Ash had never liked flights. He always associated them with the end of a journey or the start of a new one.
But here he stood, or rather sat. On his first return flight to Kalos since the day he left.
His mind wandered back to that fateful day at the Lumiose airport.
Goodbye Ash!!!! Serena turned her back and the escalator took her back down towards the gate. Suddenly, she turned around and sprinted back up.
"There's just one more thing!" Serena drew closer to Ash and slowly leaned in and her lips met his. She kissed him for less than a second, but as far as Ash was concerned, it may as well have been a year. The escalator pulled Serena down and she blushed furiously as she was carried downstairs.
"Goodbye!!!" Serena fell out of Ash's sight and that was that.
Ash started blushing and slapped himself to try and get his head back in the moment. Paul, who was sitting next to Ash gave him a puzzled look.
"Is everything ok Ash?" Paul asked with a concerned look
Ash paused for a second, before deciding to tell Paul the truth.
"Have you ever been kissed by a girl?" Ash said nervously
Paul gave Ash a look which he had never seen before. Paul almost seemed to be... embarrassed?
"Why do you ask?" Paul said with an angry tone
Ash scratched his head, "Well, truth be told, I had my first kiss in Kalos, and heading back just reminds me of that."
Paul shook his head "There is no way, NO WAY that Ash Ketchum of all people kissed a girl before me. I've never had a girlfriend or anything!"
Ash muttered under his breath, "Jeez, I wonder why"
Paul smirked at the comment and an awkward silence ensued
Paul broke the silence first, "So, what is she like?"
Ash looked up at the ceiling of the airplane before speaking, "Well, she's a Pokemon performer from Kalos. She loves baking and she's really nice."
Paul smiled "She sounds like a catch, so how'd you do it? I remember in Sinnoh that your friend Dawn was sending so many signals and you didn't catch any."
Ash scratched his head again, "Well, truth be told, I didn't have a clue. She kissed me then ran off and I haven't seen her since that day."
Paul deadpanned and turned his gaze to Ash, "Are you serious. That's how? Goddamnit Ash, you may be marginally better at battles, but you still need some help when it comes to girls."
Ash shrugged "Look who's talking!"
Paul laughed "Man, you really have changed! I'm glad I chose to work with you."
Ash smiled at him "Me too Paul, me too"
–Meanwhile, in the row behind him
Lille sat, half asleep, she overheard the whole conversation. She gritted her teeth, why was she so mad about this? Was she jealous?
She sighed and looked inside her backpack where two Poke Balls sat. She decided that if she ever met this girl that she'd battle her. While not a battle fanatic like Ash was, she figured it'd be fun to smack the living daylights out of some Kalosian girl who had feelings for her crush, wait, no, her boss
—--
A few hours later, the plane touched down at the airport and Ash stepped out near the gate. His eyes stared at a certain escalator before walking towards baggage claim.
"So, how was your flight Lille?" Ash asked with a smile
"Pretty good Ash, how about you?" Lille said happily
"Pretty solid! Except for the part where Paul wouldn't stop snoring"
Paul rolled his eyes "You have no proof"
Pikachu shook his head "Pika Pika Pika!"
Ash shrugged "Guess it's two against one Paul"
Paul rolled his eyes, "Whatever guys."
Lille giggled, "It's ok Paul, Ash snores more than anyone I have ever met in my life"
Ash turned around "Hey, that's not true!"
Pikachu shook his head "Pika Pika Pi..."
Paul gave him a smirk "Look who's down two against one now"
—-
They had a few hours before their meeting with the Grand Bank of Kalos, so Lille and Ash decided to go to a local Cafe. Paul decided to check them in the hotel and get a nap before their meeting with the Grand Bank.
"Wow Ash, this is seriously great food!" Lille bit into a bright berry scone and Ash was wolfing down a croissant.
"Yeah! I have two friends who live here, and they told me this is the best place in town!" Ash said with a stuffed mouth
Lille giggled "Seems like it!"
Ash smiled, "Yeah, it's been a while since I've talked to them though"
Lille sipped on her drink, "And why may that be?"
Ash shrugged, "I'm always busy with one thing or another, sometimes makes me wonder if I'm a good friend or not. I have so many friends who I haven't reached out to in ages."
Lille leaned back in her chair, "Well, truth be told I don't believe that you're a bad friend for even a fraction of a second. You help everyone around you so much, just because you suck at texting doesn't mean much."
Ash smiled, "Yeah, I try my best. If I'm not helping people, I'm not living right."
Lille felt a surge of boldness rush through her and she reached out across the table and tapped Ash's hand. "Ash, trust me. You are living right. Imagine telling the Ash that just arrived in Alola that he'd be the Regional Champion."
Ash blushed slightly at her touch, "Yeah, I mean I'm still not a Pokemon Master."
Lille looked at him puzzled, "How does one become a Pokemon Master?"
Ash shrugged, "It's not just being the best at battles, or catching the most Pokemon. It's something more, something hard to say. Changing the world for the better is absolutely part of it"
Lille smiled at Ash yet again, "Ya know Ash, the more and more I learn about you, the more I'm happy you're my friend."
"Pika-chu Pi"
"Yes, you as well Pikachu" Lille giggled
On the other side of the cafe, a blonde girl who was supposed to be picking up food snapped a picture of Ash and Lille having lunch, glaring at both of them.
Bonnie was livid. How could Ash come to Kalos and not tell her! And he was eating lunch with a pretty girl! She needed to text Serena because Bonnie wouldn't let all of Serena's efforts with Ash go to waste. That girl was practically a sister to her! She decided she'd say hi and embarrass Ash in front of his new girl to get revenge on him.
Ash was just paying for the food when he saw a familiar-looking Blonde approach him.
"ASH!" Bonnie ran towards Ash and hugged him
"Hi, Bonnie!" Ash said with a huge smile
Bonnie pulled away and gave Lille a brief glare before turning towards Ash. "Why didn't you tell Clemont and me that you'd be in Kalos?"
Ash was about to speak before Bonnie interrupted him again
"And who's this pretty girl over here! Is she your girlfriend? How could you forget about Serena!"
Lille blushed and then realized that this "Serena" must be that Kalos girl Ash was talking to Paul about on the plane.
Ash interrupted her. "Ok, first of all, we're just gonna be in Kalos for a day or two and we're on a business trip."
Bonnie crossed her arms angrily. "What business"
Ash smiled, "Well, truth be told, I'm the new Champion of the Alola region. And we're here to get a loan from the Grand Bank so we can build a Pokemon League."
Bonnie looked at Ash suspiciously. "Explain this girl then, is she your new girlfriend? Will you guys get married?"
Ash blushed and glared at Bonnie, "NO! She isn't my girlfriend! She's just a friend with who I wanted to go out to lunch with. She's my secretary and the league manager, so don't even say this Kalos trip is a date. Because it's not."
Bonnie glared at Ash again. "But what about Serena, would she approve of this?"
Ash slapped his face, "We aren't dating! Just because she kissed me once doesn't mean she's my girlfriend.
Lille felt her heart skip a beat. She remembered Ash said he hadn't seen her since then, but she smiled knowing she could claim him as her own.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Anyways, I'm a Pokemon trainer now! And I wanna battle you!"
Ash smiled, "Now that's a challenge I can get behind."
Ash stepped out into the street and Bonnie alongside him.
"One on one?" Ash asked and Bonnie nodded "Yeah, I only have one Pokemon right now"
Ash shrugged "Fine by me. Let's go Pikachu!"
Bonnie grabbed a Poke Ball, "Froakie I choose you!"
A small blue frog emerged and Ash smiled at her. "Great choice Bonnie"
Bonnie gave Ash a grin. "I thought you'd approve. Now let's do this, Froakie use bubble!"
Ash shook his head. "Sorry Bonnie, but I have a meeting at the bank. Pikachu use electro web and thunderbolt it!"
Bonnie's eyes widened "What happened to Electro Ball!"
Pikachu launched an Electro Web and trapped Froakie, before shocking the water starter into the ground.
Bonnie recalled Froakie. "Ok, bye Ash! Please say hi once before you go!"
She ran off, with Lille staring at her
"Well, she's certainly a character." Lille said flatly
Ash nodded, "Yeah, yeah she is."
—--
At the bank a few hours later.
"Do I have to wear this suit?" Ash said with mild annoyance and Lille nodded her head.
"It's important that we present ourselves nicely Ash, they won't like it if we show up casual."
Paul rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the elevator. "Whatever, let's make this fast so I can get changed."
The elevator doors slid open and Ash and company walked out into the meeting room where a group of men in suits were sitting
"Hello everyone, my name is Zuko West, and I'm the head of the Grand Bank of Kalos. Everyone is well aware of your data so let's just skip straight to the point. Ash, you're a capable enough battler, but as for your Elite's, we still need evidence of official Pokemon League levels of battle strength before we grant any loan."
Ash scratched his head nervously. "So what exactly does that mean?"
Zuko sighed "It means we need evidence of a member of your elite four being strong. We have an in-house battle master for security reasons. For obvious reasons, a bank needs a strong trainer."
Ash laughed, "Yeah, I guess I've never thought of that."
Zuko pointed at Paul "Are you an Elite Four or Gym Leader?"
Paul simply nodded
Zuko pressed a button and motioned for them to follow him and the rest of the board.
They stepped into another elevator before it reached an underground arena.
There was a vault door next to the arena, likely where the money was stored. A familiar green-haired boy sat on a few boxes, palming a Poke Ball. His eyes widened upon seeing Ash.
"Woah! This is a surprise! Ash, are you trying to rob a bank! I'll stop you!" Sawyer yelled out enthusiastically
Zuko rolled his eyes, "Settle down Sawyer, this is Ash as you may already know. I want you to battle his Elite Four over here in the purple hair. You two boys may decide the format of the battle."
Sawyer smirked, "I'm up for whatever."
Paul rolled his eyes. "One on one."
Sawyer laughed, "Fine by me!" Sawyer grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it. "Alright, let's do this Salamence!"
A large and muscled Dragon landed on the arena floor.
Paul threw out a Poke Ball in response. "Alright, fine by me! Electivire, standby for battle!
Paul's Sinnoh Ace stared down Salamence and grinned. Salamence gave a roar and rushed at Electivire.
Electivire sidestepped Salamence's assault without Paul saying anything.
Sawyer pointed at Electivire. "Salamence, use Draco Meteor!"
Salamence roared and unleashed a massive meteor that exploded and shards landed all over the arena. Electivire was struck by one of these shards and fell over before quickly standing up.
"Come on Paul" Lille started cheering
Paul grinned "Thunder, now!"
Electivire blasted a bolt of thunder straight at Salamence and struck the Dragon who flew down. Paul pointed at Salamence. "Alright Electivire, let's end this fast."
Paul started doing a dance and Ash's eyes widened. "Wait a second, how can he do that! He doesn't have the–"
"USE GIGAVOLT HAVOC!" Electivire launched a blast of electric energy straight at Salamence and the dragon went down to the ground.
The board member's eyes widened along with Sawyer's and they started whispering.
Zuko stepped forward and gave Ash a firm handshake. "It seems like we're good with the loan. Congrats"
Ash hugged Lille "We did it!"
Paul smirked "Thanks Ash, seriously. If you're wondering where I got the crystal, well, that's for me to know."
Sawyer waited for Ash to finish talking. "Hey Ash, can we talk?"
—----
Meanwhile:
Serena got a text from Bonnie. She needed to get home ASAP. If she didn't talk to Ash soon, she'd never confess her feelings with words and not just an airport kiss.