Life couldn't be better for nineteen year old Ash Ketchum. Since the beginning of his journey nine years ago, he had competed in and done very well in innumerable tournaments. The Oak ranch back in Pallet Town was full of Pokémon that Ash sent back from all the regions he had ever been to. People from all over were beginning to recognize his name. And of course, every competition that he entered brought him one step close to becoming a Pokémon Master.
Of course, fame comes with a price. Ash was constantly being hounded by the press for interviews, conferences, photo shoots...this was the kind of life that Ash's younger self had dreamed of. Oh, he still loved being in the spotlight. But when the attention cuts into his personal life, well, even a star can get fed up. There were times that Ash was so stressed out that he would barricade himself inside his room, or run off to stay with friends.
That's not to say that Ash didn't have a personal life – he did. He kept close touch with all of his friends, especially the ones whom he had travelled with. There was only one thing Ash loved more than spending even a few hours with an old friend, and that was training with his Pokémon.
Initially, Delia Ketchum had been worried about her son. When his fourteenth birthday had come and gone and he still didn't show even the slightest interest in girls, she thought maybe there was something wrong. She needn't have worried; Ash was just a late bloomer. At nineteen, Ash had had a few girlfriends. As most of his friends had expected, he and Misty had tried dating. But the pressure from the media made them agree that staying friends would be easier. To date, no one had seen closer friends than those two. Ash was the only one that Misty let her guard down, and Misty was the only one that Ash had no problem confessing his blunders to (Brock was excepted in both cases, since he acted like the older brother to both of them).
Yes, life was great for Ash Ketchum. Unfortunately, the sad fact is that no life is perfect; Ash's is no exception.