"Aw yeah! You ready for a new adventure, Pikachu?"

"Pi Pikachu, Pikapi!"

The young raven-haired teen, Ash Ketchum, and his partner Pikachu have finally arrived in the Alola Region, ready to take on any and all challenges that await them. As they made their way from the marina to the town, a voice caught their attention.

"Ash? Is that you?"

The trainer from Kanto stopped and turned towards the voice, only to look on in surprise as he recognized the person before him.

"A-Anabel?"

"Pikachu!" exclaimed the Electric-type as he waved at their old friend.

Before him was the Salon Maiden of the Battle Frontier, Anabel, giving him a beaming smile.

"It is you! It's been so long since we last met!" exclaimed Anabel as she came over to hug the boy. She had to look up at him since he was now slightly taller than her.

"Yeah, it really has," replied Ash, still surprised by her sudden appearance. "Wow, you look different since last time. U-Uh no offense!"

Anabel let out a few giggles at Ash's nervousness. As Ash had stated, Anabel's appearance had changed over the years. Her once short hair was now longer and passed her shoulders. Her outfit, which was once white and lavender, was now a black pantsuit complete with a black tie.

"No offense taken, Ash," said Anabel, giving him another smile. "So what brings you to Alola?"

"I should be the one asking you that. I thought you had to run the Battle Tower?" questioned Ash.

"Pikachu?" questioned Pikachu, wondering the same thing.

"I do, but I have been invited to partake in a special event at the Battle Tree," explained Anabel.

"Battle Tree?"

"It's basically the Alola Region's version of the Battle Tower, but battles are played out differently. Now back to my original question; what brings you to Alola?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "W-Well…I'm here to attend the Pokémon School run by Samson Oak."

"Really? That's great, Ash! I've heard about that school. It's highly respected amongst the various regions."

Ash was confused by Anabel's reaction. "Huh? You're not disappointed?"

Now it was Anabel's turn to be confused. "Why would I be disappointed, Ash?"

"…Well considering how my dream was to be a Pokémon Master, most would consider this a step back," explained Ash as he glanced away from Anabel.

Anabel stared at Ash for a moment before giving him a kind smile. Before she spoke to him though she turned towards Pikachu. "Pikachu? Could you give Ash and I some time to talk in private? If you want, Espeon should be around here exploring."

"Pika!"

As Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder, Anabel stepped closer and grabbed one of Ash's hands in her smaller ones.

"Anabel?" questioned Ash as he looked down at their hands and how her pale skin stood out against his tanned skin.

The Salon Maiden led the raven-haired trainer over to a nearby bench to sit down. Ash noticed that he hadn't let go of his hand and yet he found that he was okay with this.

"Ash, I don't know why you'd be afraid of me being disappointed…"

"I wasn't afraid!"

Anabel raised an eyebrow at him. "You do remember I can read the hearts of people and Pokémon, right?"

"…Oh, right. Sorry," replied Ash with a sheepish expression.

Anabel couldn't help but let out a giggle. After all this time, he was still so cute. "Anyway, Ash, if anything I would be proud that you're going to school."

"…Wait, really?"

"Yes. Ash, being a Pokémon Master isn't just about how strong you are or how many Pokémon you have. Knowledge is also an important factor in becoming a great trainer. I mean, look at the likes of say Lance or Cynthia. Do you think they made it to where they are on strength alone?"

"No," came the immediate reply. "I've met both Lance and Cynthia and there was definitely more to them than just how strong they were."

"Exactly. Tell me, Ash, what exactly made you decide to attend the Pokémon School?"

"…After my loss at the Kalos League, despite making it to the finals, I felt that I needed to take a new direction or else I would just keep losing at every League I enter," explained Ash with a frown.

"And you think by attending the Pokémon School will help you?"

"I would hope so. Maybe if I can learn more about Pokémon I can become a better trainer…wait."

Anabel smiled as the dots were starting to connect. "Ash, one thing I admire about you is that you are not afraid to admit your weaknesses. In your mind, you believe that your lack of knowledge is a weakness and you are willing to work on it. Now don't get me wrong, I like you for who you are regardless of your intelligence, but I will support you in whatever path you choose to take. If you truly feel that attending the Pokémon School then I will support you all the way."

Ash stared at Anabel as her words sunk in. He was surprised to hear the passion come from her as she reassure him on his decision, going as far to say that he would always have her support. He then realized what else she said.

"W-Wait, you admire and like me?" asked Ash, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Anabel blushed as well, though hers was a bit brighter. "I always have, Ash. When I first met you, you were different from all of the other trainers I had met beforehand. Not many trainers have your passion, dedication, or ambition when it came to Pokémon and not many would risk their lives like you would for their Pokémon. You never gave up on your goals and anyone who put you down, you proved them wrong. It's these reasons that…that I l-love you."

The raven-haired teen was stunned by Anabel's confession and was even more stunned when she reached over and gently placed her lips upon his in a soft kiss. When she broke the kiss, he noticed a worried look on her face.

"Anabel?"

"What's wrong, Ash?"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"I can feel your heart. It's filled with conflict. D-Did I do something wrong?" asked Anabel, looking down in shame.

"No!" exclaimed Ash, grabbing her by the shoulders and surprising the maiden. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, Anabel. If anything, I'm the one who did something wrong."

"What?"

Ash let out a sigh. "It's just…before I left Kalos, one of my traveling companions, Serena, more or less admitted that she had feelings for me…and kissed me before we parted ways."

"I…I see," replied Anabel. She could feel her own heart start to break and the start of tears in her eyes. Through her sadness though, she gave him a congratulatory smile. "You must be very happy together."

"That's the thing though, we're not together. I never really gave her answer and I don't want to hurt her since she is one of my best friends. I guess I feel kinda guilty being kissed by another girl behind her back."

"But you just said that you and her were not together," replied Anabel. "So why would you feel guilty?"

"I…I don't know."

Anabel held Ash's hand between her own as she looked him in the eye. "Tell me something, Ash. When you think of Serena, what do you see her as?"

"That's easy, she's my best friend!"

"And what about the kiss she gave you?" she asked. She would admit that she did not like talking about this, but Ash's feeling were more important than her own.

"Honestly, I was stunned since it was so sudden."

Anabel gave off a small smile. "Anything else?"

"…That might have been it," replied Ash with a frown. "When we were traveling together, I never saw Serena as anything but my best friend and to find out that she has feelings for me…"

Anabel felt like she was starting to understand. Despite the fact that he and Serena weren't together, Ash must have felt like he was cheating on her and wouldn't feel right about being with another girl until he could give his answer.

"Ash…do you have any romantic feelings for Serena?"

"…No."

"Then you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"…Huh?"

"If Serena loves like I think she does, Ash, then she'll understand if you don't feel the same way. She might be sad or even hurt that you don't return her feelings, but she'll understand and will wish you happiness with whoever you do fall in love with," explained Anabel. She then let out a sigh. "And I will do the same if you don't return my feelings. Your happiness is more important than what I want, Ash."

Ash took Anabel's words to heart. She was right about Serena. She wasn't selfish and if he didn't return her feelings, then she would eventually be okay with that and they would still be friends. As for her other words…

"Anabel?"

"Hm?" hummed the Salon Maiden in question. She then let out a quick "eep" when Ash reached over and brought her into a hug, causing her to go bright red. "A-Ash?"

"What if my happiness is with you, Anabel?" asked Ash softly in her ear.

"Wh-What?"

"You said that my happiness was more important than what you wanted. Well what if my happiness is with you? Anabel, when you kissed me earlier I'll admit I was stunned just like when Serena kissed me, but unlike with Serena I felt something more. I felt warmth go through my whole body and it was possibly the nicest feeling I've ever felt. Thinking about it that might have been why I felt guilty earlier, because I felt something kissing you, but not Serena."

"Ash…"

"Anabel, there's something about you that makes me feel something I haven't felt before or after I met you. It's like there's this sense of calm when I'm around you that I can't find anywhere else. In the short time we've known each other, Anabel, you've become very important to me and I know we haven't seen each other in so long, but I was wondering…"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Ash. I want to be with you as well. I wouldn't have said that I loved you if I didn't," replied Anabel with a smile and tears of joy. She leaned in and kissed the boy she loved.

Ash returned the kiss and gave off a grin when they broke apart. "Heh, I could get used to this."

"I'm sure you could," replied Anabel in a fit of giggles. She snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth he was giving off.

"Hey, Anabel? I know you said you were heading to the Battle Tree, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to stay with me while I was here in Alola? I know it's really short notice and Mr. Samson probably won't have too much room, but I'm sure he'd be okay with it if we explain it to him," said Ash, feeling quite nervous.

Anabel gave her new boyfriend a soft smile. "I'd love to, Ash."

With that the new couple stood up, hand in hand, and made their way to find their Pokémon before heading into town. They didn't know what their future together held, but they did know one thing.

They would always be there for each other and support each other through thick and thin.

FIN

-:-

A friend of mine recently showed me this video that showcased many of the new and returning characters for Sun & Moon. New characters included some of the confirmed Trial Captains and Kahunas as well as ones not seen yet and returning characters included previously confirmed Red, Green, and Cynthia, recently confirmed Wally from ORAS, and Grimsley, Colress, and Salon Maiden Anabel. While this isn't completely confirmed to be true yet, it looked to be real and just the idea of Anabel coming back has me excited since she's possibly my favorite female character in the series.

As for Serena, I really do like her. In fact, I've been reluctant to write any Abilityshipping one-shots that take place during or after the Kalos Arc because I did not want to be mean to Serena. But with Anabel's possible return to the games and maybe even the animé, a renewed vigor has come over me since this means that Abilityshipping has a possible chance despite the Amourshipping kiss we got at the end of the Kalos Arc.