"Hey, everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Dawn ran back over to the group, now wearing her usual attire. She waved at them as her new friend joined the group as well.

Serena was wearing no hat with her hair down, just like during her performance. She wore a short-sleeved raglan t-shirt that had faded blue sleeves and a plain white torso, with a minimalist pink Pokeball design in the center towards the top. She also wore light pink short shorts and knee-high pink socks and white sneakers. She looked a lot more comfortable, which made sense, considering Hoenn is one of the warmer regions. She wore her precious blue ribbon tied around her wrist.

"Okay, everyone's here! Everyone follow me and let's get some food!" Kukui said excitedly, almost seeming like Ash there.

"Yes sir!" Everyone seemed to hungry or excited to point that out.

"And make sure to stay close together, of course." The teacher added.

As the group of eleven exited the Sootopolis Stadium back into the fresh air, they were quickly greeted by a predictably huge crowd; comprised of coordinators, tourists, fans, family, friends, people from all around the world. Kukui led everyone through the crowd, seemingly forcing his way through, clearing a path for them. But despite this, there were still people wandering in all directions that had to be avoided.

Ash and Serena were in the back of the group, with everyone else in the group somewhere in the middle. As soon as she left the stadium and saw the crowd, Serena took Ash's arm again. As far as she was concerned, if she'd done it once, she had his permission forever. Ash looked over at her and smiled, which seemed to confirm this idea to her. She moved closer to Ash, also smiling.

"Your outfit is cute, Serena. You look great." Ash complimented, smiling at her.

She blushed again. He had been complimenting her a lot since they reunited; not that she minded, of course. Ash taking note of her looks was something she, more or less, had to force on him when they travelled together. Him noticing without her having to ask was a great feeling. She smiled and leaned her head over to rest on Ash's shoulder. "Thanks, Ash. I'm glad you like it."

They soon arrived at the restaurant, where Kukui confirmed their reservation, plus an extra guest. Ash's classmates immediately started asking Serena about herself, and she revealed her time in Kalos as a performer, with Ash chiming in every so often to compliment her talents. Eventually, when Brock offered to tell the group an embarrassing Ash story, nobody was willing to turn it down. After everyone had a good laugh about Ash's early gym experiences in the Pewter Gym, then in the Cerulean Gym, everyone began talking amongst themselves, which gave Ash and Serena a chance to catch up.

Pikachu was sitting happily on Serena's lap. She had even filled up a small paper cup with ketchup for him. Serena looked down at Ash's partner and smiled happily, petting him, before looking back up at his trainer. "So, what kind of Pokémon have you caught in the Alola Region, Ash?"

"I don't know if you'd recognize some of them, but I'll definitely show you soon. They're all... dynamic, for sure. They've all got a lot of personality. But I like it that way." Ash grinned. "And what about you? I saw Braixen and Sylveon, and your new Mudkip and Pichu, have you caught any other Pokémon?"

"Yeah! I still have Pancham too, but I also have a wonderful Roselia that I caught here!" Serena smiled.

"That's great! How have you been, travelling by yourself?" Ash asked, clearly slightly concerned about her.

Serena laughed nervously. "It's... it's alright, you know? It's certainly less exciting, but it's given me the opportunity I needed to focus on myself a bit, to think about what I want to do with myself. I've thought a lot about becoming Kalos Queen, but then I thought, 'Well, what happens if I do become Queen? I live life as a celebrity in Kalos and defend my title every year?'"

Serena looked down slightly, a sad smile on her face. "After thinking about it, I don't really think I want to live like that, at least not yet. I would much rather be travelling, going around doing things, like you're always doing. So, while I don't think being a Top Coordinator is really what I want, it gives me this way to better my performing skills and travel while doing it. And I love performing, and I'm learning to love Contest Battles too. There's so much out there for me to experience, and I'd much rather experience it all sooner than later."

Ash nodded, smiling at her. "Sounds like you've really been doing a lot of thinking. It's good for you; it's important that you know what it is you want to do."

Serena smiled shyly. "Yeah. Though this certainly doesn't beat travelling with you. Even with my Pokémon, it feels like everything has calmed down so much. Travelling with you, it seemed like every day was its own adventure. It was like we'd constantly be in life-threatening danger. But, nowadays, nothing nearly as exciting or dangerous happens. And while it may be nice to be out of that kind of danger, a pretty big part of me still wishes that I could be travelling with you. But I really do love performing, and I know that it's what I want to do with myself; I just don't know what exactly it is that I want to do with performing."

Serena smiled genuinely this time. "I just wish all of this could be as easy as it is for you; you've had the same goal since you were ten years old."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah... though, to be honest, I actually have no idea what qualifies someone to be a Pokémon Master."

Serena looked at him in surprise. Ash nodded. "Yeah. It was just something I heard when I was a kid, and it sounded like a type of person to aspire to be. I imagine that it's someone who's an incredibly strong battler, fueled by the trust between trainer and Pokémon, is able to work with any and all Pokémon, and knows just about everything there is to know about Pokémon. But as far as the title itself, well, I have no clue what makes someone a Pokémon Master. I don't even know if the title is officially recognized at all. All I know is that I want to keep travelling, keep battling, keep meeting new people and making new friends, both people and Pokémon, and learn as much as I can about Pokémon along the way."

Serena stared at Ash in wonder and amazement. She continued to pet Pikachu on her lap. 'I've really missed that adventurous spirit and constant optimism.'

"But I do think my first step towards becoming who I want to be is winning a Pokémon League. The Alola League is gonna happen pretty soon; we'll see what happens. I'm gonna do my best to win the whole thing, but it looks like there'll be some serious competition." Ash looked to Pikachu. "But we won't back down, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with determination.

"The Alola Region really sounds like a great place." Serena said. "I read about it in my guidebook just now. I'd love to come and visit."

"Well, it would be awesome if you would come visit. You might even be able to see the Alola League if you come soon enough." Ash told her.

"Well, this year's Grand Festival isn't for quite a while; if I get all five ribbons here pretty soon, I would love to come and watch the League." Serena said happily.

As the two talked to each other happily, one of Ash's friends had been observing them out of the corner of his eye. Brock couldn't help but notice how happy the two seemed to be around each other, but one thing stood out to him: Pikachu had been on Serena's lap the whole time that they'd been at the restaurant. Pikachu usually stayed with Ash most of, if not all, the time. So, it was almost off-putting to see how content Pikachu was with Serena. Sure, she was constantly petting him, but there must've been more reason than that for Pikachu to stay there and look so happy. Brock recalled that a lot of Pokémon exhibited feelings and behavior that reflected the feelings of their trainers.

He was going to have a chat with Ash about this girl.

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"Come on out, everyone!"

"You all, too!"

Ash's Rowlet, Torracat, Lycanroc, Poliwhirl, and Zorua emerged from their Pokeballs, while Serena's Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Mudkip, Roselia, and Pichu all appeared as well. Sylveon saw Ash and Pikachu and ran over to affectionately nudge Ash's leg.

Ash chuckled and knelt down to pet her. "Hey, Sylveon. You know it's only been a couple hours since I've seen you, right? I'm not going anywhere yet."

Sylveon responded happily, looking at Pikachu, seemingly asking him to come down from Ash's shoulder to play with her. Pikachu happily did so and the two began prancing around the little field just outside of the Pokémon Center, where Serena was staying.

Braixen looked a little bit sad and wistful about something when she saw all of Ash's new Pokémon, though neither of the trainers knew exactly what it was. The fox Pokémon stood close to her trainer. Pancham saw Ash and his eyes widened. Ash smiled at it and held out his hand for a fist bump. "What's up, Pancham? It's been a while, huh?"

Pancham ran over and obliged, smiling. Ash stood back up. The other Pokémon seemed to be chatting amongst themselves, meeting the others. Serena pointed to the three of Ash's Pokémon that were native to Alola. "I don't recognize some of these Pokémon, Ash. Could you tell me about them?"

"Sure." Ash nodded. He first pointed to Rowlet, who had fallen asleep on the ground almost immediately. "That one there is Rowlet. He's actually one of the starter Pokémon in Alola, but we met in the forest near our school. He's a character, for sure. He sleeps at the most inconvenient times and he's a total goof. But he's dependable when he needs to be."

He then pointed to Torracat. "That one is Torracat. He's been through a lot, but he's as determined to get stronger as I am, and he's one heck of a battler. He's a bit stubborn, and not very friendly at first, but once he trusts you, he's the best friend you could ask for."

He then pointed at Lycanroc. "And that one is Lycanroc. He actually started out as a wild Pokémon who just liked to hang around Professor Kukui's lab, but we quickly became friends and I caught him. He's super playful and nice, but he's also one of my strongest Pokémon in battle. I can always depend on him."

Ash finally pointed to his two new Pokémon. "I caught my Poliwhirl a while back; I was lost in the woods and he was a Poliwag that startled me as I was finding my way back."

Serena winked at him. "Sounds familiar."

Ash grinned back. "Sure does. But he's super friendly and nice. And then Zorua is my most recent catch; he's a mischievous one. He played all sorts of illusion pranks on me and Pikachu when we first met, but I saved him from Team Rocket and now we're friends. But, well, he hasn't stopped pranking my friends yet."

"Sounds like you've really got your hands full." Serena admitted.

"No kidding." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "So tell me about your new Pokémon, Serena."

She nodded happily. "Sure! My first catch in Hoenn was Mudkip; it was all alone and scared in the Petalburg Forest, and eventually, after it wasn't scared of me anymore, I helped it find its way out. It turns out that some of the wild Mightyena had been after it for whatever reason. We all helped defend it and after all our help, it decided to come with us."

Ash smiled. "That's awesome, Serena."

She smiled at him, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Ash. My Roselia was caught more traditionally, I guess. I saw it out in the woods using a bunch of really pretty moves all by itself. I tried to talk to it, but I guess I startled it. We battled, and I caught it. Now, we're great friends, and she's a great help in my performances."

Serena then motioned to her Pichu. "Pichu is my most recent addition. She actually saw us practicing and started following us, because she really loved our performance and wanted to try it. She was really shy at first, and didn't really trust me, but we quickly became great friends, and she's much less shy these days. As you saw, she's a great performer too."

Serena blushed. "Honestly, part of the reason I was so happy to have her along, is, well... she reminds me of you."

Ash looked surprised. "Really?"

Serena nodded. "Mm-hm. Of course, I still always wear the blue ribbon on me, but sometimes I'll let Pichu out and have her stay on my shoulder. Whenever I did that, I felt like it somehow brought me closer to you, because I knew, wherever you were, you and Pikachu were probably doing the same thing."

Ash smiled genuinely. "Serena, I... I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. It was probably weird anyway-"

"No, Serena. I think that's really nice of you." Ash admitted.

Pikachu hopped up onto Ash's shoulder, smiling happily at Serena. "Pika!"

Pichu bounded up to Serena's shoulder, smiling too. "Pichu!"

Serena looked surprised at first, looking at Pichu, then back at Ash. She blushed, breaking out into a sweet smile. The two trainers looked into each others' eyes, standing close to each other. They almost formed a mirror image of each other with Pikachu and Pichu on their shoulders. Ash's smile changed to his signature grin, while Serena's turned into a happy smile, and they turned their heads away to observe their Pokemon conversing and playing together. They all seemed to be playing nice, even Zorua, Torracat, and Pancham. Both trainers knew, as the sun began to set, that they couldn't stay out all that much longer. Tomorrow was a busy day, especially for Serena. But neither of them really wanted to leave each other's side. Soon, however, the sun fully set and artificial lighting was all that was left.

"Well, I'd better get moving. Everyone's waiting for me back at the inn." Ash said, turning to her.

Serena turned to face him as well. "Yeah, and we need to get some rest before tomorrow."

They smiled at each other as they returned all of their Pokémon, minus Pikachu, who climbed back up to Serena's shoulder and nuzzled her face. Serena giggled. "Goodnight, Pikachu."

Pikachu climbed down off of Serena's shoulder. Before Ash could leave, she held out her arms towards him. "May I?"

Ash smiled. "Of course."

Serena blushed as Ash walked over to her and they embraced each other in a caring hug. "Goodnight, Serena."

"Goodnight, Ash." She said into his shoulder.

"And if I don't see you before it starts tomorrow, good luck out there in round two." Ash said as they pulled away. "I know you'll be great."

Serena nodded, smiling gratefully at him. "Thanks, Ash. We'll do our very best."

Ash grinned and nodded. As Pikachu climbed back up onto his shoulder, he waved. "We'll see you tomorrow sometime."

"Mm-hm." Serena nodded happily in response. Ash then turned in the direction of the inn, walking that way. Serena couldn't help but be a little sad to see him go, but at least she knew that he'd be there and she'd be seeing him again tomorrow, at least. He had come back into her life at the perfect time; just when she had really started questioning what it was she wanted to do after the Grand Festival, and what she wanted to do with her life. It was almost like having Ash with her was like a light guiding her in the darkness, to lead her out of uncertainty and help her regain her confidence. With Ash around, everything seemed so clear.

However, she didn't realize that a certain bluenette had been watching that scene unfold from the Pokémon Center lobby.

As Serena walked back inside the Pokémon Center lobby, which was only dimly lit by the main lights on the ceiling, she was surprised to hear a girl's voice whisper to her.

"Serena!"

"Huh?" She turned immediately, caught off guard, to see Dawn standing just by the door. "Dawn??"

Dawn giggled. "C'mere. We need to chat."

Serena sighed, blushing. She already knew what this was going to be about. She walked behind Dawn and they sat down together at a table in the lobby.

"So... you like Ash, right? Tell me all about it." Dawn asked, grinning at her.

Serena blushed but didn't hesitate to nod. "Yeah. I have since I was little. We met when we were very young, when he helped me out of a forest that I got lost in when I hurt my leg. He was so kind and selfless, even as a kid. Then we met again a few years ago and travelled through Kalos together. I watched him battle, raise his Pokémon, and everything just came flooding back to me. It was like he hadn't changed at all. He raised his Pokémon with care and trust, and they grew stronger through their trust in each other. And his attitude was always so positive; no matter what happened, he would push forward through it all. That optimism is so nice to be around, and infectious too. Not to mention that he was still selfless, kind, brave, and cute... Um! Yeah... so I guess I really do have feelings for him."

Dawn giggled again. "Oh, girl. You don't just have feelings for him. You're head-over-heels for him. Not like I can blame you, though. When he was a bit younger, I certainly would've questioned you, but now... he's grown and matured. I can see why you admire him so much. Even back when we travelled together, he had most of those traits you mentioned."

Dawn looked at Serena questioningly. "So, do you have any plans to make a move?"

Serena smiled. "I... I don't know. To be honest, I really just love to be around him. He makes my world so much brighter and clearer. Like the only thing that matters is to have faith in yourself and your friends, and everything will work out the way it's supposed to. And besides..."

Serena blushed. "He, uh... probably already knows how I feel about him."

Dawn looked at her in confusion. "How so?"

Serena's blush deepened. "Well, you see... before I got on the plane here from Kalos, I kind of... kissed him."

"You did????"

Serena nodded. "Mm-hm. It was just my way of thanking him for everything he had done for me over that time we travelled together, and a way of expressing my feelings at the same time. I knew we had to go our separate ways, and I wanted to him to know how I really felt. I'm so beyond grateful for all the experiences and time we had together, and that was the only way I felt like I could really convey that properly to him."

Dawn was still surprised. "How did he react??"

"Well, actually. He seemed to be caught off-guard at first, but he gathered himself pretty quickly. I guess that must've been the start of him maturing into who he is now. Even though it's only been a year or two since we've seen each other last, he's already called me both 'cute' and 'pretty', which would've been a huge stretch for him just a couple years ago." Serena admitted, still blushing.

"That is definitely not like the Ash I remember." Dawn agreed, a playful edge to her voice. "But for real, Serena, I can tell just by watching you two talk that you have real chemistry. You two have a really special dynamic together."

Serena nodded. "Yeah. I'm really glad you think so, because, honestly, I've questioned our compatibility a few times. I really admire Ash and his character, but we're interested in very different things. I love fashion, which Ash just can't get into. Though I understand that; I know that most guys aren't into fashion, but even when we made my PokeVision video, he didn't seem all that interested, especially at first. But he did go out of his way to make an effort to learn about what I was interested in. And, well, you know... his only hobby seems to be training."

Serena smiled. "But, I've always thought that what was more important than any of that was the fact that we supported each other. I love being around Ash, and no matter what he decided to do, I would involve myself in it and try to learn about it, but I would also be there to support him. He's always supported me ever since I decided on my dream. He's been my biggest supporter, even over my own mother. So as long as we keep travelling, and keep supporting each other... I don't think we'll have compatibility issues. At least, as long as he also enjoys being around me, too."

Dawn smiled wide at her. "I can tell that you've thought about this a lot. Don't worry; I can tell that Ash absolutely loves being around you, girl."

Serena looked up at her and blushed slightly. "You... you think so?"

Dawn winked. "He seems genuinely happy when he's talking with you; I don't think so, I know so. Call it girl's intuition."

Serena's blush darkened and she smiled, embarrassed. "Thanks, girl."

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Ash stood on the balcony of the hotel room that him and his friends were staying in. Pikachu was on his shoulder, as always. Kiawe, Sophocles, and Professor Kukui had all fallen asleep. Ash looked out at the city, still bustling with activity; Sootopolis was already a pretty big city, but with the Wallace Cup going on, it made sense that people were still out enjoying themselves. While one of the five beds was empty, the fifth boy to join the group sat up in his bed, seeing Ash and Pikachu out there on the balcony. He had wanted to chat with Ash about a certain girl; this was certainly his chance to do so.

"I can't believe all that's happened on this field trip already, Pikachu. It was just supposed to be a little vacation, but we've already met up with Dawn, Brock, and even Serena within two days. It's been a whirlwind, hasn't it?" Ash asked softly, looking over to his partner on his shoulder. Pikachu nodded in response.

Brock stood and walked over towards the balcony. As he approached Ash, he spoke. "Ash, do you mind if I join you two?"

Ash was caught slightly off-guard by the voice, having assumed everyone else was asleep. After seeing his older friend, and smiled and nodded. They both leaned on the railing, looking out over the city. They were only a few floors above the ground, and yet it felt like they could see the whole city, at least compared to just being on the ground.

"So, Ash, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Hit me."

The older boy looked over to his younger friend. "Is there anything between you and that girl Serena?"

Ash stared at him blankly for a moment. "Anything? What d'ya mean?"

"Well, you know... do you like her? As in, more than a friend?" Brock made sure to clarify to avoid any potential confusion.

Ash put on a soft smile. "I'm guessing you mean in a girlfriend sort of way?"

Brock nodded.

Ash looked down, seemingly at nothing. "I honestly... don't really know. I haven't thought about it. I don't know what that kind of feeling is actually like, but I can tell you this. I really enjoy being around her; more so than a lot of my other friends. It feels like I have a real connection with her, like she and I just click, you know? I love having her around. She's always so supportive, and her passion is really inspiring, too. I love watching her compete, and I always feel so proud of her whenever her hard work pays off. Not just that, but she's been one of my biggest supporters, too. She even started her own journey just to find me! That's crazy to think about, especially now that she has her own dream that she's following."

"Ash, I've... never heard you talk about anyone like this before. It's really surprising." Brock said, caught off-guard by this side of Ash.

Ash smiled sheepishly. "Well, to be honest, I've started to see her and think about her in a different way since something happened a while back. Something I never would've imagined."

Brock tilted his head slightly. "And what was that?"

Ash rubbed under his nose, laughing nervously. "Well, y'see... right before she got on the plane here from Kalos, she, uh... she kissed me."

Brock raised his eyebrows and did a double-take. "Hold on. She kissed you???"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. Ever since then, it's like, all of a sudden, I see not just her, but all girls a little differently. I notice things about their looks that I wouldn't have given a second thought before. Hair, clothes, eyes... certain things that I like. So I eventually started telling Mallow and the others what I liked. And I've learned that pretty much all girls love to be complimented that way. But I never feel like giving girls compliments is a big deal. I just, kind of, do it, you know? And it's not a big deal. Especially if I already know them."

Ash looked up, still seemingly staring at nothing. "But, like today, when Serena came out in her new clothes, I thought she looked really cute. And that's not something I would've noticed or cared about unless she had asked me about it. But now, I notice how pretty her eyes are, how cute her clothes are, or how much I love it when she smiles. It feels like everything around her lights up when she smiles. She's just really great to be around. I don't know how else to explain it, honestly."

Brock put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "This is a side of you that I've never seen before, Ash. I'm so proud to see that you've grown and matured. Have you thought about telling her any of what you just told me?"

"Huh?"

"Well, given what you've told me about Serena, I bet you anything that she feels the exact same way about you. Just like you love her smile, she probably loves yours, too. You should tell her all of that whenever you get a chance. She's probably been waiting a long time for you to say something like that to her." Brock said.

Ash stared at his old friend, contemplating his words. He had complimented Serena a few times that day, but he hadn't told her all of what he had just told Brock.

"Pika pika." Pikachu seemed to agree with Brock's sentiments. Ash looked over to Pikachu, who nodded confidently at his partner. Ash smiled confidently back, nodding as well.

Brock grinned. "I think it could be really good for you to talk with her some more. There's some real potential here, Ash... If you play this right, you could have your first girlfriend here pretty soon."

Ash blushed slightly, laughing nervously. "I don't know about that one, Brock..."

Brock shrugged playfully. "You never know. But, for real, this is all coming really naturally to you, Ash, which is a good thing. I think the best relationships are the ones that develop out of friendships, where you don't put a lot of pressure on the title of 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'; the ones that come naturally. And, luckily for you, that seems like where you're headed."

Ash nodded. Thinking about it, it wasn't necessary to overemphasize their relationship; he would be okay with her being his girlfriend as long as their relationship itself didn't have to change. They would just be really great friends who love being around each other. That's all a relationship had to be, right?

Ash smiled at his old friend. "Thanks, Brock. I think I'm finally figuring all of this out now."

Brock nodded, smiling. "Anytime, old friend."

They all finally left the balcony and headed to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

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Some real talk happened in this one; I felt like I had to address a lot of the more real elements of the anime and this relationship that don't ever seem to get addressed in the show or other FanFics, such as what happens after becoming Pokémon Master or Kalos Queen, and the compatibility between Ash and Serena. I do believe they would be compatible in a real relationship, especially given the circumstances; you know, constant travelling and all that. But hopefully y'all enjoyed this one; this will likely be the last of its kind. It's mostly action from here on out.

The inspiration for Serena's new outfit was the female trainer from Black 2 & White 2. Rosa, I think her name was? I think she's adorable, so I decided to give Serena a somewhat similar outfit for a warmer region, but still keeping her pink color theme. I also decided to drop the visor, just because, given Serena's two canon hats, a visor seems a little out of place for her. So I just decided to leave the hat out entirely. Serena's new shirt is basically Rosa's shirt but with short sleeves.

Also just wanted to say a quick thank you for all of the positive comments y'all have given me! I was confident with the first few chapters, but I was admittedly a bit nervous about how y'all would like the last chapter with the reunion. I knew that it was exactly what I wanted it to be, but I knew that it probably wasn't what a lot of people wanted. I was going to stay strong with my characters no matter what happened, but it's really nice to see y'all reacting well to it, so thank you.

Song: "Firefly" by Skyhill, which was a single from 2015

Skyhill was actually Danny's (from Game Grumps) band from before NSP, and their only album is from, like, 2007 or something, and it's really cool! They put out this single in 2015 though, probably as like a "one last hurrah" kind of thing. I highly recommend you check them out on Spotify or whatever, especially if you like Starbomb or NSP! (Click the External Link to Listen)