Alright, you guys, this is my first Pokémon one-shot in a while, so bear with me here. This is an alternate plot to the first Sun & Moon episode. It's, from what I understand, the first Ash/Mallow fic...at least, that's what Naito Writer said. It will have a slight bit of Amourshipping, but just merely a mention.

DISCLAIMER: Game Freak owns Pokémon. I don't own jack squat.

Alolan Therapy

Ahh, the Alola region. Filled with a tropical environment just waiting to be explored. Many unique Pokémon are often found here, including the region's own version of Pokémon found in Kanto. Yes, even though it's a great vacation spot, the locals and the tourists are often seen mingling with each other, be it by battling or otherwise. Alola is a great place to get away from it all, especially on the beach.

Of course, the locals also enjoy it when a ship arrives because that also presents new opportunities to make money for the shops and bonds between the locals and tourists. It also presented one particular young trainer with an opportunity to explore a new region...and get over some troubles. That's right. Ash Ketchum and his longtime best friend and signature Pokémon Pikachu were on their way to Alola for something new. He was most definitely sad to say goodbye to his friends in Kalos, especially one particular one who changed him without even knowing it. Thanks to her support, he made it to the finals of the Kalos League at Lumiose City, losing only to Alain.

There were other troubles that Ash had on his mind and Pikachu was well aware. However, as their ship approached Alola, he shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind, intent on enjoying himself for Pikachu's sake (and his mother Delia). Sporting a blue-and-white striped shirt, red hat, and black cargo shorts (a far cry from his past outfits), he and Pikachu were looking over the rails at Melemele Island with a smile on their faces. "Are you ready, Pikachu?" he asked.

"Pika!" exclaimed the Mouse Pokémon. Delia couldn't help but smile at the duo.

"Same here, buddy."

When the boat docked, Ash and Delia grabbed their luggage and walked onto the docks. As Pikachu jumped onto his trainer's shoulder, Ash looked around and saw the farmers market. Delia stopped by there with Mimey to pick up some fruit while Ash and Pikachu went walking around. They saw many trainers interacting with their Pokémon and having a good time. However, the smile was wiped clean off of his face when he happened upon a clothing store that had a bikini-and-skirt combo he knew that certain girl would like.

He shook his head to get the thought of her in such a thing out of his mind. Sadly, she was in May and Max's home region of Hoenn participating in Contests and he wasn't there to support her. Pikachu patted Ash on the head to tell him that it would be alright. "Yeah, you're right, Pikachu," he said. "I can't keep thinking about her and how she's doing."

"How who's doing?" said a voice. The duo from Kanto turned around and saw a green-haired girl with tan skin, a pink shirt, and overall shorts. She also wore a flower in her hair. "Sorry. I couldn't help but feel the depressed vibes coming from you," she said. "My name's Mallow, by the way. What's yours?"

"My name's Ash Ketchum. I'm from the Kanto region. It's nice to meet you."

"Kanto, huh? We have our own versions of some of your Pokémon here. Look, there's Raichu." Ash and Pikachu saw a different looking Raichu surfing on its tail, which was curved at the lightning bolt. It still had yellow cheeks like a normal Raichu, but its ears were also yellow and its paws were white. "There's Vulpix." They saw a white version of the usual Vulpix. "And there's Exeggutor." The last one had the three heads on top of a long neck while a fourth head was on a tail. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

"I'll say. I never thought I would see Kanto region Pokémon like that."

"Well, that's just to name a few. If your Pikachu evolved, though, even here..." She saw Pikachu cross his arms and turn his head in disgust, giving the two humans a laugh. "...it would be a normal Raichu."

"Yeah, but the topic of a Pokémon's evolution has never been a popular subject when it came to Pikachu. I used to keep a Thunderstone with me in case he ever changed his mind, but I lost it in Sinnoh." Mallow saw that Ash still had something on his mind, so she came up with an idea to help cheer him up and properly welcome him to Alola.

"Say, how about I give you a tour? You look like you need a distraction," she offered with a smile. If there was anything Ash did learn over time outside of Pokémon training, it's how to spot an attractive girl. This started while he was traveling with his Pokemon Performer friend. He couldn't deny that Mallow had a beauty of her own. Of course, Brock did mention that the women at Alola had an exotic kind of appeal, from their smile to their looks. As she gave him the tour, he took a good look at her legs. A small part of the trainer wanted them wrapped around his waist when they were alone.

What he didn't know was that Mallow had a very similar thought on her mind. And she was able to make it happen since she was one of the locals. The girl had to admit that Ash was definitely something to look at. She was glad that they became friends fast. Mallow continued to show Ash and Pikachu around town and was happy to see that they were enjoying the sights. The Alolan versions of the Kanto Pokémon were still a weird sight for them, though. "Oh, Ash!" Mallow exclaimed, getting his attention. "You have to try the ice cream here! It's awesome!"

He approached the stand with Mallow and ordered ice cream for him and Pikachu. The duo found it to be great, just as Mallow said. As they continued to walk, the two humans continued to enjoy each other's company. Delia and Mr. Mime noticed them, the former smiling since she knew Ash already found a new friend. "So, what is it you do around here? Besides giving a tour?" Ash asked.

"I help my family run a restaurant. This is actually the first tour I've given, so I was a little nervous at first."

"Really? I couldn't tell that. You seemed so confident."

"Why don't you come by? We have some really good food that you've just got to try. It's on the house. Consider it my special treat." As Ash and Pikachu happily took Mallow up on her offer, they had no idea that they were being spied on. Up in the air, there was a hot air balloon in the familiar shape of a Kanto Meowth. In the basket were a certain Meowth, along with his friends/co-workers, Jessie and James. As usual, they followed Ash for one obvious reason: to snatch up the Trainer's Pikachu and give it to their boss, Giovanni, whom Ash battled and lost to in Unova.

"I don't get it," Meowth said. "Where are the other three twerps?"

"It must be like with the other ones," said Jessie. "Though, I'd expect that pretty blonde girl with the Braixen to be with him."

"That's what we said about the orange-haired one and look what happened," James noted. "She went back home after Johto."

"Either way, this looks like a good opportunity to catch Pikachu now. He doesn't have Greninja or the others from Kalos with him."

"Wobbuffet!"

As Ash and Pikachu were sitting at the Aina Cafeteria, the restaurant that Mallow helped run, waiting for their food, Pikachu had noticed that his best friend's mood was immediately better. He wondered if it was due to the friendship he quickly established with Mallow. He also noted that the depression was still there, but couldn't ask him about it since Mallow brought their food out. "Hey, thanks," Ash said, getting a happy smile from the girl. He looked and saw the steak dinner, eager to dive in to Mallow's amusement. While she got the same thing, Pikachu got a bowl of Pokémon food.

"There you go, Pikachu," she said. "It's ketchup flavored. Ash told me it was your favorite thing." As she said this, Pikachu picked one up and sniffed it. Finding nothing wrong with it, he ate it and cheered happily.

"Pika!" he exclaimed happily, getting a smile from the two of them. In the midst of it all, Mallow also introduced Ash to her Pokemon Bounsweet, a Grass-type Pokémon with a white underside, red face, and green leaves on its head.

"So, Ash, what do you think?"

"It's great! If I had to give a comparison..." This got Mallow to worry a little. "...I'd compare it to my buddy Brock's cooking back in Kanto. He used to be the Pewter City Gym Leader with a specialty in Rock-types. Out of everyone I traveled with, his cooking, as well as the Pokémon Connoisseur Cilan's, are the best I've had. This is right up there. Of course, there's also my mom's cooking."

"Well, no kidding. No one could beat a mother's cooking, not even us. So...you've traveled a lot?"

"Yeah. First was mine and Pikachu's home region of Kanto. Our first traveling companion was Misty, who is currently the Cerulean City Gym Leader. She followed us around because Pikachu and I fried her bike while trying to get away from a bunch of Spearow. Our next friend was Brock, whose original goal was to become a Pokémon Breeder. I got the eight badges to qualify for the Kanto League, but because my Charizard wasn't listening to me at the time, it was considered a forfeit and I was stuck at the Top 16. After that, Misty, Brock, and I went to retrieve a special type of Pokeball from Professor Ivy, who's stationed at the Orange Islands. It couldn't be transferred by normal means. However, because Brock, who's normally the wisest of my friends, tends to fall for women, he decided to stay and help Professor Ivy while Misty and I traveled through the Orange Islands with our friend Tracey. I won the Orange League after getting the four badges required. We got the GS Ball to Professor Oak, who couldn't open it. We were rejoined by Brock and Tracey became Professor Oak's assistant."

"That's odd," Mallow said, interrupting Ash. "Principal Oak never mentioned any of this to me before. In fact, I don't even recall him even having an assistant named 'Tracey'." This confused Ash and Pikachu as well until they remembered Professor Oak mentioning a cousin of his in Alola.

"You must be thinking of Samson Oak. The one I'm talking about is Samuel Oak," he corrected. "The two of them are cousins, and they even look alike from what I hear, but the Professor Oak I'm talking about is a top Pokemon Researcher whose grandson Gary is a rival of mine."

"Yeah, you might be right. Please continue."

"Right. Misty, Brock, and I traveled through Johto next, which is where I got the eight badges to qualify for the Silver Conference. I beat Gary for the first time in my life, but I lost and wound up in the Top 8. Lucky for me, Charizard started listening to me again during our Orange League journey. After that, Misty got her bike back and the three of us went our separate ways. After that, Pikachu and I went to Hoenn to try the League there. We met a Pokemon Coordinator named May Maple and her brother Max before reuniting with Brock. Like with Misty, Pikachu barbecued May's bike." Pikachu nervously rubbed the back of his head. "She and I also wound up in frequent arguments over silly things. I can hardly even remember."

"So how far did you get in the Hoenn League?"

"Top 8, just like with Johto. After that, we split up, but reunited for the Kanto Battle Frontier. May got in the Top 8 at the Hoenn Grand Festival and the Top 4 at Kanto's. I actually managed to beat the Battle Frontier, but I declined a spot as a Frontier Brain. I'm glad I did too, because I wouldn't have been able to travel to Sinnoh if I accepted. There, Brock and I met another Coordinator, Dawn Berlitz. Once again, Pikachu fried her bike, but at least she didn't make a big fuss about it. Dawn and I argued now and then, not as frequently as I did with Misty, but Brock usually had to act as a referee. She made the Top 2 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival while I made the Top 4 at the Sinnoh League."

"That's pretty cool. What happened after that?"

"The three of us separated, but Sinnoh was my last journey with Brock. He decided that he wanted to become a Pokemon Doctor, so he started studying for that while I was in Unova. There, I met a Dragon-Master-in-training named Iris. We argued more than I did with Misty, which was frequently. Since the Unova region doesn't have Pikachu in the wild or in the PokeDex, she got super excited and squeezed Pikachu a little too hard and wound up getting shocked along with her Axew. It was actually pretty funny. A while later, we got to Striaton City where I challenged all three of the Gym Leaders, the triplets Cilan, Chili, and Cress. I beat Chili, but lost to Cress. Cilan wound up being the tie-breaker. I beat him and he decided to travel with me and Iris. He's a bit eccentric if you ever get to meet him. I got the badges I needed, but like with Johto and Hoenn, I wound up in the Top 8. To get back to Kanto, we went through the Decolore Islands. When we arrived back in Vermilion City, our friend Alexa and I separated from Iris and Cilan when they went to Johto."

"And where did you go to next?"

"My next journey was one I had just gotten done with." Mallow noted the somber look on Ash's face and held up a hand for him to stop, confusing him. "Mallow?"

"You're probably not ready to tell me, are you?"

"Not really," Ash admitted. "It's kind of a heartbreaker."

"That's okay. You'll tell me when you're ready," she said, getting Ash to notice the kind smile on her face and respond with one of his own. They noticed some commotion going on and saw a group of wannabe gangsters whose outfits had a skull motif. The leader of the trio was a slim male. He had with him a chubby male and a female. "Not those guys!" Ash saw the angry look on her face when she said it.

"Who are they?"

"They call themselves Team Skull. They try to bully other people into giving up their Pokémon. In fact, they'll even steal if they have to. I hate them!" Ash knew they weren't in his favor either since they reminded him a bit too much of Team Rocket. Now he was determined to beat them since they saw them picking on Delia and Mimey.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," the girl said. "We just want Mr. Mime there."

"If you guys want trouble, try challenging me instead!" shouted a voice. They looked and saw Ash, who was really angry at them. Delia took the time to run behind her son as he got ready.

"More like us!" Mallow exclaimed, correcting Ash as she joined in.

"Oh, now you're starting something!" said the leader, who threw three Poké Balls into the air and released three black, lizard-like Pokémon with fiery red points on their tails. "Let's get ready, Salandit!"

"What he said, Yungoos!" the fat one exclaimed as he released three mongoose-looking Pokémon with slicked-back hair.

"Let's get 'em, Zubat!"

"Get ready, Pikachu!" Ash called out. "I choose you!"

"Let's get 'em, Bounsweet!" exclaimed Mallow. The two Pokémon got ready to battle as the orders were called.

"Yungoos, use Bite!" said the fat grunt. The three Yungoos attacked the two opponents in front of them, but Ash had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu rushed towards the three Yungoos, to the shock of Mallow and Bounsweet. When the Electric-type Mouse Pokemon was through, all three of them were down for the count.

"Zubat, use Venoshock on Pikachu!" said the girl.

"Salandit, Flamethrower on Bounsweet!" said the leader. The two trios launched their attacks at their opponents. They made impact, but when the dust cleared, Ash was covering Mallow, Pikachu, and Bounsweet, an action that got Mallow to blush a little. They were unharmed since a glass wall was put up. They looked and saw Mimey protecting them.

"Great timing, Mimey!" Ash said, praising his mother's helper. "Mallow, are you ready to finish this?"

"Yep!" Mallow said with a smile. "Bounsweet, use Energy Ball!" The little Grass-type charged up a green sphere and fired at the opponents.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Pikachu acknowledged the order and fired a yellow ball of electricity from its tail as well. This severely weakened the Zubat due to Pikachu's advantage over Flying-types. "Let's finish this with Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"Bounsweet, let's help them! Use Solar Beam!" The two attacks combined into one larger blast and made impact on the opposing teams, knocking them out cold.

"You won't get away with this!" said the leader as Team Skull returned their Pokémon and got on their motorcycles.

"Yeah, what he said!"

"Well, that's that," said Mallow.

"Yep," Ash added. "Compared to Team Flare and the others, these guys are nothing." After he said it, he realized that Mallow caught on.

"Ash, are you telling me you've battled even deadlier organizations? It's no wonder we were able to beat them so easily."

"Ash has had his share of battles, Miss Mallow," said Delia, causing Ash to look away and whistle in embarrassment. "He's battled Teams Aqua and Magma in Hoenn, Team Galactic in Sinnoh, Team Plasma in Unova, and Team Flare in Kalos."

"That's so cool! I heard that they were dangerous. Ash, it's awesome that you fought so many evil organizations, but you have to be careful. You could get killed one of these days."

"I try, but it doesn't always work out that way," the runner-up of the Kalos League joked, getting a slight giggle from Mallow. Suddenly, a robotic arm appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. Ash, Mallow, and Delia followed its trail and saw a familiar (to the Ketchums) hot air balloon. "Team Rocket!" exclaimed Ash.

"Prepare for Trouble up in the sky!"

"And make it Double right on the fly!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Who are these guys?" asked Mallow.

"Did we forget to tell you that I've been facing these guys for a long time?" Ash asked rhetorically. "They're Team Rocket, bad guys who try to steal other people's Pokémon!"

"And it looks like we did it!" exclaimed Jessie.

"Seriously, twerp!" Meowth said. "Of all of our encounters, this has got to be your most careless!"

"And knowing you guys, that metal arm's Electric-proof, isn't it!?"

"How'd you guess?" James asked.

"It's nice and sunny, Bounsweet," Mallow said. "Think you can muster up another Solar Beam?" Bounsweet nodded and jumped up, launching another Solar Beam at the arm that was holding Pikachu hostage. It severed the arm in half and Pikachu fell back into Ash's arms, who slid to catch his best friend. "Are you okay, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu confirmed before looking back at Team Rocket in anger.

"I know what you're thinking, Pikachu," Ash said. "Time to go full-power! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu powered up and launched its favorite technique at Team Rocket's balloon, blasting yet another hole in it and sending the diabolical trio flying somewhere else.

"I don't believe this!" shouted Jessie.

"We almost had him that time!" James added.

"We always almost have every time!" Meowth finished.

"Wobbuffet!"

"And where blasting off again!" they shouted.

Back with Ash, Mallow, and Delia, they watched the classic sight with only Mallow and Bounsweet being amazed by Pikachu's power. Ash knew what she was thinking, so he spoke before she did. "That happens all the time," he said. They then got into a bit of a panic due to Pikachu feeling its energy being drained from his Thunderbolt at full power. "Oh no! Pikachu!"

"Let's get him to a Pokémon center!" Mallow said, getting a nod from Ash.

They got to the Pokémon Center and were relieved that it wasn't too busy. This told Mallow, with a sense of personal pride, that she and Ash prevented more trouble from Team Skull. They got Pikachu with Nurse Joy and sat in the waiting room. As Delia continued to shop, this time for something for her son, Mallow and Bounsweet were the only ones with Ash. She then got an idea to strike up a conversation with her new friend from Kanto. "So...that was one impressive Thunderbolt," she said. "Was it like that when you were trying to save Pikachu from those Spearow?"

"Yeah," he answered. "At first, Pikachu didn't listen to me. It was after we took Misty's bike that I saw Pikachu's Thunderbolt in action. I tried to protect him and he wound up protecting me. After that, we became the best of friends."

"Like brothers. Almost inseparable. I can see that between you two."

"I never told you about my last journey, did I?"

"No, but like I said, when you're ready, you can tell me."

"I feel like I should," he said, getting Mallow to listen. "My last journey was through the Kalos region. Pikachu and I traveled with another brother-sister duo named Clemont and Bonnie. Clemont is the Lumiose City Gym Leader and Bonnie's his little sister. We also traveled with a friend I made back before Gary and I became rivals. Her name is Serena. She was the sweetest girl I had ever met. Originally, she wasn't sure of what she wanted to do, even after choosing Fennekin as her Starter, though she knew she didn't want to become a Rhyhorn Racer like her mother. She's good at it, I'll give her that. But she eventually decided that she wanted to become a Pokémon Performer. I've seen a lot of amazing sights in my journeys, but when she took the stage, something about it was different than when May or Dawn had the spotlight on them. I couldn't quite place it back then, but for some reason, Serena's performances were the greatest sights I'd ever seen. After she got second place at the Master Class, I had my first attempt at the Snowbelle Gym, which ended in failure. Serena and I had our first and only argument when she was only trying to help. She was the reason I got over my doubts and my Greninja and I managed to perfect our bond. After that, I made my way to the Finals at the Lumiose Conference, losing to one of Team Flare's former associates, Alain."

"But what about Team Flare themselves?" Mallow asked.

"Team Flare was our toughest battle against a criminal organization, even more than Team's Aqua and Magma and they were harsh in their own right. Team Flare's leader Lysandre even unleashed a Gigalith Zygarde on us. The real Zygarde even stepped in and stopped it. Of all the leader's of a criminal organization, Lysandre was the only one who was killed. After that, we were helping to rebuild Lumiose City, including Clemont's Gym, which is Prism Tower. When another one of their admins, Xerosic, returned and tried to take a Zygarde Core and Cell that were with us, I had to leave Greninja in Kalos to protect it after we got that mess taken care of. Not that I don't appreciate Bounsweet helping out against Team Rocket, but I feel kind of stupid not bringing Charizard with me." This elicited a giggle from Mallow. "Anyway, when Serena decided what she was going to do next, Clemont and Bonnie were there to see us off. She's now in Hoenn doing Pokémon Contests with Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon at her side. Before she separated from us, she did something out of the blue that no other girl has done."

"She kissed you, didn't she?" Ash nodded with a blush on his face. This told Mallow that Serena kissed Ash on the lips. "Ash, if you and Serena cross paths again, I promise to stay out of the way. In the mean time, since you enjoy a good battle and look like the kind of person who gets excited at the sight of a new Pokémon, would you want to stay here and learn?" They had no idea that Delia was back and listening, shocked that Mallow had asked Ash of that, but not too surprised. She knew Ash well enough to want to explore a new region, but also saw a bit of loyalty to Serena in his eyes, finally learning why he was depressed. "C'mon, there's even a Pokémon School you can learn from. And Alola's got plenty to distract you from your heartache. Beautiful beaches, unique Pokémon...good-looking girls," Mallow said with a flirty look on her face.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Delia said, gaining the attention of the two. "Besides those reasons, it looks like you've made a good friend in the process. And she's a beautiful one in my opinion. Maybe until you reunite with Serena, you could take her out on a few dates?" Both of them blushed, but Mallow recovered quicker. They saw Pikachu out on a silver cart rested and recovered.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu jumped excitedly into Ash's arms with the Trainer being overjoyed to find him okay. "Hey, Pikachu, what do you say about you and me staying in Alola for a while?" Pikachu cocked his head to the side, wondering why Ash would do that before remembering the unique Pokémon they saw. The Electric-type rodent chirped in excitement at the prospect of meeting new friends. "Is that a yes?" Pikachu nodded. "That's good to know." Both Mallow and Delia smiled as Ash accepted the invite. He then thought of another one of his Pokémon who would probably enjoy Alola. "Hey, Pikachu?"

"Pika?"

"Would you be okay if we brought Charizard down here as well? We really could've used him in the Kalos League, couldn't we?" Pikachu laughed along with his trainer before agreeing to have the fully-evolved Fire Starter with them eventually.

"Ash, I understand that the battle against Team Rocket just now made you miss the rest of your Pokémon, but why Charizard?" Delia asked.

"Charizard, Greninja, Pikachu, and Sceptile are my four strongest, and unfortunately, I had to leave Greninja in Kalos. Plus, it's like I told Pikachu: It's to make up for not having him with me in the Lumiose Conference."

"Well you don't have to worry about that now," Mallow said. "You've got me. Plus, at the Pokémon School that I study at, you'll have more friends backing you up if Team Rocket manages to succeed in kidnapping Pikachu...as long as they're still in Alola."

"Thanks, Mallow," Ash said before turning back to Pikachu. "If push comes to shove, or if we're feeling a little nostalgic and homesick, I'll bring Charizard here. Is that okay with you, buddy?" Pikachu chirped in excitement.

At Mallow's house, the green-haired girl set Ash and Pikachu up in the guest bedroom for the night. She also called the region's Pokémon Professor to tell him about the arrangements for them. Not only was Ash allowed to attend the school, which Mallow was excited about, but the Professor, who was a teacher at the school, decided to let Ash live with him after hearing Mallow's description of him, which she was a little sad about. She got back to the room that the two best friends were occupying. She saw them looking out the window at the stars. "A penny for your thoughts?" she asked, getting their attention.

"Still have my mind on Serena, but I'm also excited to start attending the school," Ash said. "I wonder what kind of place it is."

"You know those summer camps you went to in Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos?" The Kanto trainer nodded. "It's like that, but there are lessons unique to this school that they don't teach at those camps. For example, the Regional Variants I mentioned earlier. Then there's Pokémon that are found only here. A little heads-up, Ash: The one who teaches the class on Regional Variants is Principal Oak."

"You didn't sound like you were too excited about that."

"Well, he makes these bad Pokémon puns. He thinks it's funny, but the rest of us don't. Oh, and you don't have to worry about having to deal with our classmates. If you do, it's going to be Kiawe, our most experienced classmate."

"What type of Pokémon does he use?"

"He uses Fire-types, but if your Charizard is as strong as you claim it to be, you two should be at least evenly matched. His signature Pokémon is Turtonator. Lana uses Water-types with her signature being the Starter Popplio. As for Sophocles, he's an Electric-type user with a mischievous little Togedemaru."

"And I'm guessing that because of Bounsweet, you use Grass-types, right?" Mallow nodded in the affirmative. "That's really cool! My Grass-types are all Starters. Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Sceptile, Torterra, and Snivy."

"You didn't get Chespin?"

"Nope. That one went to Clemont. Believe it or not, Clemont, Serena, and I all got the Starters directly from Professor Sycamore himself. Chespin's the only one who hasn't evolved. Serena chose Fennekin as her first Pokémon and it evolved into Braixen."

"Yeah, you think quite a lot about Serena," Mallow said in a joking manner. She then saw Ash head to bed with a sad smile on his face. Pikachu slept at the foot of the bed. "Ash, can you do us both a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Can you turn over onto your stomach please?" Though finding it odd, Ash complied. Mallow took off her shoes and got on the bed to straddle his back. That's when the young trainer got a feel of his new friend's hands massaging his shoulders. Ash gave a pleased moan, loving the way her hands felt. "Feeling better? I can keep going if you want."

"That...ngh...feels good." As soon as she got done with his shoulders and back, she wrapped her arms around his torso. "Mallow?"

"I know you miss Serena. That's why I want to make you as happy as I can. What good would I be if I didn't at least try."

"You're just fine, Mallow," said Ash. "Thank you."

"Look, when the time comes that you and Serena cross paths again, let's hope it's for good. I won't get in the way. In the meantime, try adding 'bachelor' to your resume and consider me or Lillie. She's a lovely girl too. She even has that same innocence that Serena's got." She saw the downcast look on his face. "It's just a suggestion. Goodnight, Ash." She stayed there all night, cuddling with her friend since she wouldn't be able to that much starting tomorrow.

Ash turned his head back to the window, eyes glimmering with excitement of meeting new friends, as well as hope that he runs into old ones, especially Serena and Brock. 'Serena,' he thought. 'I hope you're doing well in Hoenn. Say 'hi' to Max and Dawn for me.'

Meanwhile, in the Hoenn region, a Pokémon Contest was almost done. All they had to do was decide the winner. The four there were a certain redheaded tomboy in a fancy suit, a man dressed as a vagabond in a hat, a certain bluenette in a nice dress, and Serena, who was also wearing an elegant dress. "LET'S HEAR IT FOR OUR TOP FOUR! ZOEY!" the announcer said, getting some cheers. "NANDO!" More cheers. "DAWN!" Even more cheers. "AND OUR WINNER...SERENA!" The honey blonde girl got the most cheers as she received her Ribbon. This was her third Ribbon and she couldn't be happier. Dawn, Zoey, and Nando couldn't be happier for her since they all tried their hardest. Dawn and Zoey knew exactly who she was dedicating her wins to: Ash, who was also the one to help Dawn as well.

'Thank you, Ash,' Serena thought, holding the Ribbon close to the one that she wore. 'Thank you for helping me find my goal.'

"That Serena's really something else, isn't she?" Zoey asked. "Then again, you're not much different, Dawn."

"Serena, I think we can both thank Ash for our meeting," said Dawn, which Serena nodded to.

THE END

Been a while since I posted anything, especially Pokémon one-shots. I was needing this, so I'm glad that the Sun & Moon anime started. Let me know what you guys think. Oh, and Happy New Year.