Hello! Welcome to my first Pokémon oneshot! To all who know me, welcome back! Yes, this is a follow-up to "Love in the Time of Teamwork", taking place in the same AU but taking place between XYZ 18 and 19. You don't need to read that to enjoy this, but if you want to, feel free and be sure to leave a review! Anyway, let's get into it!

Author: Epicocity

Rating: K

Pairings: Amourshipping, naturally. Also, implied Insectivore/Sticksandstones…whatever the Braixen/Greninja pairing is these days.

DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Pokémon. That should have been obvious.

Firsts, Fans and Failures

An Amourshipping Oneshot

Bonnie, Ash decided, was going to kill him someday.

Sure, she looked sweet and innocent, and he supposed that she was…but then there were those moments when she got a sparkle in her eye and it spelled doom for at least one member of their party. Usually, Ash had been able to avoid being the target of that rather mischievous sparkle, as Clemont and (as he had learned) Serena were usually the ones affected. Today was the end of that avoidance streak.

It all started with an innocuous question from the lemon-blonde.

"So, when are you guys gonna go on your first date?"

"Wha?" Ash spat, a sandwich halfway to his mouth. Next to him, Serena was choking on a glass of juice, which he hadn't thought was possible. Reaching over kindly, Ash rubbed his hand on her back in circles until she managed to get it down. She was completely flushed as she swallowed, and even Ash felt his own face heating up a little. What kind of question had that been?

"Bonnie, that's not an appropriate topic for the lunch table," Clemont whined, or scolded, his little sister. On the table, Pikachu was swiveling his head back and forth between Bonnie, Ash and Serena. Eventually, his best buddy decided he liked his ketchup more and resumed licking it off his paws, leaving Ash to fend for himself against Bonnie's grin.

"Ash and I are…" Serena said, not really saying much considering her lips were beginning to flounder uselessly.

"You guys have been together for a while, right?" Bonnie asked, that sly smile not leaving her lips. Oh, Ash was sure he was heading for an execution. Hoping to get away from the topic of whatever Bonnie was trying to imply, Ash stood up from his booth in the Pokémon Center.

"Um…" he said, trying to think of a way to get out of there and the stifling embarrassment. His gaze looked over at Serena, who nodded a little at him, like she shared the same need. "I've gotta go train! That eighth badge isn't gonna win itself!"

"And I need to make sure I'm ready for the Master Class," Serena insisted with an emphatic nod of her head. Her blush seemed to be fading from her cheeks. Bonnie started to stand, as well.

"Oh, then I'll go watch you guys train!" Bonnie cheered, but Ash could still see the wicked little grin and glint. Thankfully, Clemont had his head on his shoulders and he jerked Bonnie right back down.

"Oh, no, Bonnie. You're not going anywhere until you finish your carrots," Clemont said. Bonnie turned to him with an angry pout. Clemont wasn't budging, however.

"You're such a party pooper, Clemont!" Bonnie whined. To make her point, Bonnie whirled around and faced towards her uneaten plate of carrots with a humph. Clemont looked to both Serena and Ash and the raven-haired trainer breathed; it was nice to see that Clemont was giving them space. With that decision made, he turned to all of his Pokémon.

"All right, guys! Let's go train!" Shoving as much food into their mouths as they could, his team all cheered wildly and made a rush for the battlefield outside the Center. Behind him, Ash could see Serena leading her own Pokémon to the outside. Adjusting his hat a little, Ash smiled and broke out into the fresh air, happy that Bonnie was being held back. While his Pokémon continued forward, Ash hung back by the Center exit as Braixen led the group of Serena's Pokémon. Serena turned out to be last one out and she was caught by Ash's hands joining with hers.

"Hey," Ash said with a nervous grin. She smiled back with the same amount of nervous energy. It had only been a couple weeks or so since he'd both realized and confessed his love for her on that balcony beneath the fireworks, but having absolutely no knowledge of love before this, he was still unsure on how to proceed. Turned out, Serena sort of felt the same way.

"Shouldn't you be getting to training?" Serena said sweetly. Ash nodded, disconnecting his hand from hers. He didn't like losing the sense of warmth, but with his mind turning towards training, he didn't bemoan the loss very long. Running onto the battlefield, Ash noticed all of his Pokémon already tossing moves at one another. They were doing pretty great on their own, with Noivern holding his own against even Greninja. Ash was about to call them to order when Serena's voice stopped him again. "Ash…when are we going to go on our first date?"

"Um…" Ash had no response as he turned around…catching a brief moment of Greninja being distracted enough to get hit by a Boomburst. Ash did a double take to make sure his Pokémon was okay, and once he had he turned back to his girlfriend. Girlfriend…he liked calling Serena that, even if he still didn't fully understand all of the connotations of it. He knew he loved Serena, and he wanted to make her happy. It seemed going on a date would be one of those things.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to…We can talk about it later," Serena said, nodding her head. It almost looked like she was trying to convince herself of this decision. Apparently having made some decision, Serena walked out onto the battlefield. Ash sighed and reached over, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him.

"Serena…We could go on one tonight," Ash said, trying to be kind. Inside, he was absolutely confused. He knew nothing about going on a date, but he could figure out what was involved, more or less, on his own. Truthfully, he had been avoiding the word "date" like the plague. Wasn't it enough for him and Serena to spend time lots of time together? Apparently not. But Serena had waited weeks to bring up the subject of a date in the first place, so Ash figured it would just be cowardice to avoid it now.

"Ash, I don't want to force you to do something that you're-"

"I want to take you on a date, Serena," Ash said, pumping his fist to show how fired up he was. Her eyes softened a little and she smiled again. "I love you, remember? Of course…I don't know how to give a very good date…"

"That's okay, Ash," Serena said. "As long as we have fun, that's what matters, right?"

"Yeah!" Ash said, now pumping his other fist. "Okay, why don't we meet in front of the Center at six tonight?"

"Sounds good." That settled, Ash turned back to his team, all of them staring at him in anticipation. Clearly there wasn't going to be any training today, but Ash didn't mind too much. Serena and her Pokémon were also not training, each of them heading back inside the Center. Regardless, Ash finished approaching his friends and partners and they all stood before him at attention, Pikachu at the front.

"Okay, guys, for now we gotta put off training," Ash said. Each of them nodded, like they understood exactly why Ash was making this decision. "Today we're gonna do something different by making an awesome date for me to take Serena on."

"Lucha haw?" Hawlucha asked, tilting his head in confusion. Ash scratched the back of his own.

"What's a date? Hmmm…." Ash said. His hand dropped and he folded his arms while he tried to think of it. Now that he was thinking about it, Ash realized that he didn't really know what a "date" was. All he knew was what Brock had droned on and on about during their journeys together. From what he had said a date usually involved a night out on the town with a lovely lady on your arm culminating in a dinner under the stars and a kiss good night. That all sounded a little boring to Ash, but maybe Serena was the kind of girl who liked that stuff? "Buddy, why don't you explain it."

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed, almost falling over a little comically. Ash just laughed nervously and sat down on the ground, his chin on his hand while Pikachu started gesticulating wildly to his partners.

A date, huh? Ash mused, this single thought line consuming his brain. Usually, his mind was taken up by three needs: the need to train, the need to sleep, the need to eat. Only when he and Serena had gotten together had a fourth need been entered in, and it was the need to make her happy. To make her happy, he needed to take her on a good date.

"Pikapi…Pikachu pika," Pikachu told him, scrambling up his side and onto his shoulder. Ash turned his head and noticed his best friend pumping his fist positively.

"Right! I just need to treat this like a Pokémon battle and overcome any obstacle!" Ash exclaimed. His other friends all cheered, indicating that they were willing to help Ash put on the best date Serena would ever have. For a brief moment, Ash thought back to all the time he'd spent with Serena, either one-on-one or in a group, thinking of things she'd enjoy. The list quickly grew too large to keep in his head and Ash stood to run back into the Center. "Hold on, just a minute, guys."

Hearing some confused murmurs from the team behind him, Ash dashed back into the Center and past a rather bemused Bonnie. Nurse Joy was his first stop, though she appeared to be checking over an injured Marill, and was unavailable. Bonnie was apparently taking this opportunity to tease Ash mercilessly while Clemont was indisposed by Chespin. "Soooo, what did you and Serena talk about?"

"I'm taking Serena on a date tonight," Ash answered confidently. He saw no need to deny it, not when the prospect of making her happy made him happy. Bonnie clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"Yay! Bonnie is happy!" Bonnie cried out, strangely slipping into talking in third-person. "Make sure you give her a good time. I'll be watching you…"

Ash chuckled nervously, not sure exactly what to take from Bonnie's comment. Though from the way she and the others had interrupted he and Serena confessing to each other, it really could have gone any number of ways. Ash turned back around to see Nurse Joy walking back over while Wigglytuff rolled the Marill to the back.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, do you have a pen and some paper?" Ash asked. Nurse Joy smiled at him and reached underneath the desk to give Ash what he asked. Offering the nurse a grateful grin, Ash sped back out towards his Pokémon who seemed to be playing some sort of playground game while they waited for their trainer. "Okay, guys! We're gonna make a list of all the things that Serena likes and make the best date she'll ever have!"

"Ninja!" Greninja cheered, himself fist pumping with enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit, Greninja!" Ash said, dragging a chair from the nearby porch to sit in front of his team. From there, the six of them began to come up with as many ideas as possible. True, Ash couldn't understand exactly what his Pokémon were saying, but by the end he understood well enough to have created a list.

Things Serena Likes

1) Fashion

2) Pokémon

3) Baking

4) Performances

5) Pokévision

"You should add yourself to that list…" Bonnie teased from behind him. Ash jerked and suddenly realized that Bonnie was practically leaning over his shoulder. Ash wanted to scream inside, but he didn't. She just wasn't giving up, was she?

"Bonnie, how many times have I told you not to walk away from Dedenne when he's having a stomachache," Clemont scolded from the door. Bonnie turned sheepishly toward her brother before she was yanked back by the Aipom Arm. Ash was just a little grateful, because as he looked down at his list, he realized just how hard it was to come up with a great list of things for Serena and him to do…and that was without Bonnie interfering every five minutes.

"Lucha!" Hawlucha suddenly exclaimed and Ash turned to watch the Fighting type do some sudden flips through the air, only to land on Talonflame's back with a pose. "Lucha Hawlucha ha ha!"

"Uh…I don't get it…" Ash laughed out. Hawlucha looked a little disappointed and lowered his arms. Pikachu sighed and tugged at Ash's sleeve.

"Pikapi…pikachu pika!" Pikachu insisted. Ash's brow was still furrowed in confusion to what Pikachu was implying. Then his best buddy stepped back and spun around on the ground, using his tail to help him spin like he was doing a Counter Shield, until he used his tail in a different way to bound upwards. His tail glowed white hot and slammed onto Hawlucha, who blocked it with a Karate Chop as the two got in each other's faces with challenging grins. The intention slammed into Ash's brain.

"You guys want to put a show on for Serena? Like a play?"

"Ninja!" Greninja seemed to confirm with a nod and a folding of his arms. Ash tapped the pen to his chin, contemplating it. It was certainly an idea, and something different. Pikachu and the others could put on something similar to a performance, only scripted like a battle. It would serve as both training and an entertaining show. If Ash was lucky, he could find some kind of seamstress in town that could make or have costumes for them. So, Ash could take Serena to dinner in a restaurant (they'd passed by a few nice ones on their way into town), and then find a great venue for the show…maybe they could even film it with one of Clemont's cameras. Then again, Ash wanted her to have a good time, and despite how amazing science was, the possibility of an explosion wasn't the definition of a good time.

"All right…we've got a lot of work to do before six tonight!" His entire team cheered loudly. This may have been an entirely new experience for him, but Ash wasn't going to give up until Serena would be happy with tonight's events.

Six came a lot sooner than Ash would have liked it to. He had severely underestimated how long it would take to do some of the things on his list. None of this was helped along by Bonnie asking if she could help. After the fourth or fifth time, Ash finally relented, realizing he wasn't going to get very far on his own. Unfortunately, this choice also happened to rope Clemont into everything.

"Bonnie, this is their date," Clemont chastised her with a frown. Bonnie pouted at him.

"Clemont, this is for the good of the group!" Bonnie said, now placing her hands on her hips. "If Serena's happy, then Ash will be happy, which will make me happy. Do you want to be the only one not happy?"

"Fine, Bonnie, but just this once," Clemont insisted. That seemed to settle their discussion and Clemont decided to pull out his rarely used script writing expertise to craft what Ash thought was a good show. While Bonnie agreed to help his team rehearse, Greninja seemed to want to accompany Ash on the town for the rest of his errands. Pikachu stuck behind to help rehearse the show smoothly. On their way out, they happened to run into Serena, who had been out buying baking materials with her Pokémon.

"You guys are all looking busy," she commented with a smile, heaving a sack of flour in her arms. "You don't have to put this much effort in, Ash."

"Come on, Serena, you know me!" Ash said. Next to him, Greninja was taking a heavy bag of sugars from Braixen, who was looking away pointedly. Serena adjusted the sack of flour and her tablet shifted on it a little, giving Ash a quick glance at it. "I go into everything with one hundred percent! Just you wait!"

"Looking forward to it!" Serena called out, but Ash had already clapped her on the shoulder and was on his way out of the Pokémon Center. Greninja wasn't far behind him as they turned down the street towards where Nurse Joy had informed him the town seamstress was.

"Hey, Greninja, where do you think Serena would want to eat for dinner?" Ash asked. He felt a little embarrassed; he had been traveling with Serena for months, yet besides baked goods, he could hardly say what her favorite foods were because they usually ate what they could on the road.

"Ninja," Greninja said with a shrug of his shoulders. Ash's feet slowed and his face creased into a frown. There had been something on the tablet screen when he gotten a peek at it. Coming to a stop, Ash folded his arms and tried to think about what he saw on the screen. He quickly realized it was a restaurant with an open-air café.

"That could work…Let's go!" And from there, Ash had decided on the very first part of their date. The rest of his preparations then went smoothly, more or less. He found the shop where the seamstress was and she promised that she had some costumes for their play that he could use and could deliver them to the Center. She also told him of a major clothes shopping district in the town with a little wink. Ash just rubbed his nose at what she was implying; it was almost like she knew despite Ash not saying anything.

By the time he'd returned to the Center, only half an hour was left before the set time of six and Bonnie was pulling on him. "Ow, hey, Bonnie, what're you-"

"If this is a date, you need to look nice," Bonnie insisted. Dedenne nodded emphatically, like he was agreeing with her. "You need to take a shower, and since both you and Clemont can barely dress yourselves in the morning, then let me take care of the wardrobe!"

Ash wanted to protest, but with Bonnie shoving him into the bathroom and apparently placing a chair outside it, he knew he'd have no other choice. So, Ash followed her instructions. When he got out, he was surprised to find the chair gone and a set of clothes on the bed in their shared room. Where Bonnie had gotten the clothes from, Ash had no idea, but then he thought about it and realized Bonnie probably brought fancy clothes for Clemont in case any girl took her up on her offers. Shrugging about the strange coincidence, Ash dressed in the nice collared shirt and pants. He felt strange without his hat, but he'd not worn his hat so many times when he was with Serena that he could disregard that.

With all of that set, Pikachu came skittering into the room wearing a rather dashing costume befitting a knight of olden times. Ash almost laughed on seeing it, but didn't when his best buddy crawled up to his shoulder. "Pikapi, chu chu pika pika."

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Ash said with another fist pump. He was starting to feel like he was doing them just to help convince himself. "You guys are ready, too, right?"

"Pika!"

"All right, then, buddy. Wish me luck!" Ash said, nuzzling Pikachu just a little before the electric mouse hopped off his shoulder. Ash took in a deep breath and smiled. It was strange to think that he was actually going on a date, after all the teasing that had been done behind his back about how dense he was. Of course, he realized he clearly was dense if he couldn't see that Serena had been in love with him for this long. But now that he knew, and felt the same way, he felt like no one could call him dense anymore. His first step was giving Serena a great date (even if it was on short notice).

Sticking his hands back in his pockets, Ash walked out of the room to the entrance of the Center. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bonnie flitting around the corner with Dedenne. Ash shook his head and turned his head towards the doors, where Serena appeared to be waiting. He slowed his walk, almost mesmerized, and he couldn't even figure out why. Serena had been in dresses around him along with her Showcase outfits, and while he thought she was beautiful in all of those (heck, he thought she looked beautiful in her usual clothes) there was something about the simplicity of what she was wearing now that astonished him.

It was a light blue sundress with little pink ribbons and stitching running along its sides and the hem, outlining it with just a slight blush of color. She was also wearing sandals and topped it off by having the ribbon he had given her tied in her hair in a bow. It was a nice accent, and Ash had to wonder if she had made the dress herself (given her skills) or if she had bought it in anticipation for this very moment. Swallowing a little and smiling, Ash approached his girlfriend. She heard him approaching and she smiled right back.

"Ready to go?" Ash asked, reaching his hand out. She took it with that same smile and Ash tightened around it. Something about Serena's hand in his was always so comforting and made him burn brightly inside. "You look great."

"Thanks, Ash. You look nice, too. Did Bonnie pick it out?" she asked with a giggle behind her lips. Ash turned to her in surprise as they walked out of the Center. Ash noticed her Pokémon were all playing around with Bonnie.

"How did you know?"

"Girls talk, Ash," Serena said with a little wink at Ash. "And Bonnie is always more than happy to talk."

"Man…I don't think I'll ever fully get girls," Ash moaned out.

"That's not true. I think you understand me, so I'm sure we'll have a great time tonight!" Serena said. She let go of his hand now to run out onto the sidewalk. Ash picked up the pace to get close to her side, though they didn't join hands again quite yet. "Where to first, Ash?"

"Let's get some food!" Ash exclaimed. He was quite hungry, having not eaten since lunch to do everything that needed to be done. "I found a restaurant in town that we could go to."

"Sounds great," Serena chirped, continuing to keep in step with him. Ash turned his head as they walked and noticed that his girlfriend's cheeks were dusted pink, but she looked so happy, her eyes sparkling like the ocean, that he felt it suited her. Ash blinked a little. When did he start thinking so descriptively of Serena…or anyone for that matter? Maybe Serena was changing him for the better. Soon, the restaurant came into view (he was just glad it was so close to the Center, so he couldn't get lost). "Oh, this is Café du Soir! I read about it in the guide book. It supposedly serves some really great omelets."

"That sounds awesome…" Ash said, his mouth practically drooling. He was able to pull himself together as they approached the hostess. "Hi, we'd like a table for two, on the terrace please."

"I'm sorry, all our terrace tables are taken. Did you have a reservation?"

"Reservation?" Ash said, his face drawn into one of confusion. "No, I didn't think…"

"We do have a table, but it isn't very preferable for a dating atmosphere," the hostess told him, lowering her glasses on her nose just a little bit. She also clutched a pair of menus tighter as Ash hung his head. Out of all the things he hadn't thought about…why did a reservation have to be one of them? This was not a good way to start the evening.

"It's okay. We'll take it," Serena assured the hostess. Ash looked over to her, a little surprised.

"Are you sure?" Serena turned back to him again with that brilliant smile and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. She was blushing bright red but didn't stop grinning.

"It doesn't matter where we sit," she told him. The hostess nodded at her decision and jerked her head to indicate they should follow her. Serena reached out again and they once more joined hands to follow the woman through the bustling restaurant to a table in the middle of a sea of other tables. The hostess had been right: they were right in the middle of so many other groups, he'd be surprised if they could hear each other speak.

"Please enjoy your meal." The hostess was gone as soon as she'd handed over the menus. Ash moved to sit, but stopped halfway to sitting down as Brock's voice played in his head. Ash, you've gotta pull the chair out for the lady. Why? Because it shows you care about her! He didn't understand how exactly it showed that, but he knew it was probably for a similar reason that he liked helping Serena across rocks or logs in forests. Realizing this, Ash skirted around and moved the chair as best as he could in the crowded area. Serena thanked him and took a seat, which Ash pushed in before taking his own.

"Looks like a lot of breakfast food…" Ash said, scrutinizing the menu when he had a chance. "What are you gonna have?"

"I'll probably just have the special. You?"

"Sounds good to me." Really, Ash just didn't understand half the menu or why breakfast was being served for dinner. The waiter came by and asked for their orders. Still lost in the haze of the menu, Ash heard Serena order for the both of them, only jerked out of his focusing by his menu being taken away. "So…what did you buy in town today?"

"Just some more baking materials. I'm thinking of trying a new recipe sometime soon. You'll try it right?" Serena asked.

"Of course I'll try it! Your sweets are the best," Ash assured her. Serena smiled softly and reached for her water, only to be bumped into from behind by a bustling waiter. She pitched forward and knocked the water over, the liquid spreading across the whole table. She quickly righted it.

"That was close…" Serena giggled out. "Good thing it didn't spill on us, huh?" Her giggling soon turned into a full-on laughing fit that even Ash couldn't stop himself from getting in on. This was a good thing. At least she was laughing.

Or she was, until a nearby waiter tripped with someone's order and the eggs benedict on the tray went flying upward. They practically moved in slow motion and Ash's eyes tracked them, almost like an attack in a Pokémon battle before they splattered all over them and some of the other surrounding tables. Ash felt one of them slide down his nose and into his lap. He blinked and noticed that Serena had them all over her hair, and she was grabbing a nearby napkin.

"I'm sorry…so sorry…" the waiter was apologizing profusely to all the customers. Serena hardly reacted, though she did take the ribbon out of her hair and frowned at it.

"It's dirty…" she said sadly. Ash wasn't sure what to say. Considering that Serena wore the ribbon he'd given her every day, he knew it was important to her, but to hear her say that with such sadness made him sad, too.

"Do you want to go?" Ash asked. "I'm sure having egg in your hair can't be fun."

"But aren't you hungry?" Serena asked worriedly, trying to wipe the eggs off the ribbon. Ash stood and held his hand out to her.

"Sure I am, but it looks more like we'll get more food on us than in our stomachs," Ash admitted. Serena nodded and took his hand, the two wheeling their way through the mess of tables and dodging waiters. The hostess didn't say a thing to them as they departed. When they were outside, Serena finished cleaning the ribbon off, along with her hair. She missed a small piece of egg and Ash reached up to remove it from her hair.

"Thanks," she responded, her body sagging a little. Ash had to stop his from doing so. He was really screwing this up. So much for a great first date. "So, where to next?"

"Um…I heard there's some…great stores in the shopping district?"

"Who are you and where is Ash Ketchum?" Serena laughed out. "You never like it when we go shopping."

"Because I'd rather be training, of course," Ash told her simply, setting off for the shopping district (per the directions given to him). "But tonight's our first date, so I'm willing to go shopping for a little bit!"

"Thanks, Ash," Serena replied enthusiastically, her eyes shining. She grabbed his wrist and began pulling him forward, though not too quickly, as they made their way through the town. Ash caught on to the pace and stopped being dragged along. At the same time, he noticed a flash of a different green in the bushes ahead of them…along with a hint of orange and lemon yellow combined with pink.

Ash's eyes narrowed. People usually didn't think of him as perceptive, especially when he fell for Team Rocket's disguises practically every other day. Bonnie was hardly being subtle, though. Sure, she camouflaged her face with a green sack, but the rest of her ninja clothes sort of stood out in the bushes. He really wasn't surprised, but he was surprised Clemont wasn't anywhere nearby. Shrugging to himself, however, Ash decided to ignore it…until she opened her mouth.

"You two should kiss!" she yelled out. Serena whipped around, a blush on her face, trying to find who had said it. She wasn't the only one; almost every person on the street was looking for the source of the voice.

"Is that…?" Serena questioned, her own gaze now narrowing. Ash chuckled a little and shook his head, taking Serena's hand tighter in his as they continued on, trying to ignore the stares now on them. He also picked up the pace, hoping it would be enough to elude Bonnie. As they rounded a corner, it turned out he didn't need to, since Bonnie was on one knee, proposing to a store clerk for Clemont. That Aipom Arm shot out faster than Ash could blink.

Finally, they had reached the shopping district, and Ash thought they could relax a moment, even if Serena's eyes were gushing with enthusiasm. That assumption proved dead wrong.

"I can't believe it…you're Serena of Vaniville Town!" cried a voice to the left of them. Ash turned his head in tandem with his girlfriend's and he saw a brunette girl, roughly their age, approach Serena, a pen and pad of paper in her hand. "You won the Dendemille Town Showcase and were on the winning team in the Kalos Team Tournament!"

"Um…yeah…I did," Serena laughed out.

"You're so amazing…Lizzie, it's Serena from the Showcases!" called the girl, summoning a teal-haired girl that looked at Serena with eyes just as wide and sparkling. Apparently that declaration was enough to call a whole crowd over to them.

It started with just those two fans, but it soon became a whole crowd of them, and Ash found himself separated from Serena, not even their tightly clasped hands keeping them together. The sea of spectators and supposed fans drove Ash to the side and had him take a seat on a nearby bench. He'd no idea that Serena was so popular with the masses. Well, it made sense, sort of. She certainly won his heart, said by his friends to be the densest heart in the land, but he wanted tonight to be about just them. Or, that was what he thought Serena wanted.

"Hey, you're Ash Ketchum, right?" said the same girl that had first interrupted them. "Oh my gosh…you're here, too. It's like meeting celebrities!"

"Celebrities?" Ash questioned with a little amusement. "I wouldn't say that…"

"Don't be modest! Your tag battle and those final battles on the last day of the Kalos Team Tournament were fantastic. I couldn't look away from the screen."

"My Pokémon deserve all the credit…for those wins…" Ash frowned. The final day's battle, huh? Thinking on it always brought up what took place afterwards. He had to wonder where she was…if she had found peace.

"Ash? Are you okay?" Serena suddenly called, having trudged through the sea of fans to reach her boyfriend's side. She reached a hand out and placed it on his face, drawing him out of the uncharacteristic reverie.

"Yeah…just remembering the tournament," Ash said, affixing a smile back to his face. Serena gave her own sad smile, understanding just what he meant. The girl, who he still didn't know the name of, gave off a gasp.

"Wait, you two know each other?" she said in shock. The couple turned to her and nodded.

"Of course we do!" Ash told her. "We were on the same team after all. And we've been together for months."

"Well, not together together…not for months, at least," Serena admitted, her face flushing that cute pink hue again. The girl dropped her pen and pad.

"No…freaking…way…" she said, her mouth gaping like she'd been hit over the head. "You two are together? Liz, get a load of this! Serena and Ash Ketchum are together!"

If Ash had wanted anyone but his close friends to find out about his and Serena's fledgling relationship, this was not the way he wanted to do it. Her voice was like a Screech or a Supersonic, calling the crowd back over like a swarm of ornery Beedrill. Serena was pitched to the side and Ash stood, grabbing onto her shoulders so she didn't fall over. They were pressed together now by the crowd that was far too interested in their personal life.

"How long have you been together?"

"When did this happen?"

"Hey…I know that guy! Yeah, he was involved in that situation at Ancien City a couple weeks ago." Ash flinched a little. He was all for dealing with crowds, his energetic personality making him a natural at doing so…this was just excessive, though.

"He won the Kalos Team Tournament!"

"His Greninja and Pikachu were so cooooool!" gushed a female voice. Next to him, Serena was tensing and sweat was forming on her brow. Ash knew she probably wanted to get out of there, judging by the pleading look in her eyes, but right now, the crowd was preventing any exit. If only their Pokémon weren't at the Center…

"How are we going to get out of here?" Serena whispered underneath the gossiping crowd, just loud enough for Ash to hear her. His face screwed itself into one of concentration before he got an idea, lame as it may have been.

"Is that an Articuno? !" Ash asked, pointing at the sky in the opposite direction. The effect was instantaneous, almost every member of the crowd, save for that first girl and her friend, turning their heads. Ash grabbed onto Serena's hand and the two ran from the scene as quickly as they could. Before they turned, Ash looked back and saw the girl and her friend staring after them in a still-awestruck sight. They didn't stop running, though, and the crowd and the girls vanished from view.

"Thanks…that was frightening…" Serena gasped out once they slowed enough to catch their breaths.

"Your fans are frightening…" Ash corrected her. Serena looked up at him with a pout on her lips and her hands on her hips.

"What's that mean, Ash? Are you saying you don't have any fans? Or are you…j-jealous?" Serena appeared to realize just what she was saying, which must have accounted for the stuttering.

"Well, neither of us likes being swarmed by girls that want to be you or guys that pretend they're your biggest fans when it's clearly us," Ash proclaimed loudly. That seemed to stop Serena from pouting. "No one else has watched all your Showcases and cheered for you like I have, and no one will be supporting you one hundred percent at the Master Class like us! Aria's got nothing on you."

"That's sweet," Serena admitted, reaching over and pecking him on the lips. It was a brief, but very nice, feeling. It also made Ash sigh.

"Well, this is turning out poorly…let's go back to the Center."

"The date's already over?" Serena asked, and if Ash strained his ears, he could have sworn that it sounded like a whine.

"No, but I planned something for you at the Center," Ash admitted. One last time, Ash held out his hand and Serena took it. With that, they began working their way back to the Pokémon Center, avoiding any potential fans (of either of them). Truthfully, despite his hand holding onto Serena's, his mind couldn't stop from reflecting. He really hadn't realized how popular his girlfriend was, and while many people seemed to notice him from the articles published after the tournament (or maybe it was just from the footage), Serena was remarkably well-known despite only being covered in the Showcases and the small article about the winners a few weeks ago.

"You okay?" Serena asked as the Center came into view.

"Yep. Just thinking about things," Ash told her, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back, and it felt nice. "You'll be by my side, right? You're not going to leave just because you're famous, right?"

"Where's this coming from?" Serena giggled out. However, when Ash didn't smile back at her, still uncharacteristically lost in his own thoughts, Serena dropped the laughter. "Is this about my supposed fans? Because you have fans, too."

"Serena, I meant what I said," Ash said. "That night, I said I didn't want you to leave my side because of how special you are to me. Seeing those people just mob you made me realize that you're really popular, and you could get swept up in that popularity and-" Serena cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips as they entered the Center.

"Ash," she said sternly, "I love you. I don't care about the popularity. Yes, I want to be Kalos Queen, but none of it, no amount of fans, is worth it if you're not in my life. That may sound sort of stupid but…I want to be by your side."

Ash blinked and the contemplative frown on his face gave way to a smile. With her simple words, any doubt or insecurity in his mind floated away from him. "Thanks. Can't believe I was so worried over that. Now let's finish this date!"

"Yeah!" Serena exclaimed with her own fist pump. Ash led her through the bustling Center, which was quite busy for the evening, and out to the battlefield where a small wooden stage had been erected. "What's all this?"

"Pikachu and the others are going to put on a show!" Ash said excitedly. He may have been more excited about this than his girlfriend, but seeing the unadulterated joy on her face as she took a seat on a chair, Ash felt that maybe it went both ways. Of course, Ash had a feeling that Bonnie had left a single chair on purpose, but he didn't mind grabbing a second chair to sit next to Serena as Pikachu leapt onto the stage in his knight costume.

"Pika!" he cried, bouncing onto his tail.

"Long ago…" Bonnie's voice came from behind the stage, though it sounded like she could barely stifle her giggles. "There was a brave Pikachu, defender of the land of Pokéton!"

"Chu pika!" Pikachu said, lighting his cheeks with electricity. Next to Ash, Serena looked to be smiling. Pikachu began to dash forward along the stage until he came face to face with Hawlucha.

"Lucha!" Hawlucha proclaimed triumphantly, spreading his arms wide in a mighty victory pose.

"Amongst the land's other protectors was Hawlucha the Mighty, a brave companion of Pikachu and a hero of the area," Bonnie continued with her narration. "The two of them were unmatched as the heroes of the land, though they weren't alone in their ambitions. There was also the Knight Gallant Greninja!"

"Ninja!" Greninja cried, leaping down from the top of the stage to join Pikachu and Hawlucha. He was dressed in the clothes befitting a knight that the two of them had chosen at the seamstress, as well.

"He looks so dashing," Serena commented to Ash. Greninja appeared to hear and rubbed the back of his head.

"Psst, Greninja, you're supposed to be acting," Bonnie hissed, popping out from behind the screen.

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be narrating," Clemont's voice reminded her, pulling her back with his Aipom Arm. Bonnie just giggled a little.

"This knight was questing across the land, hoping to reunite with his lost love, the lovely Princess Braixen!"

"Ninja? !" Even Ash's eyes widened. That wasn't in the script…not when he last left it. Just what was Bonnie up to now?

"The big problem was that she and her Lady Sylveon were being held by the Evil Overlord Talonflame!"

"Flame flame flame flame flame!" Talonflame cackled out, rather impressively so, as he lifted above the stage with a silly wicked-looking crown on his head, Noivern behind him like an impressive bodyguard. Serena clapped her hands together and laughed a little. So far, despite Bonnie's odd revisions, at least the play was proving enjoyable for her.

"Lord Talonflame and his bodyguard Noivern were hoping to ransom King Luxray for all his riches, but our heroes Pikachu, Hawlucha and Knight Greninja were not going to let that happen!" Bonnie was sniggering now; Ash could hear it. When her fit of giggles seemed to get under control she continued on. "Pikachu and his comrades attacked."

"Chu!" Pikachu cried out. He leapt forward a little and danced on his tail before using it as a spring to bounce towards Talonflame. Talonflame ceased his nigh-ridiculous cackling and reared back before twirling like a drill with Steel Wing. Pikachu countered with a glowing Iron Tail to block it, and the two twirled in midair. Hawlucha then leapt upward and High Jump Kicked Talonflame in the chest. The Scorching Pokémon did not look happy and it blazed right into Hawlucha angrily with Flame Charge. On the ground below, Greninja was tossing Water Shuriken at "Evil Overlord" Talonflame. To the side of the stage were Braixen and Sylveon, both looking equally amused (more Braixen than Sylveon), into their roles, and clearly not caring to be there.

"As the battle against Evil Overlord Talonflame raged on, however, his fierce lackey Noivern began his own dastar…das…evil plan. He cared nothing for the riches. Noivern wanted the throne! So, he made a fierce attack on Princess Braixen, hoping to get her out of the picture."

"Noi?" Noivern asked. He looked behind the stage where Clemont was likely giving directions because Noivern nodded and raised up. Supersonic vibrations began to emanate from Noivern's ears as Boomburst echoed outward.

"Just in time, though, Knight Greninja intercepted the attack for his lovely Braixen!" Bonnie yelled. Ironically, Ash noticed that Greninja was already on the move as he leapt in front just in time and whisked both Braixen and Sylveon away from the stage, which was ripped up by the Boomburst. "No, Greninja, you're supposed to take the attack so Princess Braixen can nurse you back to health!"

"Gren?" Greninja asked confusedly. Braixen was just shaking her head. Just then, Pikachu launched an Electro Ball at Talonflame, as though the scripted battle were still going on. Of course, just like everything else tonight, the whole thing went wrong. Talonflame acted instinctively and knocked the attack away with a Steel Wing. The ball of crackling electricity slammed into the stage and exploded, covering the whole place in dust. This made Braixen clearly unhappy and with an angry cry, she sent a Fire Blast at the combatants.

Then the whole thing just spiraled out of control. The backdrop for the stage fell backwards and Bonnie and Clemont dodged its fall. Bonnie had her tongue sticking out teasingly while Chespin suddenly popped out of his pokeball and went running onto the stage. Pancham wasn't far behind, joining in on the massive brawl. Serena was laughing at the sight, tears in her eyes, and Ash thought for a moment that the night could still be salvaged…until Pikachu got angry.

"Pi…ka…CHUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu screamed, a Thunderbolt radiating out from him and scorching the whole entire battlefield…including Ash and Serena. Ash was used to it, knowing Pikachu's shocks better than anyone, but he wasn't sure how Serena felt, and judging by the stunned and smoking expressions of the other Pokémon, they clearly weren't expecting it either. Pikachu had the decency to look properly embarrassed. "Pika…"

Ash's head drooped. This night could not have gone any worse. Only if Team Rocket had shown up would it have been worse, but as he'd seen no hide nor hair of them, he had to be grateful that it wasn't the worst situation, at least. A sigh escaped his lips and over some ways, Clemont looked ashamed, calling Chespin back and starting to round the other Pokémon up to begin cleanup.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Serena asked, a laugh actually on her lips. "I thought the show was fun…even if it ended in disaster."

"The whole night was disastrous…" Ash admitted with a pout. He threw his head back and groaned loudly. "I was supposed to make this great first date for you! Isn't it supposed to be, like, taking you to a perfect dinner and some shopping and an awesome show before I say good night to you or something like that?"

"Is that what Brock told you?" Serena said, tilting her head. Ash looked at her and had to stop himself from smiling with how he was feeling; Serena was too cute at that moment. "Ash…Brock tends to have very…conventional views on dating. It was pretty obvious from the way he was hitting on Aria. I heard them talking."

"So it was even worse than it was supposed to be?" Ash cried out. Man, this was getting worse by the second. Yet when Serena reached across to him and put a hand on his face, all of his disappointment melted away.

"It was almost perfect."

"But…the eggs and the ribbon, and you didn't go shopping and the show and…"

"Since when have you worried this much about something like this, Ash?" Serena chastised him. Ash huffed, realizing that complaining about it wouldn't change much, until he realized he had to answer her question. The answer, to him, was very simple.

"Because I love you. I wanted it to be perfect…" Ash explained. Then he realized what she had said. "Wait, almost perfect?"

"Yep!" Serena confirmed, standing up from her chair. "I got to spend a great time with you, Ash. We laughed, we talked, and even though we didn't eat, I'd rather have your hand in mine than all that other stuff."

"But the 'almost' part is what I'm-" Ash got his answer when Serena kissed him. That made him smile. He still wasn't used to it all, but he knew he enjoyed kissing Serena. When she drew back, her smile made him smile even wider.

"Now it's perfect," she told him. "Thanks for the date, Ash. Let's have another soon, but first I need a shower. Have to get all that egg out." With another kiss on his cheek (which Ash couldn't help but blush from), Serena skipped off into the Center for a shower. Ash finally breathed in relief. Maybe he wasn't so bad at this dating thing, after all…though he did feel he should probably stick to battling.

"Sooooo? Did she like it?" Bonnie trilled, leaning on the chair Serena had just been on.

"Seems so!" Ash said happily. Bonnie grinned, and Ash's stomach sunk. He had already escaped all her other machinations this evening to do…whatever she was trying to do. Even from a distance, Greninja and Braixen appeared to be avoiding each other's eyes. Maybe Bonnie just enjoyed making people uncomfortable; it was a logical explanation for why she was always looking for a "keeper". And just when Ash though he could relax from the stress of a first date, Bonnie proved his thoughts of her correct once and for all.

"So, when are you gonna tell her mom and yours that the two of you are dating?"

Ash's face drew itself into a look of revulsion.

Yep, Bonnie was definitely going to kill him someday.

Fín

Author's Note: Bonnie is a total troll. That was generally the thought process for this: how could I make a date so disastrous, have Bonnie be the biggest troll, and yet still have it that Serena enjoyed it? This is what I came up with. If you thought it was super-fluffy or laughed a little, I've done my job. As for why Team Rocket wasn't there: too much clutter. Inserting them in uselessly would have resulted in a quick blast off that would add nothing to the story. So, I didn't. The hardest part of this was keeping Ash in character. He's still Ash, and while he knows that he's in love with Serena and all the things associated with that, I don't think he'll get super mushy. I hope I did a good job keeping him in character, but only you guys could tell me that.

So, anyway, that's the oneshot. Hopefully a lot of you (especially my old readers of "Love in the Time of Teamwork") enjoyed it. I do have roughly 3-4 more oneshots planned, two of them being set in this AU and another 2 being standalones that have something about the characters I want to explore either for fun or to hammer a point in. Anyway, that's all I have. Thanks for reading, and please leave a Review and,

Dare to Be Silly,

Epicocity