"All right, remember how I said there were other ways for Pokémon and trainers to show their bond other than battling?" Professor Kukui asked.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Sophocles asked.

"Oh! Do you mean other things like Pokémon sports? Like Pokémon tennis?"

"That's right, Lillie," Kukui said. "Some Pokémon don't like to battle; some even refuse to! But that doesn't mean they can't have a bond with their trainers. Pokémon bonds are just like bonds you have with any other friend!"

"Are there any other ways besides sports?" Lana asked.

"Yep! In fact, in a few days, we're having a surprise guest come to Alola to show just what I mean!"

"Really? Who is it?" Ash asked, intrigued by who this "surprise guest" could be.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you!" Professor Kukui laughed. "But I can tell you she's actually a well known Pokémon performer in the Hoenn region!"

"Pokémon performer!?" Ash asked, a bit surprised.

"What's with the sudden interest, Ash?" Kiawe asked next to him.

"Nothing," Ash said. "I just had a friend who was really interested in that kind of thing."

"So you know what it is?" Kukui asked.

"Ya huh!" Ash nodded. "You and your Pokémon go through that whole dance routine! You all dress up in super fancy outfits and dance on the stage and use your moves and go 'boom!' and 'kazam!' and it's so cool!"

"Your descriptions still need a lot of work, Ash," Lana sighed. Then, they all heard Komala ring the bell outside and began to pack their bags.

As Ash walked home, he started to wonder who this mystery performer was. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to think about and miss Serena. Out of all his companions in the past, she was the one he was closest to. He was there for her, and she was always there for him. When he lost the gym battle in Snowbelle City, she was the one who snapped him out of it. When he got sick and the Pikachu trainer appeared, she was the one who took care of Ash and went out of her way to make sure he was alright. When he challenged the Kalos league, she was there.

She'd dropped so many hints over their journey, and he was too dense to notice. And by the time she left, it was too late. They were already parting ways. She...she loved him, and he didn't even notice!

"Ash? Ash!? ASH!"

"PIKA PIKA-PIKACHU!!!"

"Huh?" Ash shook his head and looked at Rotom and Pikachu.

"Ash," Rotom said and floated closer to him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine." Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and walked closer to Rotom, sensing he needed some space. But why, it didn't know.

They remained silent for the whole walk home. Rotom and Pikachu kept sending concerned glances at Ash. Even Rowlet, who was surprisingly awake in his backpack, decided it was best to not say anything and go back to sleep. When they got home, Ash trudged up the porch and opened the door.

"Huh?" Professor Burnet walked over to the door. "Oh, Ash! How are you?"

"I'm fine," Ash mumbled and dropped his backpack to the floor. He climbed up his ladder and sat on his bed.

"Ash?" Professor Burnet was pretty shocked by how gloomy he looked. In fact, it was surprising he was even home at all. He's usually up and doing his "special training" with his Pokémon. "Is Ash okay?" she asked Rotom.

"I'm not sure," it whispered. "He started acting like this earlier this morning."

"Hmm," she mumbled. She decided it was best to leave him alone and that he'll come out when he's ready. That's how Ash usually is, anyways.

Inside Ash's backpack, Rowlet and Meltan climbed out and looked around.

"Mel-meltan?" it asked and began to climb up Ash's ladder. Rowlet noticed this and grabbed its head with its beak. It then set it down and patted its head.

"Rowl, rowl," it trilled and tried to explain what was happening. Meltan dropped its head sadly and went back inside the backpack.

"Meltan! Mel mel meltan!!!"

Rowlet hooted in curiosity as Meltan emerged from the backpack, holding the photo Ash was showing them earlier. Rowlet cheered and grabbed the picture before flying up to ash and slightly tapping his head.

"What is it?" he asked. "Huh?" Rowlet dropped the photo in Ash's hands and affectionately rubbed its head on his before flying back down.

"Serena..." Ash dropped his head and placed the photo on his nightstand. I should try and find her again, he thought. Maybe I can call her mom... At first, it seemed like a good idea, until he realized how awkward that would be for him and ditched it. Once I'm done here in Alola, I'll come and find her, he decided.

"Ash!" Rotom called, completely forgetting his original gloomy state. "Alolan Detective Laki is on!"

"Coming!" Ash called, now back to his usual cheerful manner. He realized he forgot to release Torracat and Lycanroc, so he grabbed their Pokéballs and tossed them in the air. When they appeared, they both ran over to their trainer and affectionately rubbed their heads on his legs.

"Hey, guys! Sorry for not taking you out," he apologized. "Hang on, where's Pikachu?"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu called Ash from the couch with Rotom and Professor Burnet. Ash laughed and ran over.

"You feeling all right?" Professor Burnet asked when he sat down.

"I'm fine now," he reassured. "I just had to think about some things."

"Okay then," she said, dropping the topic there so they could enjoy the show.

I wonder who the Pokémon performer who's coming is, he thought. Whoever she is, she's nowhere near as perfect as Serena is with her Pokémon. His sad mood slowly caught up to him again when he thought about the airport. I wonder if she doesn't like me after that, since I did kind of treat it like a friendly gesture. Man, Misty was right when she would call me dense. I wonder who Serena's thinking about now...

"It is you!" Laki shouted on the TV. Ash was scared for a second that someone was responding to his thoughts until he heard Laki talking again on the screen. Oh, good grief.

<><><><><>

A couple days later, things started to settle down again. When Lillie had found more about her father, and with the addition of earning his Z-ring and taking care of Magearna, it was quite a lot, to say the least. Everyone was practicing their Z-moves outside, with the exception of Mallow and Sophocles since they didn't have Z-rings or Z-crystals.

Currently, Lillie was trying to do her Z-move with Snowy. As she raised her arms to the sky, their Z-power surrounded both of them in a brilliant blue light.

"Vul!" Snowy cried in glee.

"Use Sub-zero Slammer!" Lillie commanded. Snowy raised its head up, but the Z-power shattered instantly.

"Vul..." Snowy moaned sadly.

"Oh, Snowy," Lillie said and picked the Vulpix up. "It's not your fault, Snowy. We just have to practice more!"

"Vulpix!" Snowy cheered and nuzzled Lillie.

"You're getting better at mastering your Z-move!" Professor Kukui announced.

"Y-y-yeah," Ash confirmed. He was shivering to the bone and clutching his shoulders. "I could feel the c-c-cold from where I was!"

"That's good to know!" Lillie said. "Sorry about that, though."

"Nah, it's fine," Ash assured. "It just means you're getting better at mastering Sub-zero Slammer!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu encouraged Snowy. Snowy smiled at the electric-type Pokémon and nuzzled it.

"My turn!" Kiawe called and switched the crystals on his Z-ring. Charizard flew in front of him and nodded.

"All right, Charizard!" Kiawe activated his Z-ring and bent down. He then shot back up and raised his arms in the air. "Ride the blazing hot winds and fly high," he shouted. Charizard roared and surrounded itself with the Z-power.

"Use Supersonic Skystrike!" Charizard nodded before launching itself high into the air. It then came crashing down straight into a pile of sandbags.

"Our turn!" Lana and Brionne walked over to the battlefield and grinned. She activated the Z-move and waved her arms like ocean waves.

"Use Hydro Vortex!" Lana spread her arms out wide and Brionne nodded. Brionne jumped up and summoned a pillar of water, spinning around it to make it go faster.

"Are you ready, Lycanroc?" Ash asked Lycanroc. It nodded with a determined expression.

"Me-me-me-MELTAAAAAN!" Meltan began to frantically wiggle around and point to the side.

"What is it?" Ash asked and bent down to the Pokémon. Lycanroc looked in the direction it was pointing to and reeled back in horror before grabbing Meltan and dashing away.

"What's going on?" he asked. "WAIT, WHAT!?" he yelled when he realized the gigantic Hydro Vortex move coming straight at him. Before Ash even had time to react, the water swept him up and violently tossed him straight into the pond.

"ASH," they all called out. Pikachu walked to the side of the pond and began to frantically call for him. When Ash surfaced, he was soaking wet and gripping on to his hat.

"Ugh, not again," he groaned and hauled himself up. Torracat shook its head before sending a weak Ember attack at Ash. The attack slammed into Ash and was so hot that he jumped up from the pain.

"Hehe, thanks, Torracat," Ash said bashfully, not even paying attention to his now-burnt face.

"Man," Mallow started, "seeing everyone use their Z-moves makes me want to use a Z-move even more!"

"We can always battle," Sophocles suggested. "We don't have Z-crystals, but when we finally get them, maybe if we practice we can become more synced with our Pokémon and it'll be faster!"

"Good idea!" Mallow called Tsareena and Sophocles released Vikavolt. "Let's have a quick battle while Ash is practicing his Z-move!" Both of them ran off to a different area of the schoolyard while Ash was dusting his pants.

"What did you mean by 'not again'?" Kiawe asked.

Ash bashfully scratched his neck. "Well, I kind of fell into the pond a couple days ago because I wasn't watching where I was going."

Lillie giggled. "I can imagine that. You do easily get distracted."

Ash shook his head and switched out his Electrium-Z for his Lycanium-Z. "Ready, Lycanroc?" Lycanroc howled in agreement. Ash rotated the crystal and it began to glow. "'Kay, let's go!" he yelled. Lycanroc and Ash became surrounded with the Z-power as they executed the move. Lycanroc howled as the ground cracked and gigantic stones rose up with it.

"Use Splintered Stormshards!" Ash brought his two hands together in a crunching motion as Lycanroc blasted through a wooden target. The several other rocks came crashing down on other targets arranged on the ground.

"The accuracy of the move has increased by 10% since last time you've used it," Rotom observed.

"All right!" Ash jumped up and petted Lycanroc. He heard his stomach growl and sheepishly laughed. "Man, I guess all this battling and using Z-moves has made me hungry!"

"I have an idea," Mallow pipped in. "Let's all go to my restaurant after school!" As if on cue, Komala rang the school bell, signaling the end of school. Everyone grabbed their stuff and headed out while following Mallow.

As they were walking, Pikachu and Togedemaru were playing tag while Brionne and Tsareena were starting to strike up a conversation. They made it to the restaurant and walked in.

"Hey, Mallow," Mallow's dad greeted them. "Oh, I see you've brought your friends! Well, in that case, it's on the house!"

"Thanks, Abe," all the students said and sat down. Tsareena quickly went behind the counter and got bowls filled with numerous berries for the Pokémon. Mallow also went into the kitchen and grabbed some of her Poni Radish puffs.

"Try them," she urged. Everyone eagerly took a bite of the treats smiled.

"Mallow, these are delicious," Lana said, taking another bite.

"Between your food and Kiawe's ice cream, I can't tell which is better," Sophocles exclaimed.

"Glad you like it!" Mallow said, taking a bite herself.

Lillie finished her puffs and turned to Ash. "Hey, Ash? I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Yeah?" Ash replied.

"You know you you've been on a journey through the Kanto region, but have you been to others?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Man, I've been to so many places it's easy to forget where! Let's see...there was Kanto, Unova, Johto, Sinnoh, and a lot more!"

"Which was your favorite?" Mallow asked.

"That's easy! The Kalos region!"

"Isn't Kalos where Ilima was studying?" Kiawe asked.

"I think so," Sophocles said.

"How was it your favorite?" Lillie asked.

"Because of the friends I made there!" Ash said. He grabbed his bag and began to dig in it. "Let's see, it's right...aha!" He pulled out the photo of him in Kalos and showed it to everyone.

"Wait, you have a different hat," Lana observed.

"I tend to get a new one every time I visit a new region," Ash said sheepishly. "They're like souvenirs!"

"Who's that?" Sophocles pointed to the blonde-haired boy on the left.

"That's Celmont," Ash said.

"AH! YOU KNOW CLEMONT!?" Sophocles jump in shock.

"He traveled with me, along with his sister," Ash said, confused. "We were pretty great friends too. That guy was a genius"

"You're friends with him too?" Sophocles asked. He turned white and fell to the ground.

"...Am I missing something?" Ash asked.

"See, Sophocles is a pretty big fan of him," Kiawe explained.

"I heard he was an amazing electric-type gym leader and inventor," Mallow said.

"He sure is," Ash laughed. "I've seen him in action and even battled him for his gym badge! Only thing is that most of his inventions tend to explode."

"Did you meet Clembot?" Sophocles asked.

"Sure did," Ash said. "It's probably one of his best inventions!"

"Was he cool?" Sophocles asked.

"He sure was! He even saved my life a few times."

"You're so reckless, Ash!" Lillie giggled.

Ash sheepishly scratched his head. "That's true. I did jump off a tower once..."

"YOU DID WHAT!?" They all shrieked. Even Ash's Pokémon were dumbfounded.

"I had to save Pikachu," Ash explained. Pikachu nuzzled Ash's cheek as he began to explain what happened to Garchomp on Prism Tower with Team Rocket. When he was done, everyone stared at him in awe. Except for Kiawe, who was in tears.

"THAT'S SO MOVING!" he cried. "You put up your own life to save Pikachu and Garchomp! That alone shows the true bond and love you have with you and your Pokémon!"

"Hehe, thanks," Ash said sheepishly.

"And Clemont saved you with his Aipom arm?" Mallow asked.

"But who's the little girl?" Lana asked.

"That's Bonnie, Clemont's little sister."

"AW!" Kiawe exclaimed. "Just like Mimo!"

"Yep! And the one with the helmet is Korrina. She's a fighting-type gym leader!"

"So who's that?" Kiawe pointed to Serena on the right.

"That's my other friend, Serena," Ash explained. "We knew each other when we were kids at Professor Oak's Pokémon camp!"

"Is she the Pokémon performer you talked about?" Lillie asked.

"Yep!"

The group continued to eat their food and engage in trivial talk, with Ash talking a bit more about his journey in Kalos while trying to avoid topics like when he nearly got to dance with Serena. Lana was doing one of her jokes again and nearly fooled everyone into thinking a red bus outside was a Shiny Gyrados. When they were done, everyone got up and thanked Mallow for having them before walking their separate ways. Charizard flew down to pick Kiawe up while the others walked home.

"Alola, Ash!" Professor Kukui greeted him when he got back.

"Alola," Ash replied and let in his Pokémon. "Hey, Rowlet?"

Rowlet hooted and turned around to face Ash. Ash bent down and rubbed Rowlet's feathers.

"Wanna do some training?"

Rowlet made a determined face and nodded. Ash had some hope he'd get to train, until seconds later when Rowlet dropped its head and fell asleep.

"Dah!" Ash picked up Rowlet and set him in his backpack. "What about you, Pikachu?"

"Pika pika," Pikachu declared and climbed up Ash's arm to his shoulder. "What about you all?" Ash gestured to his other Pokémon, who agreed and bolted out the door, making Ash spin and fall on the ground. Pikachu bounded after them while Rowlet groggily followed.

"Heh, wait up!"

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I hope you enjoyed the second chapter!

Word count: 2814