Love in the Time of Turbulence

Chapter 1: A Reunion

Welcome! Or welcome back, I suppose! In any case, whether you're new readers or older ones, I'm happy to see you reading. This is it: a (hopefully) long-awaited sequel to "Love in the Time of Teamwork"! I know at the time I said I didn't have plans...I lie to myself. Anyway, that aside, I'll see you at the bottom.

NOTE: As this is a sequel to "Love in the Time of Teamwork", I suggest you read (and review) that story (and its follow-up oneshots) before coming here. There are quite a few OCs in here from that story that factor prominently. That said, this story also takes place between XYZ 29 and XYZ 30.

Author: Epicocity

Rating: T for violence and darker themes

Pairings: Amourshipping, of course! Also, Laserbladeshipping

DISCLAIMER: Of course I don't own Pokémon. Why would one even ask that?

Love in the Time of Turbulence

An Amourshipping Pokémon Sequel

Chapter 1
A Reunion

"Can I take a look? Pleeeeease?"

Serena looked up from her tablet, a soft smile washing across her face. Ahead of her were two people, walking a little quicker than usual. Tucking her honey blonde hair behind her ears, her gaze turned backward momentarily to see Clemont, one of her very best friends, huffing and puffing to catch up. He had almost closed the gap between the two of them. Seeing that, she turned her attention back to the other two at the front of the group. Bonnie was bouncing up and down, showing her age and status as the little sister of the group. Meanwhile, Ash was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he reached into his bag to pull out a case.

"They're all so shiny..." Bonnie cooed to the trainer. Dedenne hopped from her bag and onto the case that Ash was holding. His weight seemed to make Ash's arm drop a little but he still held onto the case. It was no surprise, really. Serena knew her boyfriend well enough to know that he would never let go of that case. It was too precious to him. "You finally got them all!"

"Yeah, I did," Ash said. His tone was surprisingly mellow for someone who had just recently won his eighth badge and was granted permission to enter the Kalos League. To that thought, Serena's smile dropped just a little. It was no surprise that he was so lax about his eighth badge, despite being after it for so long; despite it being his key to the League. He had been broken...to the point that he'd even brushed her off, after they'd promised to share everything with each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Boyfriend". Such a familiar, and yet foreign, term. That, yet again, brought a great smile to Serena's face. Had it been two months ago, before the Kalos Team Tournament and the subsequent situation in Ancien, she would have said it was impossible for her to confess her feelings for Ash. Then it had all happened, and their relationship changed. She said "I love you" out loud to the person she loved more than anything...and he reciprocated. It was like something out of a dream or a fairy tale, except that it wasn't. That was enough to make her heart nearly burst, and when he was happy, she was beyond happy.

But when he was broken, her heart crumbled into little pieces.

Thankfully, he had bounced back. Ash was still as enthusiastic about taking on the Kalos League as he ever was, but there was a different air about him. It was a little more mature. More determined. Well, Serena wasn't sure exactly which words to use to describe Ash's newfound attitude. However, she did notice something different in his interactions with her.