Author's Note: God I hate how this site has such a short character amount for summaries! This is actually the full-length one: In a rash and very sudden decision, Ash returns to Kalos in order to confirm his feelings about a certain blonde inventor. Of course not all goes as planned since Bonnie mistakenly sets Clemont up on a date with someone else and Serena is still pining for Ash. Even so, being separated for several weeks is enough to turn the tides, and Ash is determined not to leave without Clemont again. He poses a question that leaves the teen's mind reeling. "Clemont, will you…?" Diodeshipping! ...So yeah, there you go ;w;

Alright, here we are! I'm finally posting this Diodeshipping fic after like...a year! I wanted to wait until I finished writing it, but seeing as XYZ is going to be done soon, I decided to post it now for everyone who is dreading...the end.

This was originally intended to be a oneshot, but I've written so much that I decided to split it up into multiple chapters because it's so long. Of course it's not finished yet, but it's planned to be pretty short anyway so it won't be as troublesome for me to complete it!

Just to let you know, this is an AU sort of thing—seeing as I started writing it last year there's a couple differences between it and the actual anime. It takes place several weeks after Ash's adventures in Kalos end, so there's that! I won't spoil anymore...

Also, to make things perfectly clear: This was not written to make fun of Amourshippers. For Christ's sake, I adore Serena and I love Amourshipping. So please don't assume that I'm anti-AshXSerena just because I wrote a Diode fic. I've gotten called out so many times because people seem to think that I want Serena to burn in hell and I despise the idea of her being with Ash. That is not the case. So please don't come bug me about that. I've gotten nasty comments so often because people can't keep their hate to themselves, and I'm tired of it /sighs

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Roll the chappy!

The sound of running water could be heard by a certain black-haired trainer as he laid curled up on the couch in his mother's living room. On his lap was a small yellow rodent who was curled up in a similar fashion, ears twitching every now and then but otherwise motionless. The teen was clad in a simple black T-shirt and sweatpants, having long ago abandoned his traveling gear in place of wearing something light and comfortable.

The day was fine and fresh, an everyday privilege the citizens of Pallet Town got to have (except for the occasional rain shower), so the windows were open, letting in a fresh summer breeze into the stuffy house.

A giggle erupted from the front yard, followed by several exclamations of, "Mime, mime!" as Delia watered her garden with loving care. She had been in a fantastic mood for the past few weeks, most likely due to the fact that her son had returned from another journey and, surprisingly, hadn't gone dashing off to another new region as soon as he returned. Well, she supposed it made sense; Ash was sixteen, almost seventeen now, and during his travels in Kalos he'd matured quite a lot, learning to be more patient and to take in the joys of life instead of running ahead and ignoring all of the important things. She wasn't quite sure how he'd become like that...Ash had always been impatient, and to suddenly have him come home all mellowed out? It was quite strange.

She recalled Ash's recount of his adventure, talking about a sweet girl named Serena who had become Kalos Queen, and another little girl named Bonnie who was very skilled with taking care of Pokemon...and then that boy, Clemont, who was a talented Gym Leader and robotics inventor, who was levelheaded and smart, who always calculated things instead of diving in head first. Delia supposed that, perhaps, Ash had picked up the ability to be more lenient from Clemont. Ash had told her that Clemont always managed to keep calm in dangerous situations and form a reliable strategy to get them out of it. He seemed to find that very admirable. She thought it was pretty amusing that, out of his three companions, Ash went on about Clemont the most, proving to her that the Gym Leader had made quite an impact on Ash and that they'd become extremely close during their travels.

Delia definitely owed it to the blonde boy. It was thanks to him that she got to spend more time with her Ash. He wasn't around all the time; most days he'd be at Oak's lab, hanging out with his Pokemon or spending time with Gary, who had taken a bit of time off from his own research to come home and have a little vacation, but she was still grateful.

Ash breathed in deeply, inhaling the scents of summer and his mother's garden. It was good to be back home in Pallet. He'd begun to miss it during his travels. Ash wasn't one for homesickness, but some parts of Kalos nostalgically reminded him of home, and he'd get a strange longing in his chest to see Pallet's rolling green hills and clear blue skies again. But now that he was here, he found that the aching hadn't faded away...it had actually transformed into something entirely different.

He recognized it. It was easy to realize what it was. He felt this way every time he came back home, every time he bid goodbye to his traveling companions and set off again. It was a strange hollow feeling in his chest, like there was something missing. And there was.

He missed them already. Serena, with her bright smile and endless optimism. Bonnie, with her peppy attitude and knack for getting into trouble. And Clemont...

Ash would be lying if he said he didn't miss Clemont the most. He'd never really had a friendship as strong as the one he had with Clemont. Sure, he had all of his friends from the time he was ten until now—Gary, Misty, Brock, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Serena, Bonnie...they were all very dear to him, but there were certain aspects that kept them from becoming as close as he had become with Clemont, like age and gender, for example. Brock, Tracey and Cilan were all a little older than he was, and Max and Bonnie were younger. Of course, Ash had a special place in his heart for the girls too. Misty, May, Dawn, Iris and Serena were all important to him as well. But it was different, being with them. A part of him was always on guard. Females tended to be unpredictable at times, and Ash occasionally felt a little awkward around them, so it was difficult to get especially close. Not that he didn't treasure those friendships any less, of course.

And Gary...Gary was his childhood friend, but their rivalry had created a rift between them that they'd only bridged recently, so Ash wasn't completely comfortable around Gary yet. Ash didn't connect with them all as well as he did with Clemont—with Clemont, he felt the most comfortable, since he was so easy to get along with, and Ash never had a problem with hanging off of him at times. They shared a kinship and appreciation for Pokemon battles that he really didn't have with anyone else. Ash might as well call Clemont his best friend, because, well...that's what he was.

Ash longed to see Clemont again. He missed the jokes shared between them, he missed talking about their equal love and appreciation of science, missed spending nights with him lying under the stars and talking about their future goals or their training progress, whether it be Ash's Kalos League prepping or Clemont's Gym battle improvements. When he thought about the shy yet wickedly smart blonde the ache in his chest only seemed to intensify, and he had to swallow it down before it consumed him.

Pikachu seemed to notice his Trainer's sudden rise in emotion and raised his head, chattering curiously. Ash gave him a halfhearted smile and patted him with a gloveless hand.

"Sorry, buddy. Just thinking about Cle—er, about everybody back in Kalos," he quickly corrected himself. "Funny, I miss them already. Do you?"

Pikachu cooed sadly and nudged his trainer's hand. Ash sighed.

"Yeah, I bet you miss Dedenne a lot, huh?" He murmured. "And Chespin and Braixen and Luxray and...just all of them!"

Pikachu nodded his head in agreement. "Pika!"

Ash stared up at the ceiling with a frown, lapsing into deep thought. Yet again, a new region had been discovered not too far away from Hoenn, begging for him to come explore. But this time, unlike all the other times, he wasn't really feeling up to it. Going on another journey and meeting new people and Pokemon sounded really tempting, but...

It wasn't like he was in any hurry. His newest adventure would still be waiting for him even if he waited a day or two. Or a week. Or a couple months.

Face set, Ash rose to his feet. He didn't want to deal with the aching anymore.

Pikachu climbed onto his trainer's shoulder, nose twitching. "Pika?"

Ash gave him a smile. "C'mon, Pikachu. Let's go see Professor Oak."

He pulled on his battered sneakers that he'd worn during his travels and threw open the front door, calling out, "Mom! I'm going back to Kalos!"

Delia let out a surprised shriek, nearly spilling out the contents of her watering can. "Wh-what?!"

Mr. Mime waved his hands about frantically, in as much shock as his trainer. "Mime, miime?!"

Even Pikachu looked startled, beady eyes wide.

Delia managed to compose herself and blinked at her son, who had an expression of utmost determination. It was quite the familiar sight.

"You want to go back to Kalos, sweetheart? But why?" She asked, setting her watering can aside for the moment.

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. I just feel like going. It'll be nice to see everyone again, don't you think?"

"But dear, what about that new region? I was almost positive you'd go charging off there the moment you got back," Delia chuckled.

Again, Ash shrugged his shoulders. "That can wait. For now, I just want to see how everyone's doing."

Delia couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It's only been a few weeks, Ash. I'm sure not much has changed since you left."

Ash's cheeks turned bright pink at this, much to her delight. It was very rare to catch Ash off guard, let alone embarrass him. "Mom! Of course it has! For all I know, Clemont could've created something amazing! I don't want to miss out on his inventions."

Delia stared at him for a moment, hiding a knowing smile at the mention of Clemont, and then she released a sigh. Well, Ash couldn't stay home forever. It was fun while it lasted.

"Alright, dear. But how do you plan to get there?"

Ash pursed his lips in thought. "I'm sure there's some kind of transportation to get myself there."

Delia rolled her eyes. Maybe Ash hadn't changed that much. He still didn't plan ahead. "Well, honey, I'm not going to stop you from going. But at least say goodbye to Professor Oak and Gary before you leave."

"I was gonna go over there anyway," Ash said, walking towards the front gate. "I'm gonna pick up all my Kalos Pokemon so that they can hang out with all of their friends there."

"Well, hurry back soon," Delia said, preparing herself to resume her gardening. "I'll pack you some clothes and then we can eat lunch before you go."

Ash gave her a brilliant grin. "Thanks, Mom!"

She merely waved as he opened the gate and sped down the road, trembling with excitement.

She rested her head in the palm of her hand and exhaled softly. "What to do about that boy..."

"Professor? Professor, are you here?" Ash called out as he stepped into the seemingly empty lab. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and ran straight for the back door, wanting to visit his friends.

"Ash?"

Ash glanced over to see an exhausted looking Gary, who was still dressed in his pajamas.

"Whaddya want? 'S too early..." Gary yawned, running his fingers through his chocolate brown locks, giving him even more of a bedhead.

Ash let out a snort of laughter. "Gary, it's already 11:30."

Gary smiled in return, white teeth flashing. "Damn, I woke up too early!" The boys burst into giggles at this.

"How can you sleep in so late? I'm not a morning person, but sleeping in past 11? That's, like, already half of your day gone!" Ash accused, eyes shining in amusement.

"Hey, when you're a Pokemon Researcher like me and you have to pull all-nighters constantly to get work done, sleep becomes the most important thing in the world," Gary told him, crossing his arms. "Don't tell me how to have my own vacation, Ashy-boy."

Ash raised his palms in defense. "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, where's the Professor?"

"Gramps? Oh, he's probably out making his morning rounds, checking on the Pokemon. Come on, Ash, you've known him for how long? You should have it down by now," Gary teased.

Ash stuck his tongue out at him. "Yeah, whatever! I guess I'll have to wait until he gets back, then..."

Gary gave him another one of those flattering grins that would make any girl jealous. "So, I was thinkin' we could have a battle later. For old time's sake."

Ash winced at this. Oh, it was so extremely tempting, but...no. Kalos, Ash, Kalos! "Ah, sorry, but...I can't stay. I'm leaving for Kalos this afternoon."

At this statement, Gary's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Kalos? Wait, what? I thought you'd be going to that new region...Alola."

Ash puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. Was he really that predictable? "Nah. I'll get over there eventually, but for now I really wanna go back to Kalos and see some friends."

Gary shook his head at him, looking mystified. "Ash Ketchum, not going on to his next adventure right away? I must be dreaming."

""Don't tell me how to have my own vacation", Gar Bear." Ash smirked, watching in satisfaction as Gary's cheeks flushed.

"Very funny," Gary sneered, arrogant attitude showing itself. "Anyway, didn't you just come back from Kalos a couple weeks ago? Why do you want to go back already? I thought you might pay a visit to Johto or Sinnoh or something."

This time it was Ash's turn to blush. "What, I can't have the liberty to visit some friends?"

"Yeah, but you literally saw them not too long ago," Gary pointed out, frowning. "It just doesn't make much sense."

Ash's cheeks only turned redder. One thing he really disliked about Gary was that he always had to be so damn logical and perceptive. The traits that came with being a researcher, he supposed. So what if he only saw them three weeks ago?! He missed them, and he wanted to see them again!

"Whatever, you wouldn't get it," Ash mumbled, turning away. Gary caught his wrist before he could make it out the back door.

"Hey, hey," Gary cut in, "I'm not makin' fun of you or anything. You can do whatever you want to do. I was just curious, that's all."

Ash relaxed and shot the taller teen a smile. "Thanks."

Gary nodded. "Yeah. So you're leaving today? Damn, Ashy-boy, you could've given me a heads up."

"Sorry!" Ash apologized. "I kinda just decided, like, twenty minutes ago."

Gary released his wrist and smiled fondly. "Well, that sounds like you. How're you gonna get there, genius?"

Ash immediately turned to face him and gave him his best Snubbull face. "Help me?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Arceus, do I have to do everything for you?" He looked off to the side, contemplating. "I might be able to get you on the plane if I call ahead first..."

Ash grinned widely. "Thanks, Gary! You're the bestest!"

"Bestest isn't a word, you moron," Gary snorted. "Go get Gramps and grab your Pokemon, I'll call over to Saffron and see if I can get you on the plane for free. If I can't do it, I'll have Gramps do it."

"'Kaaaaay!" Ash cheered, running out the back door.

Gary let out another loud yawn. "I swear, if I didn't look out for him, he'd be lost in some back alley in Castelia."

And there's chapter one! Or rather, the prologue! Sorry it's so short, I swear the next chapter (which focuses on Clemont) is way longer. So please be patient with me and I'l try to get it done ASAP!

Palletshipping is one of my favorite ships besides Diode so I just had to have Gary make an appearance ;D

Oh, and if you all were wondering what the title means...I won't say just yet, since it's sort of a spoiler. You can go ahead and translate it if you want! (Also I apologize if the translation is incorrect. I used several sources but sometimes it's just hard to tell with languages I'm not fluent in...)

Please R&R! Until next time...!