Welcome! Or welcome back, I suppose! In any case, whether you're new readers or older ones, I'm happy to see you reading. This is it: a (hopefully) long-awaited sequel to "Love in the Time of Teamwork"! I know at the time I said I didn't have plans…I lie to myself. Anyway, that aside, I'll see you at the bottom.

NOTE: As this is a sequel to "Love in the Time of Teamwork", I suggest you read (and review) that story (and its follow-up oneshots) before coming here. There are quite a few OCs in here from that story that factor prominently. That said, this story also takes place between XYZ 29 and XYZ 30.

Author: Epicocity

Rating: T for violence and darker themes

Pairings: Amourshipping, of course! Also, Laserbladeshipping

DISCLAIMER: Of course I don't own Pokémon. Why would one even ask that?

Love in the Time of Turbulence

An Amourshipping Pokémon Sequel

Chapter 1
A Reunion

"Can I take a look? Pleeeeease?"

Serena looked up from her tablet, a soft smile washing across her face. Ahead of her were two people, walking a little quicker than usual. Tucking her honey blonde hair behind her ears, her gaze turned backward momentarily to see Clemont, one of her very best friends, huffing and puffing to catch up. He had almost closed the gap between the two of them. Seeing that, she turned her attention back to the other two at the front of the group. Bonnie was bouncing up and down, showing her age and status as the little sister of the group. Meanwhile, Ash was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he reached into his bag to pull out a case.

"They're all so shiny…" Bonnie cooed to the trainer. Dedenne hopped from her bag and onto the case that Ash was holding. His weight seemed to make Ash's arm drop a little but he still held onto the case. It was no surprise, really. Serena knew her boyfriend well enough to know that he would never let go of that case. It was too precious to him. "You finally got them all!"

"Yeah, I did," Ash said. His tone was surprisingly mellow for someone who had just recently won his eighth badge and was granted permission to enter the Kalos League. To that thought, Serena's smile dropped just a little. It was no surprise that he was so lax about his eighth badge, despite being after it for so long; despite it being his key to the League. He had been broken…to the point that he'd even brushed her off, after they'd promised to share everything with each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Boyfriend". Such a familiar, and yet foreign, term. That, yet again, brought a great smile to Serena's face. Had it been two months ago, before the Kalos Team Tournament and the subsequent situation in Ancien, she would have said it was impossible for her to confess her feelings for Ash. Then it had all happened, and their relationship changed. She said "I love you" out loud to the person she loved more than anything…and he reciprocated. It was like something out of a dream or a fairy tale, except that it wasn't. That was enough to make her heart nearly burst, and when he was happy, she was beyond happy.

But when he was broken, her heart crumbled into little pieces.

Thankfully, he had bounced back. Ash was still as enthusiastic about taking on the Kalos League as he ever was, but there was a different air about him. It was a little more mature. More determined. Well, Serena wasn't sure exactly which words to use to describe Ash's newfound attitude. However, she did notice something different in his interactions with her.

Ever since they'd started dating, Ash would always offer to hold her hand (which hadn't changed), or open the door for her, and, most significantly, had started to ask for her help in training. After his victory in the Snowbelle Gym, that last part just stopped. It was like he was afraid of something. Serena wasn't sure what was on his mind, but his general enthusiasm was all she needed to know he was okay…even if he was more alert to an ornery Beedrill or Ursaring waiting in the wings to attack. He would often finish any attack on them with a single Thunderbolt (or some other attack if he wanted his other Pokémon to have the experience). It was a comfort…and a bit of a frustration, but again, it kept Ash happy in his battles, so Serena let it pass.

"Serena…" Clemont's whining voice reached her as he finally trudged up to her level. Ash turned his head back, offering Serena a small smile that still made her heart soar and her cheeks flush, before putting his badge case away. Feeling elated at Ash's smile, Serena turned back towards Clemont. "Are we almost to the next town? I could use a rest…"

"You're so slow, Clemont," Bonnie called back in a singsong voice, skipping even further ahead of Ash. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder to go and frolic with her. As she did so, Ash seemed to slow down a bit and Serena and Clemont approached him. Serena took this moment to peruse the map function of her tablet.

"Yeah, it's just past this forest," Serena answered as Ash drew next to her and took her hand. She enjoyed the warmth it brought, but kept her attention on her tablet as Ash read the location name out loud.

"Nova Town…" he said, a curious look on his face. "Wonder what it's like!"

"Looks old," Clemont commented, squeezing his own face in to look at the tablet. Serena frowned and lifted her hands, disengaging from Ash's and pushed both of the boys' faces away from her. Ash grinned sheepishly. "Well, I guess we'll see when we get there. Hope the Pokémon Center has rooms available."

"Let's have a battle when we get there, Clemont," Ash proclaimed, walking around Serena to throw an arm around him. Clemont nodded and threw his gaze forward to make sure Bonnie wasn't gamboling too far ahead. As the boys began to discuss their now upcoming battle, Serena made to shut her tablet when a little notice in the corner took her eye. Realizing that everyone else was rather occupied, Serena clicked on it and an article appeared.

REGIONAL LEADERS TO MEET IN LEAGUE SUMMIT AT UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

"Huh?" Serena remarked, once more drawing the attention of Clemont. Ash, meanwhile, had slipped past her with a brush of their hands to go and rein in Bonnie, who now looked to be wandering with an inquisitive Dedenne.

"What's up, Serena?" Clemont asked, turning his gaze to her. She didn't notice for a moment, too busy perusing the article underneath.

"Looks like the Pokémon League is holding some kind of summit," she finally commented after finishing the article. It had mentioned a few things, like the summit being organized by Charles Goodshow, president of the Pokémon league, and multiple Champions and Elite Four members attending, such as Diantha. However, it didn't seem to mention just what they were meeting about or where.

"Well, that makes sense," Clemont explained after Serena had explained this all to him. "As many top trainers and big public figures, it would make sense not to reveal the location. That could invite all sorts of reporters and trouble."

"I get that," Serena pointed out. She, herself, had more than her fair share of fans (as she and Ash had learned to their detriment on their first date) so she could imagine that bringing together so many high profile figures would draw a lot of attention. "But why do you think they could be meeting? I've never heard of anything like this, though I've hardly paid attention to any news before the journey."

"Who knows?" Clemont agreed with a shrug. "Could be about that group that was after Squishy that we met before…or maybe even the Ancien Debacle."

The Ancien Debacle. She forgot that was what they had called what had happened after the Kalos Team Tournament. It was a little ironic, the honey-blonde realized, because none of those trainers that were involved in the struggle considered it a debacle. The KTT was meant to be an event that enforced the bonds between Pokémon and other trainers. The "debacle" had done just that; trainers that had been at each other's throats the five days before were working together to take on two threats much greater than any of them. More than that, they succeeded, even if only barely, and they became friends in the process. It was really just the reporters that had called it the "Ancien Debacle", likely because of the destruction of infrastructure and how unexpected Zinnia's attack had been at such a major event.

Of course, getting together with Ash was another reason she didn't consider it a debacle.

"Hey, guys, I think I see it!" Ash called loudly. He and Bonnie had stopped, bathed in sunlight. Serena snapped her tablet shut, deciding to ignore the interesting article and dashed forward to catch up to the two. Clemont huffed after her and before long, the quartet had arrived at the edge of Nova Town.

"Wow…" Bonnie breathed out. Serena shared the sentiment.

Sprawling before them, at eye's level was Nova Town. It wasn't as fancy as some of the other cities and towns they had come across, but just a single glance told Serena that it had a personality all its own. The houses were older looking, some of stone and some of brick or wood, but lying before them was a tremendous stone archway, like a gate almost, that gave way to a paved road of cobbled stones traveling inward. Ash smiled wide and started in to the town. Serena was right at his side, gazing and marveling at the buildings before her with their dull-colored and classical roofs. It felt like a quaint little town, and Serena could see what was akin to a marketplace at the center with a beautiful fountain, decorated with Pokémon.

"This place is so cool…" Bonnie remarked in admiration.

"It's quite lovely," Serena agreed. She could imagine staying in one of those homes, curled up by a quaint little fireplace, the sounds of the forest surrounding the town lulling one to sleep. As they stepped a little further into the town, they began to see more and more people, going about their daily business. A bunch of them were heading to the marketplace while some were sweeping off their front stoop. The town, quite honestly, reminded her of Vaniville Town but a little older than her hometown was. It was a nice change of pace from the many cities they had visited recently.

"It's a nice place, right Pikachu?" Ash asked, scratching his best friend on the neck.

"Chaaa…." Pikachu agreed. Clemont was dragging a little behind them, but his eyes were swiveling back and forth, like they were looking for the Pokémon Center. It was probably a good idea; they had been walking for a while.

"Boar!" came a sudden cry from a side street in the town. Serena whipped around, clasping her bag's straps. Ash and Pikachu did the same, the former grasping a pokeball from his side. Clemont and Bonnie were slower to react, only turning when a slightly impactful shuddering shook the streets a little. From the shadows of that side street, some people were deftly moving out of the way as an Emboar crashed through the street.

"Noivern, I choo-"

"Emboar!" the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon exclaimed once more. Before Ash could even contemplate throwing Noivern's pokeball, the fire pig had scooped Ash and Pikachu up in its arms and was hugging them tightly.

"Uh…what's going on?" Bonnie asked in utter confusion. Even Serena had to take a moment to blink, wondering about this utterly bizarre situation. All she could do for a moment was stare at the strange sight of Emboar hugging Ash and Pikachu while nuzzling him with its snout. Next to her, Clemont was adjusting his glasses a little.

"This Emboar looks familiar…" he remarked, his finger on his chin as he peered at the Pokémon. Serena briefly looked at him and then decided to scrutinize the Emboar. Ash was laughing along with Pikachu at the strange affection before the Emboar finally set him down. Once it had, the Emboar held its fist out and Ash smiled, giving it a fistbump.

"Of course it's familiar," Ash commented. "It wouldn't be hugging me, otherwise."

"Hey! Emboar, where did you go? We had errands to-oh!" The new voice that was echoing from the side street was very quickly approaching and all of them turned to face its owner. Serena couldn't get a good view, not with Emboar in the way. But as the Fire type finally shifted aside, Serena could get a glance of the blond boy approaching them. Said boy stopped at the exit onto the road they were on and stared at them in disbelief.

Serena and the others echoed that.

"Ash?"

"Seamus? !" Ash exclaimed, Pikachu crying out at the same time as him. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Seamus replied, folding his arms across his chest. There was a brief, tense moment where Serena flitted her eyes between Ash and the blond trainer they had met in Ancien City. Last time they had parted, it was as friends, but the fierce rivalry that preceded it was enough to make Serena wary. "How've you been?"

Serena exhaled at that and decided to look over the blond trainer with his striking Emboar. It hadn't been long, only close to two months since she'd last seen the pair, so they hadn't changed much. His hair was still short (though perhaps a little longer) and he still held himself with confidence. On the other hand, he was no longer wearing the smirk that he had constantly carried during the Kalos Team Tournament. He seemed a little wiser, kinder…and maybe a bit stronger. Of course, given where he said he'd be heading next time…

"This is your hometown?" Serena asked before Ash could answer him. Seamus turned to her and smiled, waving just a bit.

"Yeah. Welcome to Nova Town," he said, gesturing forth onto the rest of the town. "This is where I was born and raised until I left on my journey with the others. A small quaint little place, I guess. There aren't a lot of Pokémon trainers here…or much of anything, but I guess it's peaceful enough. We've been here since the tournament finished."

"How have the others been?" Clemont asked. Serena nodded, thinking it was a good question, as she started watching Bonnie hugging Emboar and Pikachu, Dedenne and Squishy frolicking around its feet.

"They're good, mostly," Seamus answered. His arms finally unfolded and it allowed Serena to relax a bit. "You want to see them?"

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed, holding out his hand and shaking Seamus' as a way of greeting. The blond smiled and nodded before stepping in front of the group and beginning to walk forward into the proper part of Nova Town.

"Follow me, guys!" he said, waving them all forward. Ash was the first to comply, though Serena certainly wasn't far behind, drawing up to her boyfriend's side and taking his hand as they followed after Seamus. Looking at him as he was moving forward, Serena could see a total change in his demeanor. When they had first met on the evening of the Kalos Team Tournament's preliminaries, he had been cocky, abrasive and just plain insulting. He had continued that demeanor through most of the tournament, until the "debacle" took place and Seamus' outlook entirely changed. He seemed to be embodying that outlook here, and his now friendly Emboar displayed that.

"So, you two are still together?" he asked, tossing his head back slightly to ask it. Ash held both of their hands up.

"Of course we are!" Ash answered with a grin. "I love Serena, so of course we'd still be together."

"How about Bethany and Christopher?" Serena decided to ask. Seamus didn't give a verbal answer, opting instead for a nod to indicate that the other two members of the former Team Brutal were still together, as well. Although, thinking on it, she wondered if they had decided to change their name yet.

"How long are you guys planning to stay in Nova Town?" Seamus asked as they passed by a row of houses. A blond woman was outside one of them further along, watching them as they approached. She had a Drilbur next to her that seemed to be turning some dirt in a garden.

"Not sure," Clemont answered for them. "We were just coming by to rest before we set off for Lumiose City again."

"Lumiose?" Seamus questioned, a slight frown on his face. "That's a long way. Where did you guys come from?"

"Snowbelle City," Ash answered. Seamus' eyes lit up, like he had a very pertinent question, but before he could ask it, the woman that they were approaching called out to him.

"Seamus, what are you up to?" she asked. Her tone was a little sharp, but Serena heard a sort of concern behind it. As they got closer, Serena could make out the woman's facial features and noted that her nose was strikingly similar to Seamus', though her eyes were an entirely different hue.

"Ran into some old friends," he shouted back to her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He also stopped, halting the entire procession through town. The woman stood, dusting her pants off and coming to stand near them. In particular, her eyes seemed to be focused on Ash. Her boyfriend seemed a little uncomfortable with the staring, judging from the way his hand twitched in hers. None of that mattered when the woman smiled and held out a hand.

"You must be Ash Ketchum," she stated happily. Ash, finally seeming to get what was going on, took her hand and shook it with his own smile. "I watched your battle with my son in the Kalos Team Tournament. Really put him in his place."

"Mom," Seamus snapped, and Serena could swear she heard some of his old tone come through. "You mind actually taking my side for once?"

Seamus' mother, as she obviously was, turned her head to look at her son with an apologetic smile. "I do take your side, Seamus. I was still rooting for you through the entire tournament until you attacked Bethany's poor Pokémon like that. I honestly have no idea where you learned to be so horrible to your Pokémon, since neither I nor your father-"

"Can we not talk about this?" Serena's body was tensing over this mother-son showdown and she could even feel how wound up Ash was from watching this. "I don't do that anymore…and you know where."

"Of course…" his mother sighed out, as though she still didn't understand it, but was accepting of it. Instead of continuing the fight, she turned away from her son and to the four of them. "My apologies. I'm Elaine, Seamus' mother."

"Yeah, and about the only researcher in town," Seamus scoffed out jokingly. "You always like to remind people of that."

"Do I? Well, it's no wonder where you get your boastfulness from then, is it?" Elaine joked, elbowing her son playfully. Once Seamus had brushed her away, Elaine looked back to the group. "Why don't you all come in? You must be tired from traveling."

"We wouldn't want to-" Clemont began to say, but Bonnie quickly hopped forward and cut him off.

"Yeah!" she cried, making the group's decision for them. Seamus was shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. Elaine just smiled at all of them and clucked her tongue. The Drilbur stopped digging and readily scampered inside the house. Elaine then turned right around and began to lead them into the dwelling. Bonnie and Clemont were the first to follow in while Ash and Serena hung back a little bit with Seamus.

"My mom, uh…can be a little overbearing," he said apologetically. Ash let go of Serena's hand to place it on Seamus' shoulder.

"Nah. She's just being a mom. Mine's the same," he assured the blond trainer.

"So is mine," Serena assured him. Seamus let off a small chuckle. It was nice, seeing him able to laugh. The Seamus she'd known two months ago would have never done so.

"Well, if you guys are staying in Nova Town for a couple days, why don't you stay here? We've had more than enough room since dad left and it's bound to be better than staying at the Pokémon Center."

"Sounds great!"

"Pika pika!" Serena just nodded and Seamus led them inside. There was still a bit of distance between them when Ash turned to face her with a smile.

"He looks like he's great," he said to her in a lower voice, obviously aware that saying something like that would be rude. "I'm glad he's happier."

"Me too," Serena told him, and the two crossed over the threshold into Seamus' house.

The first thing she noticed was how…normal it all looked. It was decorated with some flowers here and there, but the walls were a regular shade of teal and seafoam that made it appear calming. Down the hallway, Serena noticed a door to an open study with stacks of paper. What drew her attention the most, however, were the pictures on the wall. One of Elaine holding a baby Seamus, one of Seamus with a bloody nose but a smile, and even one of Seamus as he appeared now. Judging by the date, that last one looked like it had been taken after he returned from the Kalos Team Tournament. Moving on, Serena noticed some more pictures of Seamus and his mother. There were even more pictures of Seamus from his childhood: the day he and the others from Team Brutal left on their journey no doubt, a picture of Seamus and (to Serena's immense surprise) Travis, the one who had fought against them during the Ancien Debacle. The final picture she noticed before something else drew her attention was a cute picture of a young Seamus with a young Travis and a little girl, each of them holding a Pokémon: a Tepig, a Cubchoo, and a Zorua respectively. They were all smiling, except for maybe Travis, who looked to be smirking while they all hugged their Pokémon and each other.

"So, Ms. Elaine, what kind of research do you do?" Clemont asked, drawing Serena away from the pictures. He and Bonnie were setting their bags down at the end of the hallway. Serena and Ash were prompted to do the same by his inquiry.

"Ooh, do you research lots of cute Pokémon?" Bonnie piped in, leaning over a nearby table. Elaine let off a rather throaty chuckle.

"Oh, I'm not a Pokémon researcher," she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Bonnie. "I actually study history and folklore."

"That sounds boring…" Bonnie said, Dedenne mimicking her on the top of her head.

"Bonnie, that's not a nice thing to say," Clemont scolded his sister. "What kind of history?"

"The town's history," Seamus answered, leaning on a banister that led up to an obvious second floor. "It's part of the reason we live here. Mom and dad moved from Unova well before I was born to study the stuff here. Dad didn't see the worth in it and left."

"But I'm still fascinated by it!" Elaine said triumphantly. "Anyway, I'll whip up some food. Seamus, why don't you take them on a tour of the town?"

"I was about to before you called me over," her son informed her. Elaine just waved her hand like that was just a bunch of details that didn't matter. Rolling his eyes, Seamus turned back towards the entrance of the house. "Come on, you guys. I've got something cool to show you."

"Yay! Something cool!" Bonnie cheered. Serena made sure to grab the young girl before she could run so far ahead that they'd lose her. Bonnie pouted a little bit at this but allowed Serena to lead her outside after Seamus, the quartet leaving their bags (but not their Pokémon) behind.

"So, Ash," Seamus said as they continued back along the cobblestoned main street, "there was this rumor going around recently that you battled the Champion about a week or two ago."

"Urk," Ash said…well, it was more of a splutter. Serena hid her giggle behind her hand. "Yeah…kinda."

"Rumor had it you almost won…"

"I really wouldn't say that," Ash said and Serena noticed her boyfriend's tone change to a slightly darker one. "I'm sure she could have beaten me. I'm just lucky that I managed to stand a chance."

"Guess we'll have to battle again, then," the blond insisted. "I think I've gotten a little stronger lately. Maybe the result will be different, huh?"

"Sure thing!" Ash said with a triumphant fistpump. Finally, the group had reached the end of the path and come out into the open marketplace. Bonnie dragged Serena forward a little to look at the area. Now that she was here, Serena got a better glimpse of the area.

It was a perfect circle with booths full of people selling fish and meats or vegetables. At other places in the large marketplace were battlefields for trainers to use, though at the moment it seemed like only kids were taking them over, the tiniest of Pokémon going at it with kicks and scratches. In the very center of the area was a beautifully decorated fountain with all kinds of Pokémon making it up. The water was spewing forth from a point that rose upward like a spire or antenna, making it look different from some of the other fountains she was used to. Most strikingly, however, were the four stone archways that were slate gray, each of them at a placement that suggested the cardinal directions.

"Those are the Four Gates," Seamus said, obviously catching her looking at them. "Town superstition says that depending on which gate you go through when you depart for a journey, it will determine your destiny. We have replicas of them at the actual entrance and exits."

"That sounds rather unscientific," Clemont remarked. Seamus tilted his head a little, indicating that he mostly agreed. Serena took a moment, however, to look at those Four Gates. There were little carvings at the top of each arch and it didn't take long to figure out what they meant in relation to the gates: Earth, Fire, Water, Wind.

"It is a rather old superstition. That's part of what mom came here to study."

"Which gate did you go through?" Ash asked. Seamus didn't answer, his eyes seeming to gloss over as he stared into the distance. Serena hadn't thought it possible, but it seemed like this was something he really didn't want to talk about.

"Hey, Seamus! Mom and dad said you and Emboar did a great job with the construction around the house!" called a voice from another street that led into the marketplace. Seamus appeared to snap out of his stupor and turned to face the direction of the voice. Serena and the others turned with him and a smile stretched her face; she really should have seen this reunion coming.

"Bethany! Christopher!" she called out, not sure if the turquoise haired girl and her boyfriend had seen them. Bethany turned her head and smiled as well. Christopher simply opted for a wave.

"It's been a while, guys!" Bethany said, running over and surprising Serena with a hug. "What brings you to Nova Town?"

"Just passing through," Serena answered while Bethany detached herself. "How are you and Christopher doing?"

"We're great!" she announced. Christopher had moved forward and was shaking Ash and Clemont's hands, remaining as silent as ever except for a few words. "The three of us have been helping my mom and dad with their construction business or some of the farmers around the area. It's a different pace than what we're used to, but it's fun enough."

"Three of us?" Clemont questioned, fixing his glasses. "Where's Rocky?"

The question seemed to act like an Ice Beam that froze all three of them in place. Seamus looked a little angry and turned away to glance at a pair of kids battling with a Magby and a Swirlix on one of the battlefields. Bethany also stepped back and let out a sigh. Christopher was the only one who seemed to have any kind of answer.

"He left," the brunet answered, running a hand through his spiky hair. "About three weeks ago he left, saying he was going to find Travis. Hasn't been back since."

Travis. No wonder hearing Rocky's name made them all choke up like that. If Rocky had gone after Travis, it was for one of two reasons: to bring him back or make him pay. Judging from the group's expression, it was likely the latter. After all, just for losing in a tournament, he had decided to try and kill them all to absolve his record. Even to this day, and despite the fact she never even faced him, Serena wasn't sure if her compassionate heart could forgive him for that.

"Ah, enough of this doom and gloom!" Seamus announced. The kids had finished their battle and left the field open. "Let's have a battle! Three on three!"

"Sounds good to me!" Ash exclaimed, grabbing a pokeball from his belt as he and Seamus ran towards the battlefield. Serena met gazes with Bethany and began to laugh. Boys would be boys, after all. "Noivern, I choose you!"

"Let's go, Tangrowth!" Seamus said, sending out the burly Pokémon made of vines. Having never seen it before, Serena quickly looked the Pokémon up in her Pokédex before calling Sylveon out.

"We're going to have a battle, Sylveon," she told her Pokémon. Sylveon pranced around happily and joined her as they stepped onto the battlefield. Next to her, Clemont called out Luxray while Bethany and Christopher called out their Vanilluxe and Crawdaunt respectively. Bonnie ran to the side, apparently deciding to play referee.

"Okay! Battle begin!" she cried out.

"I'll take the first move," Seamus called out. "Tangrowth, use Bind on Sylveon!"

"Noivern, counter that with Boomburst!" Ash called out. Serena looked to see that he had the giddiest of expressions on his face. Noivern zoomed in, practically visible soundwaves firing off at the vines of Tangrowth that were whipping towards Sylveon. They were knocked off course, cracking loudly like whips. Serena decided on that moment to take charge of her part of the battle.

"Sylveon, use a widespread Fairy Wind!" she commanded with a smile. It was still so rare for her to take part in a battle, but being a part of something that her boyfriend loved and enjoyed made her completely willing to do her best. Sylveon's feelers whipped out and spun around before the great blast of wind tinged with pink blasted out. Crawdaunt crossed its pincers, trying to hold its ground against the super-effective technique.

"Tangrowth, anchor yourself into the ground with your vines," Seamus ordered stoically. Tangrowth finished retracting its vines and slammed them into the ground, not moving in the slightest from the attack. "Now, go under the ground and use Power Whip on Sylveon!"

"Luxray, use Electric Terrain!" Clemont commanded. Luxray's entire body started sparking and soon, jolts of electricity shot all around the battlefield, bathing it in a light steam and static. Ash was on the move again as Pikachu cheered next to him.

"Now, Acrobatics on Tangrowth!" Noivern's body glowed blue as it zipped around the field before appearing behind Tangrowth and slamming into it. Tangrowth stumbled forward, its vines ripping out with it.

"No way! Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam on Noivern!" Bethany commanded with a confident grin. Vanilluxe spun around before firing the blue beam straight at the exposed Noivern.

"Sylveon, use Protect!" Sylveon danced forward until it quickly reached Noivern and between its feelers a green shield was erected. The Ice Beam slammed into it, giving a blue glow as the battlefield was peppered with chunks of ice. Sylveon was bracing itself as Noivern faced forward.

"All right, now use Supersonic on Vanilluxe!"

"And Luxray, use Thunder Fang on Crawdaunt!" Clemont yelled. Luxray bounded forward as Noivern sent invisible waves at Vanilluxe that impeded its attack. Luxray's fangs crackled with electricity as it approached Crawdaunt.

"Night Slash." The command was, as usual with Christopher, quick and to the point. Luxray's fangs collided with the purple-glowing pincer, creating a stalemate between the two. Vanilluxe was busy spinning around in confusion, unimpeded. Serena chose to take advantage of that.

"All right, Sylveon, use Swift!" Sylveon danced around and then sent the shining golden stars at the woozy Vanilluxe. They found their mark, sending the giant ice cream cone spiraling.

"Hit that Sylveon with Poison Jab!" Seamus commanded of his Tangrowth. Tangrowth quickly regained its balance, its vines glowing a sickly purple as they lunged for Sylveon.

"Noivern, intercept with Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled triumphantly. Noivern whipped around once more, its claws glowing green as they impacted with the vines. "Come on! Push through it!"

"Don't give an inch!" Serena looked around the battlefield and could see the two stalemates between Luxray and Crawdaunt, and then Noivern and Tangrowth, continuing on. She smiled. This was a triple battle after all.

"Sylveon! Double Team and then Swift!"

"Sylvie!" Sylveon cried out, hunching a little. Seconds later, numerous Sylveon appeared around the area. Once they had reached full saturation, Sylveon whipped her feelers and the golden stars slammed effortlessly into their three opponents. That attack was all the opening that was needed for Noivern and Luxray to finish pushing in on their opponents, delivering a devastating blow that knocked both back.

"You guys are still as good as ever," Seamus chuckled out, "but the battle's just started."

"Noivern and I are ready!" Ash assured him.

"So are we," Clemont said as Luxray jumped back, battle-ready. Sylveon looked back at Serena, the doubles dispersing, and she nodded at her Pokémon. Confirming that Sylveon was okay, she allowed her gaze to shift over to Ash. He looked just as ready as ever, though something about this battle wasn't sitting quite right with her. Shaking the thought, she turned her eyes to her opponents and faced them with the same amount of steel that they held. Seamus stepped forward a little.

"Tangrowth, let's-"

"Hey, everyone!" The yell distracted Seamus and he turned his attention away from the battle. All of them did. A young man, his head wrapped in a bandanna, was running into the marketplace. In the small town, his voice appeared to carry. He stopped short at the entrance, leaning against one of the Four Gates. "You've gotta get to a TV! They're reporting on the summit! This is big!"

"Diantha, you're looking as stunning as ever!"

The Kalos Champion turned her head, a graceful, if ultimately bemused, smile adorning her face. Before her, not unexpectedly, was the large form of flaming hair that was the Champion of Unova.

"And I see you're as…charming, as ever," Diantha commented coolly. Truth be told, she had only met the man once before at last year's annual meeting of League officials. She had been rather unimpressed with him, but as a fellow Champion, she still felt that he demanded her respect. She just wasn't a fan of his need to flirt with beautiful women.

"Charming enough for a dinner, maybe?" Alder said, wiggling his eyebrows a little. Diantha couldn't help it; she chuckled. Before she could answer, though, the Kalos Champion saw a pale hand insert itself between the two of them and push Alder away.

"Come on, Alder, this isn't the time," came a tired sigh. Despite the woman's admonitions, Alder's eyes lit up, eliciting a shaking head from Diantha. He never changed…nor did the woman in front of him, the Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia. "We are here for a summit, not a date."

"But I'm saying after…"

"I'm afraid I don't have time after," Diantha said softly. Alder's face dropped in disappointment. "I have a new film shoot lined up and Kathi Lee feels the need to remind me every five minutes about my itinerary for the next two weeks."

"How about you, Cynthia?"

"Take a seat, Alder. President Goodshow will be starting the summit soon," Cynthia said, pointing to one of the empty chairs in the large conference room. Alder's face drew itself into a pout, like a lost little puppy, but he nevertheless obeyed the Sinnoh Champion, slinking away to take a seat next to a member of the Elite Four from Sinnoh by the name of Aaron. He appeared to try and strike up another conversation, but Aaron appeared too tired to deal with the exuberant Unova Champion and largely ignored him.

"Cynthia, it's been too long," Diantha finally said, turning her attention back to the blonde. Holding out her hand, Cynthia shook it with a smile.

"It has. How have you been?" Cynthia asked as the two moved towards a pair of chairs that were near the high gleaming windows at the location they were at. Taking a brief glance outside them, Diantha could see a rushing waterfall that was obscuring the location, or so she had seen from her helicopter on arrival.

"Busy. Very." Cynthia laughed at the admission. "I had a little time off the other day, and all I was able to do was visit one of the more prominent Gym Leaders in my region and battle a trainer."

"Oh? Last I heard, you weren't taking challenges from trainers," Cynthia commented, taking a seat. Diantha followed, glancing her way down the table. Despite the vast number of chairs in the area, only a little over half of them were filled. It appeared that only herself, Cynthia, and Alder had shown up for the Champions given that Lance was on a mission (or so she heard) and Steven was said to be elsewhere, dealing with something. However, the entire Sinnoh and Unova Elite Four had shown, along with Agatha and Bruno of Kanto, Drake of Hoenn and a few other League officials that she didn't know the name of, barring the president, Charles Goodshow. Her own region's Elite Four hadn't bothered to show up at all.

"I don't usually," Diantha responded finally. "But this one was important."

"Do tell," Cynthia said, peering down at a packet of paper in front of her. Her fingers flipped lightly through it and she shrugged.

"I'd imagine that you'll hear about it here, if they've called the summit for what I think they called it for." Cynthia said nothing and made otherwise no expression. It was a good thing she did as the sound of doors snapping shut was suddenly heard and a loud banging was made on the table. From his seat, Goodshow stood and cleared his throat loudly.

"Let's now convene this League Summit," he called out before sitting back down and turning to a man in a black suit. Diantha recognized him as one of the League Organizers in charge of "damage control" as they called it. Said man stood, drawing all attention to him in the room.

"Champions and elite trainers of the Pokémon League," he began in a rumbling voice, accenting the moustache on his face, "we have called you here for a summit to discuss the current events in Kalos."

Diantha sighed internally; she had a feeling that this was the reason for which they had been called. With the Kalos League quickly approaching, the League was no doubt trying to shore up any and all defenses for it. This was no doubt made worse by the encroaching threat to Kalos and the news of the "Ancien Debacle" from two months ago. Sure enough, the League official was turning to her.

"Champion Diantha, is it true that Gym Leader Olympia of the Anistar Gym has had a vision of most disastrous proportions?" he asked. Diantha looked at her packet briefly, trying to briefly glance over the meeting's outline before answering.

"It is," she answered sternly. This sent a muted muttering around the room. "However, I do believe that our being informed of it in advance gives us a great advantage. The same thing took place in Hoenn just months ago, or so I'm told."

"Are you aware of what is to take part?" asked the Kanto Elite Four member Agatha. Diantha shook her head.

"At the moment, Olympia's visions have been more or less vague," Diantha answered. "The only certain things we know are this: the conflict will revolve around a Legendary Pokémon known as Zygarde; there is an island that has recently been overrun by vines in the Kalos region that we believe were created through Zygarde's power; and we know that Professor Sycamore, as well as Ash Ketchum and his friends will be heavily involved in the upcoming conflict."

"Ash?" Cynthia asked in surprise. Diantha briefly looked at her fellow Champion, herself surprised that Cynthia had even heard of him. Down the table, a man with red hair and an afro leaned back on his chair.

"Ah, well, then we don't have to worry," he said. "Ash is a good guy. He broke Volkner out of his funk, so I'm sure he'd handle anything a crisis throws on him."

"That's not the point, Mr. Flint," the League official said tiredly. "Right now, the issue is the disturbing trend of events that have been occurring around the League."

"A trend, you say?" Cynthia asked. She was now leaning forward, peering sharply down the table. "What do you mean?"

"In the last many years, the League has noticed a disturbing trend of criminal syndicates enacting plans of regional damaging proportions right around the time of the conferences. We're beginning to worry that it may, in fact, affect the League or worse. Now seems to be no different. Just two months ago, we had the Ancien Debacle."

"Is that why this summit has been called?" Diantha asked tersely. "The Ancien Debacle was a near tragedy, no doubt, but the efforts of the trainers there protected the town and everyone in it."

"What if it doesn't next time, though?" Alder asked, displaying a serious demeanor for once. Next to him, Aaron was yawning as a Yanmega landed on his head, chattering away a little. Alder appeared to scoot his chair away for a moment. "If, as is suggested, these situations are growing far more violent and dangerous, then we have much reason to worry. Especially so if Ash has been involved with all of these things."

"You're worrying too much, Alder," Flint said, crossing one leg over the other. "I've said it once and I'll say it again: Ash is a great trainer. I don't know why we're all talking on and on about this. He was at the center of this Ancien Debacle, right? And he won. Throw him at any challenge and he'll overcome it."

"That's true," Diantha commented, drawing the eyes back to her once again. "I battled Ash a couple weeks ago and he almost defeated my Gardevoir. Regardless of what we may think, Ash Ketchum is a trainer in whom we can trust. More than that, he'll be taking part in the Kalos League this year. Any attempt made there can be easily th-"

A sudden blast exploded outward, the windows shattering into tiny glass fragments that scattered inward. Diantha's body flew forward, colliding violently with the table. She fell to the floor as heat washed over her. Blinking a little, she shook her head. The sound of the impacting explosion hadn't even been heard, it had been so sudden. Raising a hand up, Diantha grabbed onto the table to help herself up. On the floor, Cynthia seemed to have hit her head and was passed out.

Another explosion hit, blasting stone upward. Diantha scrabbled for her pokeball and tossed it into the air. "Reflect!"

"Garde!" her ace Pokémon called out, arms thrown wide. A bright blue shield expanded around the table as a piece of rubble made contact. Diantha took this moment to try and pull herself up again, her stomach aching from the collision. Just as she managed to get a better glance at the now destroyed table, a Hyper Beam fired through the window. Gardevoir braced for the strike just as it hit and Diantha felt her heart crying out for her partner. As she did so, she got a brief look at the carnage in the room. Alder was slumped over the table, and Aaron must have disappeared underneath it from the hit. Numerous others of the people there were sprawled around the room.

"Gardevoir, protect the president," Diantha gasped out, clutching at her chest. Her limbs felt heavy, and tired, like she was underneath a gravity field. Her head lifted with immense tension and saw a Medicham, landing slowly upon the floor and she knew: Gravity was being used. Gardevoir couldn't move, either, barely struggling to maintain its Reflect. Medicham stalked slowly forward, an aura building around its body. Once it had gotten close enough, its fist struck forward with insane speed, slamming into Gardevoir and sending it catapulting across the table. "No!"

A new sound met Diantha's ears, sounding like whirring…and the whooshing of wings. Pulling her head up as much as possible, she finally looked through the gaping window. A great black shape was floating there, the waterfall serving as an ominous backdrop. After a few seconds, the figure became clearer as it glided into the room through the window. Under the light of the building, Diantha could see a Salamence, flapping its wings as it landed, and a young individual (or so she presumed) stepping off, their face covered in a mask. The figure said nothing, but just stalked silently forward, their gaze looking back and forth, as though searching. Eventually, the individual's eyes settled on Diantha. When they finally reached her, the person leaned down and lifted her up a little.

"Who…are you?" she asked, though it was more of a wheeze. The masked individual made no acknowledgement of her question. They just reached forward with their other hand and took hold of her necklace…her keystone.

"I need this," the figure breathed, their voice distorted by the mask. With force, they ripped the necklace off, causing Diantha to gasp, almost like she lost a part of herself. The figure then stepped away, back towards their Salamence, walking onto its back once again as it raised into the air. "The age of Team Neo is almost here. Just wait a little longer, Champion."

"I don't think so…Gardevoir, use Moonblast!" Diantha screeched out, straining her vocal cords. From where Gardevoir had landed from Medicham's attack, she floated back up, gathering energy around her body. The man on the Salamence turned, before chuckling a little and snapping. "Now!"

The Moonblast never fired…because another missile rocked the building, sailed through the window and covered the room in exploding flames.

Author's Note: So…what did you think? I wanted to start this story with a giant bang! So, a League calling a summit to discuss the past and encroaching threats was something brewing in my head for a long time, and I really wanted that summit to be outright decimated to cripple the power structure of the League for the moment. I'm so glad I was able to put it in here. On the flip side, of course, we've reintroduced three members of the ex-Team Brutal in Seamus, Bethany and Christopher. Obviously, they'll be playing a big part here. As for anything else, I can't share without spoiling…Needless to say, I think you're all in for a ride.

On that note, I'm very interested in what you all think. Good opening? Bad opening? Are you intrigued? Bored? I'd like to know, especially if you're older readers from "Love in the Time of Teamwork"! So, until the next chapter, please Review, and as always, Dare to Be Silly.