Bonnie was ahead of Clemont, Mairin and Grace as they made their way out of the Snowbelle Gym towards where Serena and Ash had left. They decided to head in the direction of the Pokemon centre, assuming Ash would be wanting to go there. However, they ran into Serena on the way and Bonnie immediately noticed her friend looking more upset than she'd ever been.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Bonnie yelled, running up to her.

Serena attempted what was an obvious fake smile and ultimately couldn't keep it up. She looked at everyone for a couple of moments and then she started crying and telling them what happened. Bonnie's face became enraged and she didn't even realize she had started to run towards the Pokemon centre with clenched fists, but Clemont managed to stop her with his Aipom arm.

"It's ok, Bonnie." Serena said. "Ash is right. It's better this way. And maybe..." She wasn't able to finish the sentence.

Bonnie felt tears in her eyes. "This isn't fair though. I like all of us travelling together. Why does Ash have to ruin it?" She ran to Serena and hugged her. "You were only together for a little while. Why do you have to end it already?"

Serena gently patted her back as Bonnie sobbed. "I know, Bonnie...it's hard." She gently pushed Bonnie forward so they could look at each other. Bonnie looked up at her friend, who was smiling comfortingly at her. "Be strong, Bonnie. We're still friends and when you're done travelling with Ash, we can see each other a lot more. I'm going to be in Lumiose City."

Bonnie shook her head. "No! I don't want to travel with Ash. I want to go back to Lumiose City. I choose you over Ash. I like you more anyways."

"Bonnie, that's not fair." Clemont said nervously.

Bonnie turned and glared at him. "You can go ahead and stay with Ash, but I'm going back to Lumiose City."

Clemont sighed. "I can't do that. You know that. If you really want to go back, I'll go back with you."

This made Bonnie smile slightly. It was moments like this that made her realize that her brother truly cared about her. He had enjoyed the journey so much and if he was willing to end the journey for her, that meant a lot. "Really, Clemont?" She asked.

Clemont nodded. "If that's what you really want."

Bonnie looked at Serena. "So is that ok? I know we won't spend a lot of time together, but when you have breaks from training we can see each other."

Serena looked a little worried, though. "Well...I guess if you really want to end your journey...but I'm worried about Ash." She looked at Mairin. "Are you going to keep travelling with him?"

Bonnie turned to Mairin, but she didn't seem to be as effected by all this. She was actually looking at Clemont with interest. "Hey Clemont, do you think I could go with you guys? I'd really like to see your gym."

Clemont sighed, but nodded. "I guess so."

Grace broke in here. "You'd better all go speak to Ash. Try to be gentle. Remember this will be hard on him too."

Clemont and Mairin nodded, but Bonnie stood next to Serena. "I'm not going. I'll wait with Serena. Ash is just a big meanie."

Serena put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "I won't force you to go, but Bonnie, I don't want you to blame Ash. He really thinks this is the best thing. And he is trying to think of me."

Bonnie shook her head. "He doesn't need to do this. All of this is his fault."

Clemont sighed. "Never mind, Serena. I'm sure Ash will understand. Can you watch Bonnie, while Mairin and I go and say goodbye?"

Serena nodded, not looking happy about it. "Sure."

Clemont looked at Mairin. "Alright, let's go." And Bonnie watched as Clemont and Mairin left to officially end their journey with Ash.

XXXXX

Ash gave his three defeated Pokemon to Nurse Joy and walked over to the phone. He couldn't believe he was doing it, but he decided to call his mom. He decided that if anyone could help him understand what he was doing, it was her.

The phone rang and Delia appeared on screen. "Ash! Oh it's so wonderful that you called. Did you win your eighth badge? Oak told me you were challenging the gym today."

Ash sighed. "No...I lost." As much as this would usually embarrass him or disappoint him, he didn't really care about the gym badge at the moment.

Delia looked shocked, but she attempted a quick recovery for her son's benefit. "That's nothing to worry about, sweetie. I'm sure you'll win when you challenge it again. When do you plan on trying again?"

"I'm taking a bit of a break to train. I think I'm going to go back to Anistar City. After that, I'm not really sure at the moment." Ash could see his mother looking at him in concern. He tried to sit up a little straighter and look a little more confident.

Delia leaned forward and Ash realized she was looking to his sides and behind him. "Where's Serena?"

Ash winced. He had been dreading the conversation coming to this point, but he steeled himself. This was sort of why he had called anyways. "Um...she's...we..." He stopped, not able to continue, fearing he might break down.

Delia's eyes widened and Ash saw that she knew what was up. "Oh...Ash I'm so sorry. What happened?"

Ash took a deep breath and then he told the story. He explained how Serena had been offered the opportunity for a special training program for her showcases. He explained how he hadn't been able to focus on the gym battle. And, he explained how he had convinced Serena to take the offer and go to Lumiose City, while he'd go his own way.

His mother was silent as he explained all this and when he finished, she was silent for a few moments afterwards. Finally, she spoke again. "Ash, if you're calling me to ask if you did the right thing, I can't give you the answer. All I'm going to say is that if you truly think this is what will make Serena happiest in the end, than I'm proud of you for making a tough decision for the sake of someone you care about."

"I just don't know if it is what makes her happiest. I know I'm not doing it for me. I don't even know how much I care about the Kalos League anymore." Ash had never thought he'd say something like that, but he realized it was true. His passion for battling had quickly disappeared.

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu said in panic. He swatted Ash's face with his tail.

Delia gave him a weak smile. "Ash...you know you'll get back into your training. I think it's a good idea that you take a break and recover for a bit. Maybe you and Serena can get back together after the Kalos League."

Ash shook his head. "Our goals are too different. She's gotta focus on her training. And...I guess I've gotta focus on mine."

Delia sighed. "I'm sure you can figure out something. For now, just take a break and figure things out. After that, focus on your training and win your gym badge. Then, win the Kalos League. Once you've done all that, you can figure things out."

Ash nodded, not knowing if he really meant it. "Yeah...you're right. Well I'd better go. I've gotta get my Pokemon from Nurse Joy pretty soon."

Delia smiled. "Alright. Well keep in touch, Ash. I'd like to come and see you in the Kalos League."

This brought a real smile to Ash's face. "Really? That would be cool. Alright, well I'll make sure to get my eighth badge soon enough then."

They said their final goodbyes and then Ash hung up the phone. As he made his way over to the couch at the front of the Pokemon centre, Ash saw the front doors open and Clemont and Mairin entering through them.

"Ash!" Clemont yelled, seeing him.

Ash waited as they walked up to him and then lead them over to the couch and sat down. "I guess Serena told you what was up?" Ash asked.

Clemont nodded. "Yeah...and...um...about Bonnie..."

Ash wasn't actually surprised. He knew the little girl would probably have the hardest time coming to terms with the whole thing. "It's alright." He nodded, knowing what this meant. "So you two are heading back to Lumiose City I guess?"

Clemont looked uneasy, but clearly wasn't surprised Ash had figured it out. "Yeah...I'm sorry, Ash. It's just that I don't want to leave her."

Mairin spoke up. "I'm sorry too, Ash. First, about you and Serena. And also, I've decided to go with Clemont and Bonnie. I think it would be really cool to learn about gym battles more. And since Clemont's a gym leader, I can see a lot of them."

Ash managed to hide his disappointment. He'd been hoping Mairin at least would continue travelling with him. He thought about it a bit further, though. Perhaps it was better. Maybe he needed to just spend time with his Pokemon. Maybe it wasn't only Serena who lacked independence. He'd been relying on travelling companions a long time and maybe it was time he just travelled on his own. He smiled. "That sounds like a great plan, Mairin. Clemont's a great gym leader. I'm sure you'll learn a lot from him."

Clemont looked nervously at Ash. "So what are you up to next? Serena mentioned Anistar City. Are you hoping to find Greninja?"

Ash shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I'm just hoping that Olympia can tell me more about the future she saw for Greninja and I. She said it was important so maybe she'll know something about what happened with him. I at least want to know if he's alright."

Mairin looked confused. "What did Olympia tell you? Isn't she the Anistar gym leader?"

Ash nodded. "She said that Greninja and I were going to achieve something new together and that we'd be connected to a threat to Kalos. I'm guessing it has to do with Lysandre and Team Flare, but that's not important right now. Figuring out what's up with Greninja is my priority now."

Clemont nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Maybe she'll get a vision or something and tell you where he is."

"Hopefully." Ash said. "So...you guys are gonna go back to Lumiose City, right? You'll take over for Clembot, then?" He asked Clemont.

Clemont nodded. "Yeah. I definitely improved before by travelling with you. I'm sure I've gotten a lot better since then."

Ash smiled. "Of course you have. Maybe we can have a battle again when I'm done with what I need to do." He paused and looked at both Clemont and Mairin seriously. "So...I need you two to do me a favour."

"Anything." Clemont said.

"Yeah, whatever you need." Mairin added.

"Thanks." Ash smiled. "Ok...well...I just want you to make sure Serena's ok. I know you might not see much of her, but whenever possible, just make sure she's ok. And remember, Lysandre's still out there. I don't know where he is or what he's planning, but just in case...look out for him."

Clemont nodded. "You can count on me."

Mairin nodded as well. "And me."

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and jumped over to Clemont and hopped up on his shoulder. "Pika." He said, smiling. He then jumped over to Mairin and did the same thing before coming back over to Ash.

Ash stood up as he saw Nurse Joy returning with his pokeballs. "Alright, you two. I guess this is goodbye." He went over and collected his pokeballs and then walked back over to Mairin and Clemont. "Good luck with the gym, Clemont. And I hope you learn a lot, Mairin. Hopefully I can see you guys soon."

They both nodded and smiled. Ash waved and turned towards the door and walked out of the Pokemon centre with Pikachu. As of this moment, he was now on his own, with only his Pokemon. No more Bonnie. No more Clemont. No more Mairin. And the most painful part...no more Serena.

XXXXX

Serena had called Palermo using her mother's cell phone to let the older woman know what was happening. Palermo had seemed a little surprised, but didn't argue. She had already left Snowbelle City, but told Serena that she'd be waiting for he in Lumiose City. Serena's mother had already offered to give her and the others a ride there and they were now on the road. They had left as soon as Mairin and Clemont had got back from seeing Ash.

"Is Ash ok?" Serena asked them, as they drove out of Snowbelle City.

"He was putting on a brave face." Clemont said. "I think he's gonna be ok, though. He's got a plan for what he's going to do."

Bonnie folded her arms angrily. "Who cares? It's Ash's own fault."

Serena sighed and gave the little girl an exasperated look. "Bonnie, if I don't blame Ash, I don't think you should."

Bonnie shook her head. "You're too nice to be mad at him. I'll be mad at him for both of us."

Clemont rolled his eyes. "Bonnie, you're being immature."

"I don't care." Bonnie muttered.

Grace seemed to want to break the tension. "Hey, how about we put on the radio? We can just enjoy the drive."

Serena jumped on this right away. She just wanted to get lost in her own thoughts. "Sure, that's a good idea."

Grace nodded and switched on the radio. Instantly the news came on and a weather report, not surprisingly predicting snow for Snowbelle City, came on. Serena was about to ask her mom to change the station when all of a sudden dramatic music played and a voice came on. "Breaking news, from Geosenge Town! We take you live to our reporter, John, on location."

"Greetings from Geosenge Town. I am here live with Officer Jenny. Just moments ago, it was revealed that recently captured Team Flare member and disgraced Elite Four member, Malva, has escaped from prison. Officer Jenny, do you know how this happened?" The reporter said this all very quickly, clearly filled with nervous excitement.

Officer Jenny started speaking. "We're still conducting an investigation, but we just want to assure everyone that we are doing everything we can to find Malva and put her back behind bars. We also want everyone to know that there isn't any need to panic. Malva will likely try to stay out of sight and likely is attempting to find Lysandre who is also on the run. She is not an immediate danger to the public. Just stay vigilant and we can take care of the situation."

They talked a little more, but nothing more interesting came out of the report. Grace turned off the radio, knowing that everyone in the car was going to want to talk about this. Serena was first. "Do you think she's going to go after Ash? Maybe we should go back."

Clemont shook his head. "I don't think so. Malva's gonna have to stay low for awhile. She's too easily recognizable so going straight after Ash would be too obvious. She probably won't be seen for a long time.

Mairin nodded. "And don't forget, a lot of people know who Ash is at this point, because of him beating her. Being around him wouldn't be smart if you wanted to hide."

Serena sighed. She knew they were right, but she was still worried. Of course this would happen as soon as she separated from Ash. Just like every time they've separated, something dangerous seemed to accompany the situation. It didn't matter that Ash had said they were broken up. She still loved him more than anything. She was still worried. She'd stick to the plan right now, but she promised herself one thing. If she heard anything about Malva showing up near Ash...she'd stop at nothing to help him.