweat born from stress rolling down her back, Serena pulled on the grass skirt and dropped her shorts. She kept her panties on, however. She didn't know if it was traditional to discard her lower coverings, but she didn't care. She was only going so far with this luau.

Feeling more than half-naked, Serena stiffly walked back to the main group of women. They were handing out single flowers and necklaces made of flowers. Burnet offered Serena a very pretty collection of yellow and pink flowers and the girl from Kalos quickly slipped it over her head. It draped down to her chest and Serena was grateful for any additional coverage she could get there.

More seconds passed and Lana walked up to Serena. The blue-haired girl had undone her locks and most of her hair was hanging freely. She looked at Serena with sparkling eyes and spoke in a cheerful voice.

"You're so beautiful, Serena!" she sang.

Serena blushed, more out of embarrassment than at the compliment. "Thanks," she managed. She looked down at the leaf-top and pulled her hair back behind her head. As she did so, a few strands got stuck amongst the leaves and tugged at the fragile foliage. Serena immediately cringed and glanced at the two girls before her.

"Hey, have you got any hair ties?" she asked.

Mallow immediately produced a few and handed them to Serena. "Here you go," the cheery, green-haired woman said.

Serena thanked Mallow and began tying her hair up in a bun. The last thing she wanted was her hair, of all things, pulling apart the bundle of leaves responsible for protecting her modesty.

Mallow stepped up and looked at Lana with some puzzlement. "Hey, have you seen Lillie?" she asked. "I thought she was planning to come."

Lana frowned. "I haven't seen her," she replied. Mallow's friend reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone. "Let me ask her, real quick," she said absently.

Mallow nodded toward Lana and turned to Serena. "Lillie never misses these luaus unless she's out on a mission."

Serena nodded in reply while Lana began tapping on her phone. A few seconds later, Mimo traipsed into sight and stepped up to the trio.

"Hey, Mallow, looking good!" the brown and yellow-haired teen said in a voice heavy with implication.

Mallow chuckled nervously and looked away. Mimo turned her attention to Serena and grinned broadly.

"So, how's married life been treating you?!" she crowed.

Serena felt her face flush hot. She coughed tensely and slide stepped up to the younger girl. With her teeth clinched, Serena leaned down and hissed out a reply to the teen.

"Mimo, you know that's not true… you saw me and Ash a couple weeks ago…"

Mimo shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, but isn't this way better!" she said.

Serena sighed and shook her head. Mimo glanced at Lana and the blue-haired girl rolled her eyes. Mallow finally recovered from embarrassment and sent Kiawe's little sister a critical look.

"Hey, what are you doing back here in the changing area anyway?"

Mimo grinned. "I wanted to join in the dance!" she proudly stated. "Gladion's out there and"

Mallow frowned and furrowed her brow. "Hold on! Aren't you only thirteen?!"

Mimo shrugged. "Well, I'll be fourteen in like five months," she said in a dismissive tone. She opened her mouth to say more but Mallow cut her off.

"No way!" the green-haired girl barked. "You're way too young to do this!"

Mimo's eyes widened and then narrowed as she folded her arms and assumed a sulking posture. "Come on, what's three or four years difference make…" she muttered.

Without looking up from her phone, Lana replied in her usual, deadpan voice. "A lot, legally…"

Mimo fixed a pouty expression on her face while Mallow began shooing her toward the exit. "Come back in a few years!" the older girl said bluntly.

A couple of grumbling comments later, Mimo was gone and Mallow rejoined the group. Lana's phone dinged and the blue-haired girl frowned sadly.

"Lillie says she's not feeling well. She's not coming," Lana said.

Mallow's face fell. "Ohh, that's so sad," she said in a disappointed tone. "Ash is here and, of all days, she gets sick."

Mallow's comment caused Serena to raise a curious eyebrow. A second passed and the green-haired girl turned to the Kalos native and elaborated.

"Ash helped Lillie out with all kinds of stuff while he was here in Alola," she said in a sympathetic tone. "He practically saved her life a dozen times."

Still not looking up from her phone, Lana deadpanned again. "Definitely, not practically…"

Mallow chuckled and Serena smiled while nodding. "Yeah, Ash told me a bit about all that; the stuff with the Ultra Wormholes," Ash's not-so-secret bride responded.

In her room on Aether paradise, Lillie, lying atop her bed, tossed her phone to the side, rolled over on her stomach, buried her face in her pillow and began to sob!

"Those Sandshrew are quite a discovery, Ash," Professor Oak said in his usual friendly tone. "Now that we've got them settled in, we'll start doing some examinations tomorrow."

Ash chuckled happily. "That sounds great. I can't wait to hear what you find out."

Professor Oak grinned and took a long sip of his fruity drink. He let out a contented sigh and gestured with the glass at the fading sunset.

"You know, my boy, when I was in Kanto I felt tired all the time. Now, I feel twenty years younger. This island really is magic."

Kukui let out a pleased chuckle and grinned. "That's why we call it a paradise," he said smartly.

Ash let himself sink into the hammock chair. "Yeah, this really is great. Serena was right. A vacation was just what we needed."

The three men all shared satisfied looks and then took sips from their drinks. A few moments of silence passed and then there was the sound of grumbling approaching to their right. Ash turned his head and saw Kiawe, sporting an unhappy expression, gripping Mimo's left arm and pulling her along. Mimo was equally unhappy and the two were exchanging vocal barbs.

"can't believe you want to join in that dance!" the dark-skinned man griped.

"I don't know what the big deal is?!" Mimo groused. "So, you go out there and prance around for a couple of minutes."

"You're too young for that"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"I can take care of myself!"

With an angry sigh, Kiawe pulled Mimo down into a chair and then sat in a neighboring chair to her left. "I don't want you getting into trouble!" he growled.

Mimo made a face and crossed her arms. "You just don't want to have any fun!" she bit back.

"What you're talking about isn't fun," Kiawe said sharply.

At that moment, Anela slipped out from between the curtains on the improvised stage and turned toward the crowd. The older lady sported a big smile and spoke in a loud voice.

"ALOLA to all of you! Welcome to tonight's luau!"

There was some applause along with a few enthusiastic whistles and cheers. Anela waited a few seconds before continuing.

"Prepare to be amazed by the beautiful ladies of Melemele Island…" She then looked directly at Ash and smiled even wider. "And the champion will get to enjoy a wonderful performance by his bride!"

A much louder cheer erupted from the crowd with many people near Ash shouting congratulations to him. Ash managed a cringing smile and sunk down into his chair as far as he could. Anela bowed gracefully and took a step to the side. A moment later some whimsical, island music began playing and then the curtains were pulled to the side.

Serena had been nervous plenty of times before a performance; however, this was an entirely different kind of fear. In the past, she'd been afraid of messing up a routine, losing a contest or making a fool out of herself. Never in all her travels had she ever been concerned about her clothing suddenly falling apart while she was on stage… until now!

Every move she made caused the leaves surrounding her upper torso to shift and rustle. While she'd been walking around, she'd thought she'd felt a few of the stitches holding the leaves together give way. By now, she was thoroughly paranoid that the foliage was going to give way at any moment and treat the audience to an impromptu view of her bosom. Additionally, she constantly felt air seeping through gaps in the leaves and tickling her skin. She tried to keep from imagining that a nipple or significant part of her breast might be peeking through a gap, but she failed utterly.

As the ladies had gathered on stage, behind the curtain, Serena had tried to position herself to the side and a row back so she would be mostly shielded from view. However, all the other women were extremely kind and encouraging that Serena take center stage and be up front. Thus, as the curtains parted, Serena found herself right at the front of the stage, wearing a plastered on smile and a top which she desperately hoped didn't decide to make like leaves did in autumn and fall to ground.

As the music started to play, most of the ladies began to sway and wave their arms in a simple routine. Serena simply mimicked their movements and followed along. She'd performed far harder dances throughout her performance career and the simple luau number caused her no issues. The rustling of her top, however, continued to cause her no end of concern.

Less than a minute into the routine, Serena began to hear a series of Pokémon cries ringing out like a cheer. She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and spotted a gathering a yellow-feathered bird Pokémon all stepping and waving their wings like pompoms. In fact, the end of their wings looks exactly like pompoms. It seemed like the Pokémon were cheering them on.

Ash glanced to the side at the gathering of Oricorio. The flying types were having a great time cheering on the dancers. He chuckled and let out a happy sigh as memories of his time in Alola came flooding back.

A short distance away, Mimo leaned toward Kiawe and whispered in a sneaky voice. "You know, I got a good look at Mallow's top. There's a lot of holes in it! If you look close enough"

Kiawe sharply elbowed his little sister, shutting her up.

The dance continued for the better part of three minutes and then the music came to an end. The ladies all smiled, waved and laughed happily. The crowd cheered, clapped, whistled and shouted. Baby Lei giggled and pointed toward Burnet while Kukui held him up in his lap.

Ash looked at Serena and their eyes briefly met. She sent him a tense grin and he laughed. He thought it was humorous that she was uncomfortable on stage. Performance was her arena after all. As he looked at his not-so-secret bride, his eyes tracked over the covering made of leaves. He'd have to make a comment about that garment. It was sexy…

Serena tensely waved to the crowd and smiled at Ash. She really wanted to get off the stage and change into her normal clothes. The longer she remained in the leaf top, the more exposed she felt.

The cheers from the crowd started to die down and Serena had just taken a step backward when Anela stepped to the front of the stage.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she said in a loud, happy voice. "I hope you enjoyed a little taste of Alola from years past!"

There was another round of applause before Anela spoke again. "Normally, this is when we'd pick one of our dancers to perform a special encore." She chuckled and immediately continued. "However, tonight, I don't think we need to make a selection. The choice is clear!" Anela turned to look at Serena. "It's only right that the champion get to see his bride show off her talent!"

Serena's eyes stretched wide as Anela and the rest of the audience began applauding. Putting on an encore performance was the last thing she wanted to do! To either side of her, Mallow and Lana clapped along with the crowd. Lana gave Serena a small push forward and the golden-haired woman reluctantly stumbled to the front of the stage. She looked out at the people and swallowed. She really, really, really didn't want to put on a dance for others to see. That just wasn't how she operated. Her gaze found Ash and she let out a weary sigh. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, eagerly watching her every move. She'd do it for him. She'd focus on her man and forget about all the other people watching.

Serena adjusted her stance and the whimsical, island music began to play again. She put on a smile, lifted her arms to the side to begin the dance and immediately felt something snap in the part of the leaf top behind her back! The foliage didn't budge but Serena's smile instantly became more than tense. She said a quick prayer that her 'clothing' survive the encore and began to sway her hips and move her arms.

It only took a few motions for Serena to settle into the performance. To her relief, the top held together and she didn't feel any more signs of breakage. The music continued to play and Serena kept looking at Ash. She finally started to relax and put a little bit more effort into her movements. She spun around, flourished her arms and swayed her body. She could tell he loved it and, if the shouts and claps were anything to go by, so did the crowd. She heard a few whistles and laughed at the reaction. Perhaps there were a few jealous men in the audience…? Too bad for them; she only belonged to Ash.

A strange chanting sound briefly drew Serena's attention to the side. She spotted a line of yellow-feathered bird Pokémon waving around what seemed to be pom-poms. She also spotted a red-feathered bird of similar build, standing with wings crossed, behind the line of pom-pom Pokémon. She wasn't familiar with the creature and she guessed it was native to Alola. Regardless, the birds seemed to be very excited by her performance.

The music slowly drew to a close and Serena transitioned to her classic ending pose. The audience erupted in applause and she began to smile and wave. She started to bow and immediately felt the leaves begin to slip upward on her torso. She instantly froze in place and tensed up. Nothing else slipped and she slowly returned to an upright position. She took in a breath to sigh and felt something else snap. She cringed and swallowed. She couldn't ditch this outfit soon enough!

A clapping Anela stepped forward and beamed at Serena. "Wasn't that just wonderful!" she said to the crowd.

The audience applauded yet again and Serena chuckled wearily. At last, the riskiest performance of her life was over… She started to turn away from the crowd when something thudded down on the stage to her left and squawked in a loud, insistent tone. Serena turned her head and saw the red-feathered Pokémon, who'd been watching her, staring at her with intense eyes. The creature chattered a couple of times before taking a step backward and performing an elegant swooping flourish with its wings.

The crowd oohed in amazement while Anela laughed happily. Serena glanced around, thoroughly puzzled.

"Uh, what's going on?!" she asked.

Grinning, Anela turned to Serena. "It seems this Oricorio was impressed by your dance. It's challenged you to a contest!"

"ALL RIGHT, SERENA!" Ash shouted suddenly.

The crowd immediately echoed the champion's enthusiasm. Serena wheezed tensely and glanced at Anela.

"Uhh, what's that mean?" she asked uncertainly.

Anela had a hearty laugh before replying. "It's a dance-off sweetie. It wants to see who's the better dancer."

Serena tensely pressed her lips together. She'd really hoped to be done with dancing. Her top was feeling less secure by the moment. She flexed her fingers and curled her toes. Hopefully this wouldn't go on too long…

"Uh, okay, I accept," Serena said cautiously.

The Oricorio nodded and took a few paces backward. Serena quickly leaned toward Anela and spoke in a low whisper.

"Why's that one colored differently from the others?" she rasped.

Anela replied in a happy whisper. "Oh that's because it drank the red nectar on Ula'ula Island. The fact that it hasn't changed to a pom-pom style means it must be a very confident Baile performer."

Serena frowned as most of what Anela had said didn't make any sense to her. Alola Pokémon sure were different… She let out a sigh and steeled herself for another dance.

"Okay, here goes!" she breathed.

Serena took a step and Anela abruptly spoke up. "Oh, you should know that Baile style Oricorio are very passionate and fierce. Make sure you do your best so you don't offend it!"

Serena glanced at Anela and then at the Oricorio. She pursed her lips and let out a groan. As if this wasn't risky enough, now she learned that she was facing off against an eccentric bird Pokémon. This night couldn't get any crazier! She took a couple of steps forward and faced the Oricorio. The Pokémon gave her a subtle nod and then flicked its left wing out to the side, making a snapping sound. Immediately, a pair of grinning men wielding guitars dashed to the side of the stage and stood ready. A discombobulated expression spread across Serena's face. A moment later, the guitar players strummed an intense cord and the Oricorio began to strut.

The flying type puffed out its chest and began a series of rapid steps and swishes with its wings. It clicked its claws on the stage and kept its chin held high. The guitar players kept up a constant string of rapid, powerful strumming, matching the energy of the dancing Pokemon. Then, as abruptly as the performance had begun, the guitars stopped and the Oricorio became still. The flying type stared intently at Serena and the golden haired woman realized that it was her turn.

Serena swallowed and assumed a dramatic pose. She wasn't really used to this sort of dancing, but she could improvise… hopefully…

The guitars strummed a cord and Serena began. She stepped lively, her heels thudding against the wood of the stage. She made rapid and bold moves with her shoulders while performing quick flourishes with her arms. Her leaf-top rustled and shifted and she tried not to think about what was going on with it. Finally, she struck a pose as equally dramatic as the Oricorio and the music stopped. Woman and Pokémon stared each other down and Serena felt something snap somewhere inside the foliage protecting her modesty. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Serena's face, then the Oricorio began to move again.

A hushed quiet had fallen over the audience as the guitar players began to strum away yet again. Their cords were even faster and more intense, matching the movements of the Oricorio. The flying type stepped forward, backward and to the sides; all while expertly swiping the air with its wings and tail. The bird's claws clicked and scraped the wood of the stage with a rapidity that seemed to be a performance all of its own. Then, just as before, the performance suddenly stopped.

Serena took a breath and resumed her routine. She spun around, thrust with her hips and made rapid steps. She made a rapid movement with her arms and she felt another snap inside the top. She tried not to think about it and turned sideways relative to the Oricorio so she could begin a sliding step routine. She felt something else snap inside her top. She really wanted this performance to end!

Serena came to a halt and the Oricorio immediately resumed its side of the dance. The Pokémon kept up its rapid steps but began to add more and more flourishes with its wings. The bird even jumped into the air once and landed with great fanfare before becoming still once again.

Serena swallowed and resumed her dance. The guitars strummed, Serena stepped and something in her top snapped yet again. Sweat began to glisten all over her body. She moved faster and faster, frantic for the performance to end. With every movement she made, she swore it felt like her top was about to fall apart. She put more emphasis into the movements of her legs and the impact of her feet. Anything to reduce the wear and tear on the foliage surrounding her torso!

Nonetheless, as she raised her arms to perform a swooping motion, she felt something else give way. She gritted her teeth, moved faster than she ever had before and assumed a very dramatic pose; ready to cup her hands to her chest if her top suddenly fell away!

Dead silence hung in the air. She glanced at the Oricorio and the Pokémon stared back with wide eyes. A moment later, the creature made a humble chattering sound and bowed to her. More silence followed and then the crowd erupted in applause. Serena, a puzzled expression on her face, looked at the crowd, the Oricorio and finally at Anela. The older woman beamed at Serena and answered her unspoken question.

"You won!" she declared. "The Oricorio has conceded that you are the superior dancer."

Serena felt some pride surge within her. She laughed softly and looked at Ash. She saw him standing, grinning and high-fiving with Kukui and Professor Oak. Serena chuckled and turned to face the still-bowing Oricorio.

"You danced really well!" she said sweetly. "It was a good competition."

The Oricorio straightened up and looked at her with a rigid expression. It canted its head, seemed to consider something and then stepped forward. It let out a chatter and looked up at Serena with a determined expression she'd seen a few times before. Serena's mouth partially fell open and Anela spoke in a surprised and delighted tone.

"It looks like it wants to go with you!" she said.

Serena stood frozen for a moment before leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees. She smiled and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Do you really want to come with me?" she asked. "You want to leave your friends here?"

Without hesitation or emotion, the flying type chirped and nodded.

Serena felt more happiness surge within her. It had been a long, long time since she'd taken on a new Pokémon. She straightened up and… suddenly remembered that she didn't have any Pokéballs.

Serena let out an embarrassed grunt and bit her lower lip. With a sheepish expression, she turned to look out at the crowd and spoke in an apologetic tone.

"Uh, hey, does anyone have a spare Poke"

Before she could finish the word, nearly a hundred arms shot up in the crowd; all of them holding every kind of Pokéball imaginable. Serena pursed her lips and nodded tensely in acknowledgement. The boundless love the people of Alola exhibited continued to amaze and surprise her.

The golden-haired woman stepped up to the edge of the stage and took a simple red/white Pokéball from a nearby man. She thanked him profusely and then turned to her new friend. The Oricorio stared back at her and Serena let out a chuckle. She gripped the Pokéball in her right hand and tossed it forward in a gentle arc. It soared and bounced off of Oricorio's head. The sphere snapped open, the flying type was reduced to a shimmering flash of red energy and then the Pokémon was drawn inside.

The Pokéball snapped closed and fell to the stage. It wiggled a few times and the button flashed on and off before a happy chime sounded. Serena felt joy surge inside her and she took a couple strides toward the Pokéball before scooping it up. She turned to face the crowd and struck a dramatic pose, holding the Pokéball for all to see.

"I've got a brand new friend! Oricorio!" she shouted.

The crowd cheered, Ash pumped his fists in the air and Serena smiled while waving. Everything was terrific… and then she felt something snap in the back of her leaf-top. She felt the foliage shift ever-so-slightly and she was left with the distinct impression that if one more stich gave way, her hands would be the only thing keeping the audience from seeing her boobs.

Serena let out a tense laugh and refrained from making any sudden moves. She smiled and took a few steps backward.

"Thanks! It was a great night!" she said awkwardly. She stepped backward some more and finally was able to slip to the side and out of sight.

As soon as she was concealed by the pavilion, she clamped her hands to the disintegrating leaf-top and dashed for where her handbag was. She ran past Lana and Mallow, passed a woman openly standing topless while casually chatting and finally dodged Burnet.

Serena reached her little corner hideaway and shook her head ruefully. Maybe the women in Alola didn't care so much about modesty, but she sure did! Serena stowed Oricorio's Pokéball in her bag, yanked out her t-shirt and swiftly pulled it over her head. With the lovely, well-knitted fabric in place protecting her bosom, she let out a sigh of relief and tore the accursed foliage from her torso. It came free quite easily and she guessed that she'd just barely avoided adding being a stripper to her life experiences.

The woman from Kalos let out another grateful sigh, briefly pondered the crazy events of the evening and then turned toward the pavilion exit.

When Ash and Serena returned to the hotel, they didn't immediately go to their room. They spent a little time at the Pokémon care area, attending to their Pokémon. Ash played around with Pikachu while Serena got acquainted with Oricorio. With Ash's advice and guidance, Serena provided the elegant bird with the right kind of food and also brushed its feathers. By the time she was done, she'd definitely made a new friend.

Ash and Serena left their very happy Pokémon and headed up to their room. After all the hustle and bustle of the day, their legs felt heavy and they moved slowly. They finally reached their honeymoon suite and headed inside. Once the door was locked, Serena let out a big sigh and leaned forward so her head fell against her man's broad chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he cradled her torso. Lovely, blissful seconds ticked by before Serena whispered in a tired tone.

"If we're not careful, we're gonna need a vacation to recover from this vacation," she said with some irony.

Ash chuckled and rubbed her smooth back. "Yeah, it's been a bit busy," he replied.

Serena nuzzled her nose against the base of Ash's neck. She breathed in his scent and let out another sigh. After a few more soft touches and gentle caresses, she separated from him and walked over to the stove. She filled a kettle with some water and put it on to boil before grabbing a box of tea bags she purchased from the market the previous day. A glass of hot tea was just what she needed after the hectic day they'd experienced.

With the water on, she returned to the arms of her man and snuggled back into his warm embrace. "So, is there anything else you wanna do tonight?" she whispered.

Ash brightened and he glanced around the room. He let out an intrigued hum and released Serena from his grasp.

"Actually…" he began, stepping away from the golden-haired woman. "I thought you might like to try this on."

Serena's eyebrows went up and she watched as Ash stepped over to the coffee table and picked up an elegant, clothing box. She sniggered and a bashful smile spread across her face.

"Ash, did you have something delivered while we were gone?" she said playfully.

Ash scrunched up his lips and shrugged his shoulders in a show of innocence, as if he had no idea where the box had come from. He offered the package to Serena and she happily accepted it. She set it down on the nearby counter and lifted off the wide lid. The package contained folded tissue paper, concealing a bundle of clothing. Serena chuckled excitedly while carefully unfolding the paper. A moment later, she let out a happy gasp as she lifted free a periwinkle, silk night robe.

The robe had a few swirls of cream and rose scattered across its length. The garment was cut very simply but its basic design added to its elegance. It wasn't frilly, sexy or gaudy; it was simply a robe which Serena could easily wrap around herself to relax in… and also easily unwrap from herself when the situation required it...

Serena rubbed the thin fabric between her fingers and let out a hum of approval. She'd never felt anything so soft and smooth. She was going to love wearing this! She looked up at the man who'd given her this gift and sent him an adoring smile. She lifted the night robe to her nose and inhaled. She detected a very faint, sweet fragrance and she giggled out of enjoyment. Alola sure was a romantic place, at least when there weren't crowds of people chasing after you…

"I love it, Ash!" Serena said with as much appreciation as she could fit into a sentence.

Ash grinned from ear-to-ear and rocked side-to-side. Serena chuckled and lifted the night robe so it was against the front of her body. She eyed the size and color before nodding in approval. She looked up at Ash and bounced her eyebrows at him.

"Want me to try it on?" she said coyly.

Ash chuckled again. "Sure," he replied.

Serena grinned and stepped into the living room. Ash followed and she stopped next to one of the reclining chairs. She laid the night robe over the back of the chair and started undoing her hair. She still had a few ties from the luau in her golden locks and she pulled them loose while playfully eyeing Ash.

Once her hair was hanging freely, Serena untied her shoes and set them aside. She then pulled off her socks and wiggled her bare toes into the carpet. She locked eyes with Ash, crossed her arms and reached down for the hem of her shirt. She saw his eyes widen in surprise and excitement and she grinned in response. She was going to enjoy every second of pulling her shirt free, flaunting her bra covered bosom at him and then wrapping the lovely night robe around herself. She would then make a show of pulling her bra out of the night robe and parading around, with only a thin layer of silk covering her feminine curves.

Serena felt a thrill shoot through her as she began pulling her shirt up and over her shoulders. She really loved disrobing in front of Ash. Teasing him was so much fun! She pulled the shirt free of her head and crumpled it between her hands when she felt a distinct, unexpected sensation on her body. She could feel air moving against the flesh of her breasts. Time froze in place for Serena as a dozen thoughts raced through her mind.

She flashed back to the luau and the incredibly precarious leaf-woven top she'd worn. She remembered being so eager to get out of it and back into real clothing. She remembered dashing into the small cubby, rapidly pulling on her shirt and tossing aside the leaf top. Belatedly, she realized that, in her haste, she'd forgotten to put her bra back on. Her simple, flesh-colored undergarment was currently crammed into her handbag, not cupping her breasts, which were currently hanging free with not a stitch covering them!

Utterly mortified and filled with wrenching embarrassment, Serena gasped and slapped her hands against her chest, using the t-shirt as an improvised covering. She looked at Ash and saw he was looking back with eyes which were wider than she'd ever seen before. He'd seen her! He'd seen ALL of her! There was no doubt.

Countless emotions surged inside of Serena. However, most prominent of them was a sense of disappointment. She had spent a lot of time imagining, planning, scheming, hoping for and tempting ways in which she might finally reveal her bosom to Ash. Among some of her favorites were: "forgetting" to wear a bra and letting him look down her shirt, tying a towel a little too loose around her torso and letting it slip down to her waist, disrobing with her back to Ash and inviting him to step up to her side, and her favorite, tossing her clothing aside while straddling Ash in the bedroom. She'd been waiting years to finally reveal her breasts, and now it had happened in a completely random, unsexy, unplanned moment!

Dead silence hung in the air. Serena's mouth was agape and Ash's body was tensed up. The woman from Kalos sucked in a shallow breath and spoke in a timid, matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm not wearing my top…"

Ash slowly shook his head in response. "No… you're not..." he said in an equally matter-of-fact tone.

Serena blew out a tense breath and pressed her lips together. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so shy. She'd fully intended to show Ash everything she possessed at some point. She guessed the sudden and unplanned nudity had triggered her modest instincts rather than igniting a surge of passion. She worked her mouth and carefully reached out for the night robe with her left hand while using her right to hold the crumpled t-shirt over her chest. She looked at Ash and inclined her head toward the adjacent room.

"I'm gonna go change…" she warbled in a small voice.

Ash was still tensed up as Serena shuffled to the side and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Neither of them knew what to say. The thing both of them had anticipated for so long had come and gone suddenly and without fanfare, leaving them both dumbstruck.

A minute passed, the door reopened and Serena stepped out, now wearing her new, silk night robe. She turned toward the kitchen, casting a sidelong glance at Ash as she went. He stared back and she had to squeeze her lips together to keep from giggling wildly. The shock of accidentally flashing Ash had worn off and now she was simply amused beyond words.

The two lovers stared tensely at each other as silence hung in the air. Serena continued on to the kitchen while Ash sat. A few more seconds passed before he rose and followed after his not-so-secret wife. Serena settled into the small kitchen alcove and began pouring a mug of boiling water from the kettle she'd heated earlier. She dropped in a tea bag and started slowly stirring the brew. Ash stepped up behind her and the woman from Kalos struggled mightily to keep a silly grin from spreading across her face as excited tingles made her hair stand on end.

Silence continued to reign as Serena kept her back to Ash while he stepped and leaned ever closer. Serena could practically feel his breath on the back of her neck and her heart started to pound as she awaited his next move. He first leaned his head over her left shoulder and then over her right; each time trying to catch her gaze. After an awkward dance of avoidance, their eyes finally met and they shared a tense, humorous chuckle. Serena smiled broadly and Ash grinned. The golden-haired woman continued stirring her tea; the metal spoon clinking inside the mug. Finally, Serena's concentration broke and she giggled and gasped before speaking in a girlish, pitchy, amused voice.

"Well, *giggle* I guess it was bound to happen eventually! *chuckle*" she said, staring at the shimmering brown eyes of her man.

Ash merely continued to smile and chuckled in reply. Serena finished stirring her tea, removed the bag and brought the steaming mug up to her lips. She took a sip before turning around to face the man she loved. They exchanged a charged gaze and Serena swallowed the mouthful of hot liquid.

"So… Ash…!" she began in a playful and inquisitive tone, swaying her shoulders in-time with each word she spoke. "What'd you think?"

Ash sniggered a few times before assuming a more serious posture. "Well, I thought it looked good," he said matter-of-factly.

"Mmmmmmm," Serena hummed in a critical manner, trying to keep a straight face. "Just good?" she probed.

Ash casually shrugged while a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "Well… I only saw them for a second…" he offered.

Serena grinned broadly and started to snigger. "Ohhh, so you're saying you *snigger* didn't get a good look?"

Ash tried to look innocent and made a dismissive sound while failing to keep a straight face.

Serena took another sip of tea and cleared her throat. "So, you're probably wanting another peek before you make up your mind?" she said coyly.

Ash's eyes widened hungrily and he worked his mouth before replying. "Well… it wouldn't hurt…" he said slyly.

Serena snorted and laughed. "I'm sure it wouldn't," she said mirthfully.

Ash chuckled and sniggered while Serena's shoulders shook from barely contained laughter. Ash's eyes finally flashed with desire and his gaze drifted down to the small gap between the halves of Serena's night robe. The v-shaped patch of his woman's flesh, below her neck, made his mouth water and his loins tingle. He took a step closer and Serena promptly raised her mug of tea to her lips. While keeping her eyes locked with his, she took a long, slurping sip of tea. A very, very long, slurping sip…

Ash began to chuckle and Serena nearly choked on a laugh as the obvious delaying tactic went on and on. Finally, the woman from Kalos swallowed her beverage and set the mostly-empty mug on the counter. The two of them exchanged tense glances and Serena opened her mouth to speak.

"How bad do you want to see them?" she asked.

Ash sniggered and grinned. "How bad do you want to show them?" he said wryly.

Serena snickered and chewed on her lower lip. "I don't know," she breathed. "I've already put them away for the night. It'd be a lot of work to get them back out…"

Ash moved closer until their noses were almost touching. They could feel each other's breath tickling the hairs on their faces. Ash sniggered and spoke up.

"A lot of work, huh?" he said in a playful, sarcastic tone.

Serena nodded. "Mmm-hmm," she replied, unable to prevent a smile from spreading across her face. "A whole lot of work!"

Their noses touched, their lips twitched in anticipation of a kiss and Ash spoke again. "Maybe I could help you out with that," he rasped.

Serena blew out a hot breath. "I bet you'd love that," she exhaled in a low voice.

A few more tense breaths were taken before they mutually leaned toward each other and pressed their lips together. Fire and lightning sparked across their mouths and they both squirmed as sensual energy surged within their bodies. Ash's hands took hold of Serena's shoulders and her slender digits slipped around the back of his head. They worked their mouths, undulated their bodies and drank in the delicious flavor of their partner.

Some moments into the magnificent kiss, Serena felt Ash's hands begin to slip down the front of her shoulders. She loved the sensation of him exploring her body, and she felt an even greater explosion of excitement as his fingers moved toward the open part of her night robe, below her neck. She gasped out a moan as his fingers touched her flesh and then sniffed in a sharp breath as he began to pull the halves of her garment apart. He was trying to get another peek at her boobs!

A hot rush of energy pulsed though Serena's veins. Ash was doing something truly bold; something she'd fantasized him doing, countless time. She could feel the halves of her robe being pulled to the side. In just a few moments the silk would slip from her shoulders and fall down around her waist, leaving her torso fully exposed and her modesty in plain view. She really wanted this to happen, and yet, the mischievous side of her wanted to drag things out just a little longer. After all, Ash had left her hanging on the sandbar; it was only fair for her to return the favor!

As the edges of her breasts began to be revealed, Serena giggled excitedly, pulled her arms to her chest and broke the kiss. She stepped back from Ash, her blue eyes flashing with naughty energy. He stood frozen with a dumbstruck expression, his hands still hanging in midair, where'd they'd been working on Serena's robe. He looked her and raised an eyebrow.

"Feeling shy all of a sudden?" he asked.

Grinning uncontrollably, Serena giggled and sniggered. She tried to come up with words to reply, but she couldn't. Holding her hands to her chest, she shook her head, giggled in a girlish manner and quickly stepped past Ash, heading for the neighboring room. Ash turned and sent a disbelieving expression in her direction.

"What's gotten in to you?!" he said, clearly at a loss over her behavior.

Half-way to the door, Serena stopped and glanced back at Ash. She was still grinning from ear-to-ear. A dozen different replies flew through her mind. However, there was only one which really made any sense. She chuckled, wiggled her body with nervous energy and spoke in a teasing and amused tone.

"Sorry, Ash!" she sang. "You missed your chance today!"

Ash canted his head to the side, a look of utter puzzlement on his face. Serena cackled with laughter, turned and dashed into the other room. The golden haired woman shut the door, locked it and then fell down on the bed, sprawling out across it without a care in the world. Her belly jiggled as she continued to snigger and giggle. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud as she remembered the look of puzzlement on Ash's face. After a couple of minutes, she finally started to get herself under control. She took a few gasping breaths and stared up at the ceiling. She had never felt so happy and excited for the future of her relationship. She and Ash had just unlocked a whole new phase of intimate interactions. She didn't know how it would play out, but she had a feeling that he would soon be very well acquainted with every tiny dimple and crease that marked the supple flesh of her breasts!