Hey everyone! It's been a couple of years or so since I've written anything on here. I loved the way XY closed out Amourshipping, but I had a lot in my own life going on at the time and I wasn't able to really write anything at that time, and I've just been busy with stuff since then. But as I've recently been playing Ultra Moon, I have a renewed interest in the series, and I decided to come back to my old story and write a sequel to it, which I had always played around with doing but never really got the details ironed out.

So, here we are, with what I guess you could call an early Christmas present to all of you Amourshippers out there still going strong. Personally, I haven't really watched much of the S/M anime, and as far as I'm concerned, unless a return to the old style is done at some point in a future series, the end of XY WAS the end of our Ash's journey.

But I've rambled on about this long enough. I don't want to go off on a huge tangent about that (which I absolutely could). Instead, I welcome you all to another chapter (well, multiple chapters) of my retelling of XY Ash's journey. For those of you who are new, yes, this is a sequel to the last story I wrote a little while ago, so if you haven't read that, I recommend you go and do that first.

With all that aside, onwards!

"Now, Pancham, use Stone Edge!"

"Pan-cham!" The small Pokemon cried, gracefully tumbling forward in mid-air before slamming its fist down to the ground, causing a dozen sky blue stalagmites to erupt from the stage a moment later.

"Right, Altaria, you're up! Use Mist!"

"Riiiiii!" The Humming Pokemon sang, swooping across the newly-formed pillars and spreading a thin veil of fog in its wake.

"All right, Sylveon! Time for your Dazzling Gleam!"

"Sylveon!" Sylveon cried, leaping forward in front of its twirling Trainer as rays of multicolored light began shooting off of its body.

No further commands were given for a time, as Altaria, Pancham, and Braixen took their cue to dance, sliding in and out of view within the cloud of mist on the stage whilst Sylveon's rainbow-colored aura reflected off the pillars encircling them, and caused the very mist itself to take on an iridescent hue.

"Okay, Braixen! Finish us up with Fire Spin!"

"Braaaiiii-xen!" Braixen cried, flowing smoothly from its dance into a twirl before raising its stick over its head and spinning it quickly, causing a spiraling funnel of flames to rise into the air above them. A moment later, Braixen swung its stick down defiantly, causing the the trail of flames to surge outward all at once, blowing away the Mist and shattering the stone pillars all at once.

"And thaaaat's it!"

The crowd erupted with cheers as the four Pokemon and their Trainer held their final pose, with glittering motes of dust sprinkling down across the auditorium.

As she looked out onto the beaming crowd alongside her Pokemon, the Performer, Serena, couldn't help but smile even wider herself.

"Wow, Serena! You guys were awesome out there!" A male voice rang, causing Serena to look over at the source of it in glee. Sure enough, running up to meet her was the slightly older, black-haired, cap-wearing Pokemon Trainer that had come to be her constant companion ever since the start of her journey, complete with his ever-present companion Pikachu riding on his shoulder. "It's really too bad that this is just a Showcase exhibition. If it was the real thing, you would've won it for sure!"

Serena felt herself smile almost automatically at his praise, accompanied by the familiar feeling of warmth in her stomach that usually came with it. "Thanks, Ash! That's really sweet!"

The two of them were out in the foyer of the Coumarine City Showcase Theater. Given the nature of the exhibition, Serena was able to leave the backstage area immediately after her performance rather than waiting for the results and potentially more rounds.

"Hey, you two! Don't go leaving us out of the picture again!" A second male voice rang out, causing the two of them to turn around. The source this time was a boy a little older than both of them, though it was difficult to tell by his appearance, happily walking toward them with a smaller, blonde-haired girl at his side. "You just had to get the jump on her again, didn't you, Ash?"

"Oh, c'mon, Clemont...what are you talking about?" Ash replied nervously, eyes darting nervously between Serena and the ground.

"I'm talking about how you ran off and left us in the auditorium claiming you had to use the bathroom!" Clemont insisted in annoyance. "I guess you couldn't wait for the last few Performances before coming to see Serena in private!"

"Ahahaha..." Ash chuckled, the nervous look still present on his face.

"Aw, give him a break." Serena parleyed, chuckling lightly at the two boys' back and forth. "It's not like he meant anything by it."

"Yeah, she's right, big brother!" The youngest of the four spoke up, glaring at her sibling with an accusing look in her eye. "Just because Ash's found a wife doesn't mean you can give him a hard time! It's not HIS fault you're gonna be a lonely old man forever!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chimed in.

"Na-nana!" Dedenne agreed, resting in its usual spot within the bag slung around the young girl's chest.

"Bonnie..." Clemont groaned in embarrasment, as Ash and Serena shared a laugh at their friends' antics. Despite the fun they were having, and the enjoyment she'd gotten out of her Performance just now, Serena couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as she realized that this may be the last time the four of them would be able to enjoy themselves like this.

Later that night, after the exhibition had ended, the four of them retreated back to the Pokemon Center for the day. Serena's friends Shauna and Miette had made an appearance at the Showcase to tell her goodbye, as had Ash's old rival Alain and his friend Mairin.

The four of them had enjoyed themselves well enough as they ate dinner, but afterwards, when they had returned to their rooms and begun preparing for bed, their began to think about what the future held for them after tomorrow.

"So, Ash..." Clemont began awkwardly, trying not to stumble over his words as the two of them laid on their beds in their room, now seperated from Serena and Bonnie. "I guess you're...pretty excited about tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Hmm..." Ash began slowly, taking stock of his emotions for a rare moment. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Y-you guess so?!" Clemont exclaimed in disbelief, sitting up in bed and turning to face Ash. He had been expecting Ash to agree right away. "What do you mean, you guess so? Have you forgotten what's happening tomorrow?!"

"N-no, 'course I haven't!" Ash countered at once, shooting up in bed as well and raising his hands in defense.

"Then why aren't you more excited about it?" Clemont insisted. "The beginning of a new journey, in a rarely-visited region you've never seen before - and with Serena of all people! You haven't forgotten that she's your girlfriend, have you?"

"No way!" Ash insisted, waving his hands frantically. "I guess...I'm..."

Clemont remained silent and watched his friend, equal parts interested to hear Ash talk about his feelings for once and also eager to have his fear that Ash wasn't taking his and Serena's departure seriously enough dispelled.

"...Aaagh, I don't know!" Ash grumbled in frustration a few moments later, running his hands through his hair in exasperation.

"Pii-ka?!" Pikachu exclaimed in surprise, having been on the verge of slumber at the foot of Ash's bed before being jolted upright by its Trainer's outburst.

"Ash? You are serious about all this...aren't you?"

Ash hesitated a moment before responding. "Yeah. Yeah, I am, Clemont." He answered matter-of-factly, turning to look Clemont dead in the eye as he spoke. "I guess I'm just worried that she's not gonna be happy once we get out there. I mean...she's only going because I wanted to. Is that really a good enough reason?"

Clemont regarded his companion with awe. Even after travelling together for all this time, Ash's genuine emotion and passion still surprised him sometimes - especially when they weren't directed toward his Pokemon. It had been a little over six months since Ash and Serena had officially started 'dating', though at the time it was exceedingly obvious how little the two of them actually comprehended what that entailed. Clemont had watched the pair navigate through what he had heard were all the usual twists and turns of relationships, and while Serena's innocence caused him to never have any doubts about her intentions, there were times - like now - when Ash's denseness and sometimes obliviousness to what was going on around him caused Clemont to question his true feelings. But, again, like now, every time that something similar had occurred, Ash had ultimately proven him one-hundred-percent dead wrong.

"Oh, brother." Clemont sighed in relief. "You never cease to amaze me, Ash."

"Huh?" Ash frowned.

"Listen." Clemont began, raising a finger sharply to make the importance of his words known. "Serena would follow you to the ends of the Earth. Do you understand that? I think that you shouldn't look at it as you just dragging her around with you. Instead, try to see it as her goals becoming one with your own."

Ash's eyes widened as the sense of what Clemont was saying began to sink in. "...Her goals...becoming one with mine...? You really think so?"

"Mm-hm." Clemont nodded. "Do you remember why it was that Serena originally set out on her journey? It was to travel around with you, the person she looked up to more than anyone. I know, because I used to be the same way when we first met."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, of course." Clemont answered, laughing despite himself. "The only difference for me now is that I see you as more of a rival than an idol."

Ash was silent for a moment as he processed Clemont's words. He had to admit that a lot of what his friend had said made sense. He'd known that Serena had looked up to him when they'd first met, but he wasn't exactly a stranger to that - his old companions May and Dawn had both felt similarly when he'd first met them. But he had never fully grasped just how important he was to her all that time. But, perhaps now, he was finally starting to understand...

"Thanks, Clemont." Ash remarked seriously after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "I think I'm starting to get it now."

Clemont smiled genuinely at his friend. "Sure." He blinked, his face falling slightly before continuing. "You know...I'm really going to miss you two when you're gone. You're...my best friends."

Now it was Ash's turn to smile. "I'm gonna miss you guys, too. We'll be sure to stay in touch, okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Clemont agreed. "We can't have you running off on an island vacation with no supervision, can we?"

The two of them shared a genuine laugh before finally laying back down and forcing themselves to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the next room over, Serena and Bonnie weren't having any more luck falling asleep than Ash and Clemont were. They had quickly decided that Bonnie was going to sleep next to Serena, as this was her last opportunity to do so, and after cuddling up next to each other, the two had begun talking and sharing stories about their adentures together over the previous year.

However, after talking for a while, it finally dawned on Bonnie that this was more than likely going to be the last night she spent with Serena, and the excitement began to visibly drain from her face.

"Bonnie?" Serena asked worriedly, noticing the sudden shift in expression. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, Serena..." Bonnie began slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "D'you think you and Ash will ever come back to visit us?"

"Bonnie...of course we will. We're all friends, aren't we?" Serena assured her.

"Yeah, but aren't you going really far away? And you and Ash are gonna be alone together. What if you forget about us?"

"Bonnie." Serena murmured affectionately, placing a hand on the young girl's cheek. "We could never forget about you. I promise that we'll stay in touch with both of you. If Ash was alone, I could see him forgetting to call every now and then...but I'll be with him, so don't worry. Okay?"

Bonnie remained quiet for a short while, trying to keep back the tears that she could feel building up in her eyes. "You really...like Ash, don't you?"

Serena's mouth opened slightly, then closed, a bit taken aback by the question. "...Yes. I do."

"Then...I think you guys should go." Bonnie sniffed. "I want you to be happy."

Serena's eyes widened at the maturity of Bonnie's statement. She could only imagine what the young girl must be feeling right now, but to ultimately decide on her friends' happiness over hers...

Serena wrapped her arms around Bonnie's head and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Thanks, Bonnie. I mean it."

"...Hey, Serena?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I've never had an older sister, but...if I had to pick anybody besides Clemont to have in my family...it'd be you."

Serena could only pull her in tighter as Bonnie's tears began to flow unbidden, down her face and onto the bedsheets.

The following morning, the four of them all got ready as if it were any other day. They showered, packed up their things, ate a quick breakfast at the Pokemon Center, and were at the pier by noon.

It didn't take them long to find their ship - most of the vessels present were smaller ships, either for fishing or local transportation. The largest one by a sizeable margin was the one Ash and Serena had already booked passage on, the S.S. Pelipper -a transregional cruise ship whose next stop was their intended destination.

"Well, I guess this is it." Ash announced with a sense of finality as they drew up to the loading ramps for the Pelipper. He turned to face Clemont and Bonnie as Serena drew up beside him. "Thanks for everything, you guys. It was a lot of fun!"

Clemont shook his head. "That's my line. Thank you for everything, Ash - because of you, I feel like I can finally live up to my duty as the Lumiose City Gym Leader. I'll never forget this journey for the rest of my life!"

He and Ash shared a determined look and shook hands firmly, as Serena and Bonnie shared a hopeful look.

"I-I remember. Don't worry." Bonnie assured her, blinking a few times quickly before summoning her courage and pushing back the tears. "I'm not gonna cry!"

Serena smiled down at her sadly. "I'm gonna miss you. Dedenne, you take good care of Bonnie, all right?"

"Ne-ne-ne!" Dedenne agreed confidently.

"And I promise - " Serena began, holding her pinky finger out to Bonnie as she spoke. " - that we'll come back. Okay?"

Bonnie stared at her outstretched finger with wide eyes before eagerly thrusting out her own and hooking it onto Serena's and shaking, sealing their agreement. "Okay! It's a promise!"

Ash and Clemont both smiled down at Bonnie before Ash stepped in to regard her as well. "Goodbye, Bonnie! You take good care of your big brother, all right?"

"Oh, please! Don't I always?" Bonnie bragged, prompting everyone to laugh. "If you ask me, it's Pikachu that's gonna have to keep an eye on you two!"

"Piii-kaa!" Pikachu affirmed, raising a hand in agreement.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Clemont." Serena remarked, reaching out to shake his hand as well. "It was a lot of fun travelling with you. I'm going to be telling everybody the story of the amazing Lumiose City Gym Leader, and how he's one of my best friends!"

Clemont actually blushed at her statement, but reached out and grasped her hand all the same. "Th-thanks, Serena, but you don't have to go around making up stories about me..."

"Oh, come on, big brother!" Bonnie scolded. "Can't you just learn how to take a compliment?!"

They all shared another laugh together and continued chatting for a short while, but before long the time had come for them to say goodbye. Ash and Serena said their final goodbyes and made their way down the pier and onto the ship. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a line to get onboard, though whether that was due to them talking to their friends for a bit too long and making it onboard much later than intended, they weren't sure.

Once onboard, they made their way up onto the deck just in time for the horn to blow, signalling the ship to raise anchor. They ran to the back of the ship and, just as the boat lurched forward and began to move, caught one final glimpse of Clemont and Bonnie standing on the pier, waving frantically at them as they departed the Kalos region. Ash and Serena raised their arms to wave back as their friends gradually got smaller and smaller on the horizon, until they were no longer visible past the expanse of sea.

Silence hung in the air between Ash and Serena as they lowered their arms, the reality of their situation finally sinking in for both of them. Kalos was officially behind them now, and neither of them could say for sure what lay ahead.

"Well...that's it, I guess." Serena murmured softly, her slightly-above-shoulder-length hair blowing in the sea breeze. It was times like these that she was thankful she'd decided to get it cut when she started Performing.

"Yep." Ash agreed. "That's it."

Another cool silence hung between them for a while as they watched the sea stretch out behind them. Eventually, the newly-established atmosphere began to set in, and Serena looked over at him brightly and slipped her hand into his.

"Well, what do you say? Should we go inside and find our cabin?"

"Pi-kaa!" Pikachu voted, raising an arm excitedly.

"Yeah, sounds good. Uh, one question, actually..." Ash trailed off, causing Serena to groan in anticipation.

"Oh, come on, Ash. If you ask what I think you're going to - "

"Hey, come on, Serena, it's a serious question." Ash pleaded.

Serena regarded him for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Oh, all right, I'll tell you again. It is kind of funny how you keep forgetting."

"Hey, I'm not forgetting! I never knew in the first place!"

Serena giggled at his defensiveness. That was one of the many things she liked about him, after all - if he knew he was wrong about something, he wouldn't rest until he had found the answer. "All right, now try and say it with me."

Ash nodded and looked at her intently, almost causing her to blush and lose focus. But she held her composure, and raised a finger triumphantly as she made her announcement.

"We're going - to the Alola region!"

Alola, everyone!

Now, again, I haven't actually watched much of the S/M anime, which is a first for me when it comes to adapting things for fanfics as I like to stay as close as I can to how things are in the show. In this case, I'll probably be sticking more to the games as far as characterization goes. That's not to say I'm against looking up clips and such to use for reference if I need to (I do that a lot anyway to make sure I get a lot of details right) but...we'll see.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the beginning of this new journey. I flubbed up the pacing of the final arc in the last story due to real life stuff going on, but I'm in a different situation in life now, and I hope that I can deliver a better story than that one to all of you who are reading this!