A short little epilogue now that we've reached the end. Yes, the end. Please enjoy, and I'll see you below.

An Epilogue

Seven Years Later…

"Dedenne, use Parabolic Charge!" Bonnie's voice echoed powerfully from the television.

"Nene!" Dedenne screamed, a large orb of electricity rising from its whiskers before firing at its opponent. The Antenna Pokémon stood still as some energy returned to him, and the opponent before him fell.

"Gallade is unable to battle, which means Dedenne is the winner," the referee called out, waving his flag.

"You heard him, folks! Bonnie has won the battle against-" Kalas' voice was suddenly cut off by Santalune City's Nurse Joy calling out for a group of trainers' Pokémon to be picked up. The kids ran over to her with glee, but by the time they had quieted down, Serena had missed most of the details about Bonnie's victory over her opponent. "Well, with that, our third day of the Kalos Team Tournament comes to an end. What a shocker it's been, huh?"

"I'm not all that surprised," Clemont's voice came over the television. Serena's lips wrapped upwards into a smile as she saw the image of the commentator's box at the Kalos Team Tournament show on the screen. Right in the middle was Kalas, but flanking him at his sides were Clemont and Alain, along with the woman Serena recognized as Chrissy, formerly the assistant to, and now was, the mayor of Ancien City. "Bonnie's always been rather…unorthodox."

"We all know where she learned that from," Alain commented with a soft smile. "Regardless, for all the time that Dedenne appears to sleep, when he gets into battle, he's a force to be reckoned with."

"That's my sister. No doubt her team is in position to win it all," Clemont noted. Serena was inclined to agree. Bonnie and her group of companions had managed to all but sweep the competition. Well, not entirely; one team had managed to give her a bit of a hard time, but in true Bonnie fashion, she had persevered through it, never giving up. "Then again, anything can happen. Our team started off in last place but still managed to win!"

"Ah, and what a victory that was!" Kalas commented with gusto. "I still remember it to this day, but this isn't the time nor the place for it. Right now, we're focusing on this year's Kalos Team Tournament. So, until tomorrow, folks! We'll see you then!"

The footage cut off and displayed the current scoreboard for the Kalos Team Tournament, with Bonnie's team leading the pack. Serena sat back a little, hitching her bag slightly on her shoulders, making sure that her now shoulder length hair didn't get in the way, despite it being tied up. It was nice to take a break from things and Serena took a moment to glance at the clock on the wall.

He was late.

Shaking her head, Serena stood and stretched, her arms going wide. Time had been kind to her, making her even more expressly beautiful than she had been when she was younger (or so she was told), though it helped when one was in the most glamorous industry there was, other than fashion. Glancing back at the TV, which now was showing highlights of an Elite Four member's match against the Champion of the Hoenn region, Serena tapped her foot slightly. She wasn't normally this impatient, but it had been his idea for them to meet here at this time.

"Excuse me," chirped a girl's voice. Serena turned and caught sight of a younger girl, roughly the age she was at the time of the Kalos Team Tournament (ironically, almost the same age Bonnie was now). A Fletchling and a Pichu were perched on her shoulders as she seemed to stare adoringly up at Serena.

"Can I help you?" Serena asked, smiling sweetly at the girl.

"You're Serena, right? Former Kalos Queen and Honor of Kalos recipient Serena?" Serena was taken aback by this girl recognizing her. Not that it was difficult to. She had been the one to dethrone Aria as Kalos Queen and reigned for a good two years before another young Performer had managed to dethrone her. After that she took to promoting products and choosing to travel around making people smile, all to live up to that promise she'd made seven years ago. It was clearly effective.

"I am," she answered the girl. Said girl's eyes lit up with glee.

"I can't believe it's really you! I never thought I'd get to meet you!" the girl said happily. "I'm one of your biggest fans! Your final performance against Aria four years ago was the best I've ever seen! It made me want to become a Performer."

"That's wonderful!" Serena said, clasping her hands together as she looked at the girl with sparkling eyes. "Tell me, how many Princess Keys do you have?"

"I only have one," the girl answered. "But there's a Showcase in Aquacorde Town that my friend and I are heading for next week. He just challenged the Santalune Gym and won, mostly because we couldn't make it in time for the Kalos Team Tournament. He went to go get some food for our Pokémon, but he's running a little late, I guess."

"Sounds familiar," Serena laughed out, with no ill will towards either of the males she was now thinking of. The doors to the Pokémon Center opened up and Serena looked at them in time to see a navy-haired boy come dashing through the door.

"Emmy! Em! You won't believe who I ran into outside the Santalune Gym! I actually got to battle him!" the boy yelled, running up to the girl in front of Serena.

"Again, Brian?" Emmy pouted with puffed cheeks. It reminded her of herself sometimes, or at least her internal self. "Did you even get the Pokémon food?"

"Of course I did! But that's not important! Guess who I met and battled with?!"

"Yeah, well, guess who's standing right here?" Emmy said with hands on her hips in defiance. Brian, the boy, looked up and blinked at Serena. His mouth began to drop open, but before he could say anything the Pokémon Center doors opened once more and someone else walked through. Serena rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Pipika!"

"Pikachu, it's good to see you! How long has it been? Three months?" Serena asked as the Pikachu jumped gleefully onto her shoulders. She quickly scratched him behind the ears and he cooed.

"It's already been three months? I swear that we saw each other only thirteen weeks ago!" called the deeper voice that was ever recognizable to her.

"Ash, thirteen weeks is three months," Serena corrected him, but moved around the gaping teenagers to quickly greet him with a hug. "You look well. Though you're late."

"Sorry, got caught up in a battle," Ash admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Serena didn't say anything, but slid her hand down to lace her fingers with his. The teenagers nearby looked to have gone into a near coma at the sight of the two of them together, pointing and stumbling over meaningless words. They weren't alone, judging by the mutterings around the Center. Ash turned to Brian. "Hey, great battle! Your Golurk is really strong!"

"Th-thanks! But I was no match for your Pikachu," Brian said, bowing low to Ash. The embarrassed look on Ash's face worsened.

"That doesn't matter," Ash said. Pikachu leapt from Serena's shoulder over to Ash's. "We had fun, right, buddy?"

"Pi!" Pikachu concurred. Ash stepped forward a little, dragging Serena with him, and he knelt down a little.

"Just keep training hard and working together with your Pokémon and we'll have another battle someday," Ash said with his almost childish grin. Brian shut his mouth and nodded fervently, like receiving praise from Ash was a pinnacle of achievement. That was no surprise to Serena. As a trainer who had managed to challenge the Kalos Elite Four and even Diantha for the title some years back, Ash was seen as near Champion level material (though that might have been because he actually beat Diantha, but declined the position since he wanted to see more places and do more things, just the way his father would have wanted).

"And Emmy, I look forward to your performance in Aquacorde," Serena said, smiling at the girl. Emmy's hands clasped to her chest with bright eyes. "Maybe I'll even go in person."

"Yeah!" Emmy said, looking she was about to pass out entirely. With those kind words to the younger trainers, Ash righted himself with a grin and began pulling Serena over to the phones. She offered a wave to the two and by the time she was situated nicely in front of the phone, it was ringing. Seconds later, it was picked up.

"Did you guys see? Did you guys see? !" Bonnie said, her face taking up most of the camera until Clemont managed to pull her back. Like the both of them, Bonnie and Clemont appeared older, though not by much in Clemont's case, barring a slightly smoother hairstyle and the jumpsuit replaced by more traditional clothing. Bonnie, meanwhile, was as vivacious as ever with a white skirt and black shirt, her hair still pulled into the traditional side ponytail with Dedenne on her shoulder licking an ice cream cone after a hard battle.

"I saw," Serena said, grinning at the girl. "Dedenne battled really well out there. I have a feeling you'll win the tournament. Though, Ash here missed it."

"Aw, come on, Ash!" Bonnie complained. Behind her, Serena could see Alain watching them with amused interest, sparing only a small wave. He had only been there in place of Sycamore, though he was hardly alone. After all, Mairin looked to be there as well, the older girl (when compared to Bonnie) chatting about something that Alain looked only vaguely interested in once he'd turned his attention back to her. Clearly she had tagged along to follow him, as was usual given her status as his assistant (she'd tried many different professions over the years). When she finally caught sight of them talking, she waved over but did nothing more. "Why didn't you see me and Dedenne's awesome battle?"

"Sorry, Bonnie! I wanted to, honest!" Ash tried to excuse himself, though it was obvious Bonnie wouldn't let it go. "I got caught up in a battle with another trainer."

"You owe me, then! Let's battle when we meet up in Lumiose City next week! You can tell me all about your trip to Vaniville," Bonnie said. Serena noticed a sly smirk on the girl's face and she turned to her boyfriend.

"Vaniville? We're going to my home?" she asked. Ash turned to her and rubbed his nose. He looked almost nervous about the prospect of telling her this. She had no idea why he would be; Ash often showed up at their set meeting times to whisk her off to places unknown.

"Yeah, hope you don't mind," Ash told her. She was about to explain to him that she didn't, but as usual, Bonnie impatiently interrupted.

"Of course he is. That's the only way he can-"

"Korrina sends her regards," Clemont interrupted. Bonnie glared at her brother, the both of them almost equal in height now. "She's busy with her own Gym, but told me to say hi the next time we spoke."

"Glad to know she's doing okay," Serena noted, bringing her hands behind her back now. "And how are you two doing?"

"They're fine, even if I'm on proposal number five hundred and ninety. Korrina still won't say yes! Clemont needs a keeper before I enter the Kalos League this year!" Bonnie whined. Clemont sighed, clearly tired of the amount of energy that Bonnie was exhibiting.

"She probably won't accept because I have to ask her, and you know I'm not doing that until-" He suddenly cut himself off and puckered his lips like he wouldn't say a word. "Well, we have the evening's festival ahead of us, but it was great seeing you guys again. Bye! See you in Lumiose!"

"Tell us about the p-" The line got cut off and Ash and Pikachu laughed a little. Serena quirked an eyebrow, finding the whole conversation to be rather strange. When they finally quieted down from their laughing, Ash held his hand out to her.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Despite her scrutiny of him, she still managed to shrug and take his hand for the two of them to leave the Center and begin walking towards the road from Santalune City. Serena offered one more wave to the young trainers from earlier and then they were gone. Neither shared a word, but enjoyed each other's company.

For Serena, it felt especially nice to be near Ash again. Her life was always so hectic when he wasn't around, that she found it ironically pleasant to be at his side again. Some separation always did them some good; even if that separation sometimes meant not hearing from him for weeks on end while he undertook his latest challenges. She supposed that was the curse of the ever-traveling trainer.

As Serena and Ash began to leave Santalune City hand in hand, Serena began thinking back a little to the last three months they'd spent apart, communicating only by phone when they were both at a Pokémon Center. It had been odd separating from Ash at first, those many years ago, but both figured it was the only way to truly grow as trainers and as a couple, taking it in stride. They'd more than held solid in their relationship to this day despite the separations (and admittedly some spats of jealousy once in a while); something Miette was very fond of poking fun at her about. Shauna could usually shut her up with a sly remark about Sawyer while sloughing off any notes about her own potential relationships. It was general girl talk when they weren't being rivals; and something that had certainly helped Serena over the weeks of separation.

Thankfully, the separation wasn't too hard, because both of them had remained who they were at their core, despite their aging maturity. Serena still worked to bring smiles to people's faces and thought the best of them in every way. Ash was still the fun-loving and energetic battler he always was; something Pikachu still emulated. Other than his grown muscles and more sharpened face, he was very much Ash Ketchum right at the soul, working hard every day to make his father's final wishes come true, just as she had for Reeree.

That alone always gave Serena an opportunity to smile.

"So, why exactly are we heading to Vaniville?" Serena asked once they were far enough away from Santalune.

"I thought we'd pay your mom a visit. Catch up with her," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"We could always just call her, you know," Serena pointed out. Ash laughed again, and once more Serena felt like something was off with the laugh. She peered at him almost suspiciously.

"Well…yeah, but I kinda already told your mom we were coming to stay," Ash chuckled out. Serena just sighed, obviously not able to help his impulses. Ash's stomach suddenly growled, and Pikachu's with him. "Sorry, I forgot to eat because of that battle."

"That's all right; I baked some pokepuffs last night. Let me just get them out." The both of them pulled to a stop and Serena took her bag off her shoulders to dig into it. Ash, meanwhile, turned to look out over the road ahead before clasping at his father's old locket around his neck. Serena took a brief glimpse to see him opening the locket, and Pikachu leaning in, before she went back to digging for the desserts.

"I know, Pikachu, I know! But mom and Bonnie said this is how you do it, okay?" Ash said. His words sounded strange, but Serena finished pulling out the tasty treat, turning to Ash. Her raven-haired boyfriend fumbled with something in his hands a moment, and Serena could easily see a flash of something in the sunlight before the locket closed over the pair of old and new pictures inside (one of his father and mother, and one of the two of them, as she knew).

"Here you guys go," Serena said, handing the basket of pokepuffs over.

"Thanks Serena, you're the best," Ash said.

"Chaaaaa!" Pikachu concurred. The two of them were so concerned with eating that Ash didn't seem to realize that the locket hadn't snapped shut fully and it opened, dropping its contents onto the ground. In particular, Serena noticed a ring. A very nice ring. She only had a brief moment to look at it, to comprehend every weird thing that had happened that day and have it all make sense, before Pikachu leapt down to retrieve it and stow it safely away with a snap.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" Ash said in content, patting his stomach before he grabbed Serena's hand again and the two continued on towards Vaniville Town. "I'm kinda excited to be spending a week at your childhood home!"

"Well, let's just see how this week goes, huh?" Serena asked, winking at him and Pikachu a little. "Maybe something will happen that will be really different."

"What's that mean?" Ash asked with another confused chuckle.

"Oh, nothing," Serena said with a smile. She let her hands slip from Ash's and she raced on ahead of him, almost challenging him to catch up. She only had an inkling of how their lives could change in that week, for good or ill (though she was certain it was the former). She was confident, however, that by the end of that week, something between herself and Ash would be different.

And that was enough to make her smile on their lifelong adventure together.

THE END

Author's Note: And so we reach the end, at long last. I admit, I purposely kept the epilogue slightly ambiguous: we don't know exactly what Ash and Serena are doing with their lives, and we only really know that Bonnie is a trainer. But I wanted to show where they were, and what they'd done…oh, and the fact that Ash is planning to propose to Serena but needs Grace's blessing first. I didn't want to show a proposal, though. The hint was enough. That said, I originally wasn't going to write an epilogue, but at some point decided the story needed one, and what better way than to set it during the next Kalos Team Tournament? I hope you enjoyed and please leave me your thoughts on this and the story as a whole.

In any case, I'd like to divulge something to all of you. Remember how at the end of Teamwork I mentioned it was part of an original character fanfiction? Well, believe it or not, but many events in Turbulence and this story were also part of that idea! The League bombing; Rayquaza's return; a death of a family member; enemies that were alternate versions of the major characters; the League vice president being the ringleader of the bad guys (though it was the president there); the tipping points converging; Reeree's death being the original plan for when Zinnia was to die. All of those were in the original plan, but I changed them around and love what I was able to do with them.

Now, you may be wondering, "Epicocity, what's next for you? Surely you'll continue writing Amour and won't change over to some filthy shipping like AshXLillie!" Truth be told, I only have one plan, and it's a shocker. I'm planning…a COLLABORATION! Now, I've discussed this with my good friend potat lasaro, and we've decided to collaborate on the greatest Amour fic this world will ever see…that or our joke backstories for the characters Bruce, Trent, and Portia (see Tropes page). But, nah, jokes aside, our collaboration is tentatively titled…"Ships, Schemes, and Other Sweet Sights"! Expect a tentative summary probably in the next week or two.

In any case, it's almost come time for us to part ways, but before I go, let me thank everyone integrally involved. Firstly, to those most recent: Mysterious Mr M for favoriting; STAusd for following; and a big thanks to Cato Yugi, theoneandonlylordmonkeyknight, TheEnigmatic97, Ooobserver, Charlie515, Sentinel07, PandasInMittens and 1 guest for reviewing.

Now, I must also give high thanks to those nearest and dearest to me. AdvancedAlto for the most thorough and insightful reviews I could ask for. Potat lasaro for our enduring conversations and exchange of ideas. ChE clarinetist, for keeping up with those chapters despite the busy schedule. AmourshippingCanon just for being awesome, especially with certain individuals. Aliensinnoh, for reviewing every chapter after getting caught up. Cottonmouth25, as always, for your humor. To Omegaz and Daniel31, making the import over from Serebii and giving me your thoughts! And to those who reviewed every chapter: FantasyLover88, ultimateCCC and sparkydragon98. Thanks all!

NOTE: This is actually not the end of the Ancienverse, with the story continuing in "Love in the Time of Tropics"!

I love you all. When I joined the Amourshipping fandom at the end of February, I never imagined for a second that "Love in the Time of Teamwork" would ever be this popular. Or the Ancienverse as a whole. I never thought it would lead to three of the most grueling writing sessions of my life. I never thought you'd all welcome me with open arms. I never thought I'd almost be crying at writing this because of all the generous support you've given me. Words aren't enough to convey the depths of my feelings for all of you. But I'm attempting anyway, so check out my Twitter for a more eloquent thanks. So, I guess…one last time it is that I'll ask you to Review, and, now and forever my friends,

Dare to Be Silly,

Epicocity