TDBigJ's message: *Points fingers in the air repeatedly* YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I'm back, and I'm more stoked than ever! It feels good to be releasing another story. That fourteen weeks off was fun but it was way too long. For the most of the fourteen weeks I was off, I was enjoying myself, typing for my crossover fic and this, but about a month ago, I was beginning to miss releasing chapters for a story. So my creative juices rushed through my bloodstream and I got to work a lot more than I have been. I've missed you all and I hope some of you who have been with me for previous rides are back to read this one. So, what has been up with me for the past three months? Well, a few things actually. I have had a few more job interviews (including one just on Wednesday, and another coming up on Monday), with no success (at least not yet). Regarding my most recent interview, I have said to you guys before that if I get a job that updates probably won't be that frequent or even weekly, well, that may not be the case, as this job I interviewed for starts at four in the morning and ends at eight. Yep, four hour shift. But seeing as it's at that time, it may not interfere with progression of chapters. We'll see. I've been practicing hard to become street legal (Drive if you didn't know that already). And, I've been playing the heck out of Pokemon Moon. When I ended Against All Odds, I had only three Pokemon at my disposal: A Torracat (Now an Incineroar), A Trumbeak (Now a Toucannon), a Wingull (Now a Pelipper), and a Growlithe. Since then, I have acquired a Lillipup (Now a Herdier), an Eevee (initially an egg and has now evolved into an Espeon), and a Pancham (Now a Pangoro). I currently have completed six Island trials, with the most recent being Sophocles'. It's still a freaking fun game. Anyway, enough about me, what has been up with you guys in the last three months? Leave it in a review or send me a PM. Anyway, now with the story. If you didn't know already, this story will be called "The Part of You That Stayed Behind", and what I can tell you what this story will be like, it's going to be more drama based than any of my previous stories. Another thing I can tell you that it's going to be a Forrest Gump type of story (The more you read this story the more you'll understand what I mean by that). It wasn't my intent for it to be like that, but the more I thought of the plot of this story, that movie came to mind. This story will have romance in it don't you worry. I might even add a few sensual moments, but no lemons (I would never go that far). And one last thing, this story will mainly be told from Serena's point of view. That's as much as I will tell you as I don't want to spoil anything major. Well, that should just about do it. But before I start the story, I'm going to do something I haven't done with any of my previous stories, I'm going to welcome back those who have read my previous stories (Just in case you're reading this story right now). I'll at least mention the ones I remember. I'll do that, and then the story begins.
Brig nodrm2347-If you're reading this, welcome back! I hope this story will be just as good or even better than my last three. Enjoy the ride!
Oliverqueen01-If you're reading this, I'm glad to see you reading this again. Of course I won't know until I get reviews for this chapter after I publish it. How has WWE been for you in the last three months? How about the Superstar Shake up that happened this week? And more importantly, how do you feel about Shinsuke Nakamura going to Smackdown Live (I know you said before that he was your favorite nowadays and Smackdown Live is the better show)? Anyway, enjoy the story!
TheAztecKing-I know you only read my last story, but I'm glad you gave it so much support and I'm really enjoying your story as well. Oh, and sorry for not reviewing your story when I said I would (Man I can't keep a promise can I?). If you're reading this, thank you! I'll be happy to see you back!
Guest-My most loyal guest, if you are reading this, welcome back! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated the crossover fic as much as you wanted me to during my break but lately I've been pretty busy, but you can expect at least one or two updates per month as I've stated before I can only work on one multi-chapter story at a time. But I'll do my best to get chapters out on a bi-monthly/monthly basis. The next chapter is just about done and I should have it out by the end of the weekend or in the next week, we'll see. But anyways, if you're reading this, glad to see you again.
Mad Ass Dragon-My favorite undead sweetness overloaded dragon, I'm hoping you are reading this, if you are, welcome back! I hope you'll enjoy this one and I'm crossing my fingers that I won't put you back into a diabetic coma with this story, although I think this story will be lighter on the romance side, even though there will be quite a bit of it in this, but the moments won't be as heavy, by that I mean not like every chapter. Anyway, I welcome you back if you're reading this.
If there is anyone else I forgot to mention, welcome back!
TDBigJ's message (continued): That's as much as I have to say, but… I have one more thing to mention. At the moment, I'm going through a hard time. Earlier this week, I just lost one of my dogs. She was the best dog, but thing is, she was an old dog, she was a fourteen year old dog and she just couldn't hold on. I was the first one in my family to find out. She passed away outside, which is where she loved it the most. That's life I guess. But another thing came to mind (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD). Last week's second episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon would kind of reflect what just happened to my dog. Stoutland kind of looks like a dog and he ended up passing away near the end of the episode and moving on to a better life. Kind of ironic that this all happened, isn't it?
Well, with that set aside, I think I have everything that I wanted to say off my chest, now let's get on with the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.
"Never."
"Never did I think this would happen."
"Where did all the love go?"
"Where did the roaring of the crowds go?"
"And most importantly…"
"Where did the love of my life go?"
"My husband, Ash Ketchum, went off the face of the Earth twenty four years ago. I haven't seen him, my kids haven't seen him, his friends haven't seen him, no one's seen him in that long. Not after he disappeared and went to Arceus knows where."
"If you don't know me by now, my name's Serena, Serena Ketchum more specifically. Actually, no one knows me by that anymore. Ever since my husband disappeared no one has acknowledged me by the name Serena Ketchum, not once, except for my friends. But I still consider myself Serena Ketchum, even though he's been gone for almost two and a half decades. But I don't care what others think of me as. If they don't think of me as that anymore, I could care less. I'm still married to the guy for crying out loud."
"Also, no one sees me as the Pokemon World Champion's wife anymore. They only see me as "The cheaters wife". Why a cheater you ask? Well, that was the main reason why my husband went into hiding. Let me explain."
"Twenty four years ago, when we were twenty eight, Ash had just won a battle narrowly against a member of the Sinnoh elite four. It was a tough battle, but Ash was barely able to squeeze in a victory. But that's not the whole story. A day later, someone claimed to have seen Ash use an illegal tactic in the battle and nearly everybody in the world turned on him and shunned him as the World Champion. The only ones other than me who thought this was a lie were our kids, friends, and family. I knew Ash wouldn't do that, our kids knew he wouldn't do that, our mothers knew he wouldn't do that, and Ash's friends that he travelled with and encountered when he was young knew he wouldn't do that. We all knew Ash was better than that. He would never resort to cheating to win a battle."
"I wonder who started that rumor. Yes, it was a rumor, I don't care what anyone else said it was, it was a rumor. Maybe there was someone out there who despised the fact that Ash was World Champion and spread it just to ruin his reputation, or it was just someone who thought it would be funny just to do something like that and spread it around just to see what would happen. It was sick whoever did it, and for whatever reason, I don't know, but that ruined the life I had with the most important person I ever met."
"But things were a lot different now. Twenty four years later, people who were alive back then and still are now are wondering where he went, now regretting their actions and wishing he was back. That confused me, but not just that, it also irked me quite a bit."
"Why would it irk me? Why? Let me tell you. Twenty four years ago, you people forced him to go into hiding when you turned your backs on something he didn't even do, but yet now that he's been gone for so long, you all of a sudden want him to come back to civilization? Well guess what? You should've thought of that twenty four years ago before doing what you did. Make up your freaking minds people."
Yes, this was something that irritated the living hell out of me. I hate those people for being so stubborn and arrogant at what happened a long time ago, and I'm not a person who hates easily, the only people that I've hated in my life before now was Team Rocket. Yeah, they irritated me to no end when I travelled with my husband, and Clemont and Bonnie when I was ten. But at least we don't hear about them anymore. Who knows where they went to? Not that I care anyway. The only thing I know about them is that they're not in Team Rocket anymore. Maybe suffering one too many of my husband's Pikachu's thunderbolts kind of jolted some sense into them.
But by then, you've probably done the math. Yes, I'm fifty two years old now. I feel old but my kids and friends tell me otherwise. They say I look like I'm only thirty five, which was a compliment I accepted. I look at myself in the mirror every day and see what they are trying to say, not to sound vain or anything but I kind of do look like I'm thirty five. My hair is still honey blonde with not a gray hair in sight, and I barely have any wrinkles (give or take a couple on my cheekbones). My hair is basically a little longer, maybe a couple inches, than it was when I cut it when I was ten. It's basically at the middle of my shoulder blades, still curled a little bit. I like the fact that I look younger than I really am, but I'm not a looks type of person, inner beauty is the most important to me, no doubt.
Did I mention that I have kids? Sorry, I should have brought up that topic first. My husband and I have three kids, two sons and a daughter. My oldest is Gabriel, who is now thirty years old (Had him when I was twenty two). My middle is my daughter Carissa, who is twenty nine (Had her when I was twenty three), and my youngest is my other son Colby, who is twenty six (Had him when I was also twenty six).
I couldn't have been happier with the three kids I have. So was my husband, he was a proud father. My two sons, Gabriel and Colby look just like me: honey blonde hair, blue eyes and almost the exact facial features. And the funny thing was they took after me too. My daughter Carissa looks exactly like her dad: Raven black hair, brown eyes, and the same two marks on her cheeks that her dad possesses. She took after her dad as well, and is set on becoming a World Champion like him too.
I may have been a mother for thirty years, but I am also a grandmother as well. Gabriel has two kids of his own now, both daughters. Carissa is a mother as well, three kids, all sons. Even my youngest Colby has two kids, a son and a daughter. I love my grandchildren to death. You wouldn't believe how much I spoil the seven of them.
But enough about me for now, this is not all about me, it's about my husband. When it came to the whole cheating scandal, he was infuriated when he heard someone say he used an illegal tactic in the battle. Yeah, he was not a happy camper. Within a week after the news, Ash gathered the press to try to convince the whole world that he didn't cheat, but it didn't do him much good. Everyone still thought he cheated, especially when a video, which looked like it was edited (Which it was) to show that he "used" the illegal tactic in the battle. But it was crap. I remember that exact moment in the battle with my own two eyes, it never happened. It seemed like whoever ruined his reputation really wanted him to suffer and seem like he wasn't worthy of his title. My first guess was that it was Jessie, James, and Meowth but that seemed too obvious. Besides, those guys weren't even in Team Rocket anymore, so it couldn't have been them, but at the same time, I'm not ruling them out.
It was hard not having him around, and like I said before, the rest of the world thought so too. The world hasn't had a world champion since he left. Since he never lost a battle where he would be dethroned as world champion, he still held the title, even though he hasn't battled in twenty four years. The rules were you had to lose a title match to lose being World Champion, by no other circumstances could you have it taken away, but it kind of didn't make sense since our World Champion was away in who knows where. The only thing that was decided regarding this subject was who would battle him for the title if he ever returned, and, wouldn't you know it… that person was our daughter Carissa.
As stated before, Carissa took after her dad. She wanted to be World Champion like him, and she was a fierce battler like him too. She learned from her dad about Pokemon battling, but not in the way you think. She watched many videos of her dad's battles from his childhood to his most recent battle and kept a close eye of everything her dad did and the girl was something to behold. But would she take the title from her dad? One day, we'll possibly know.
I guess that's a lot said for the basics for now. I swear my life hasn't been the same since he left. I was living my dream of being married to and having a family with my childhood crush, but one small rumor made everything vanish like a candle in the wind. The comments from everybody who shunned him struck me hard like a thorn in my side. Actually, it was more like a sharpened stake. I still remember some of the things people said, some were along the lines of…
"You rotten scumbag? How could you have done such a thing?"
"You're such a dumbass! If you cheat, you're not a World Champion, you're a cowardly wreck!
"How can you live with yourself? I expected better from you, champ."
"A novice trainer would've won that battle without cheating. I was wrong about you."
"I looked up to you, now I've lost all respect for you. You suck to all ends."
I admit, some of them were generic, but they still hurt. The week leading up to Ash's disappearance he had lost his anger on a constant basis, and that was not like him at all. Ash never lost his anger that easy, but when it came to this, it was a different story. Ash had worked hard day in and day out since he went out on his journey when he was ten. No one had a better drive to achieve his dream than him. Mine was nowhere near his. It seemed like he would stop at nothing, not caring if he didn't sleep, if he got sick, if he was injured to be the Pokemon master he wanted to be. His drive was one of my favorite things about him. His determination was one of his best characteristics and that's what made him World Champion. He knew that he wouldn't become World Champion overnight, but that only fueled him up more, and everyone that he travelled with, encountered in his younger days, had a tremendous amount of respect for him… and still do.
But that was all thrown away. I remember the day he went into hiding. He had gathered me and our kids and told us the words that meant the most to us. I can still remember the exact words he told me right before leaving.
Flashback
"Look, I'm sorry I have to do this, but I need to leave for a while and think things through. I hate to leave you all behind, but I don't have any other choice." Ash started.
"Listen honey, there are better ways to deal with this. You can just wait until it all blows over." Serena said.
"With how major this is, it's going to be a while until anything blows over, if it ever will. I can't go around town and people look at me with disapproving eyes and condescending expressions. I will be gone a while, but I promise I'll be back." Ash explained.
"Please, don't go. What are the kids going to do while you're away? I can't raise them all by myself."
Ash put his hands on Serena's shoulders. "Look Serena, you're the strongest person I know. I know you will be able to take care of the three of them while I'm gone. You can do it."
"Gabriel and Carissa are still very young, but Colby, he's only two years old, he needs you around. It's going to be hard for me." Serena explained.
"It may be hard, but it's not impossible. Just do it to the best of your ability. I'll be back in a while. Trust me." Ash stated.
"Return when you can. Don't rush it." She stated.
"I promise." He kissed her on the lips. "One hundred ten percent. I'll see you all in a while."
Then he turned around and started walking away, but was immediately stopped when he felt something hug his leg. Ash looked down. It was five year old Carissa holding on tight to his leg, a few tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Daddy, please don't go." She whined.
Ash leaned down and hugged his daughter. "I don't want to go either, baby. But it's something I have to do."
"But who will teach me to become a Pokemon trainer when I turn ten?" Carissa asked.
"Carissa, you're a strong little girl. I believe that you will become the best trainer you can be on your own. You just have to find your own way. That's how I did it." Ash explained.
"How?"
Ash put his hands on Carissa's shoulders. "Carissa, you're not only strong, you're also smart. I know you can think of the best way to become the strongest Pokemon trainer you will set yourself out to be. Just follow those words and you'll succeed, okay?"
Carissa gave her dad a tight hug. "Okay, dad, I will."
Ash stood back up and continued walking away. He stopped one more time a few seconds later, saying one last thing before departing.
"I believe in you. Like I always have."
End of flashback
That last line got me thinking… Was he saying that to me? Was he saying that to Carissa? Was he saying it to all of us? I didn't have a clue. But that was the last thing he ever said to us. We all miss him dearly. I miss him a lot. Our kids miss him a lot. But out of everybody, I probably missed him the most. But hey, it wasn't a competition.
That is only the beginning of the story. There is loads more to tell, to you, to everybody. I can remember every waking moment from the day he won the title of World Champion, to the day that ruined everything. This is not all of everything I have to tell you, not by a long shot.
Right now, I'm just starting with the basics.
Author's note: What a depressing start to the story. This story will probably have a lot more drama than any of my three previous stories and might even have you shedding a few tears here and there. This one will be right in the feels. I feel like this is going to be one of my best stories to date, but I won't know that for sure until the fifteenth chapter is released, which is a long fourteen weeks away. But… considering how fast it will be from chapter one to fifteen, long probably isn't the appropriate word. I guess I don't have a word for it… at least not yet. While I look in the dictionary for the best word for this, look on to the preview (You probably knew this was coming).
Charizard and Lucario were both standing on the battlefield, completely worn out after giving each other their all. It was back and forth after the halfway point, and it was clear that one of them was about to fall. The whole stadium knew that neither Pokemon could take another hit, and the battle was just about at it's end.
And then…
Lucario closed his eyes and fell down on the warm dirt of the battleground, out for the count with Charizard still standing. The referee made the call.
"Lucario is unable to battle, Charizard wins. That means this battle goes to the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." The referee announced.
"YEAH!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs. He had finally achieved his dream of becoming a Pokemon master, as he was now the World Champion, the youngest ever, at the age of 16.
All of Ash's friends had rushed onto the field as Ash continued to yell to the skies, all the while on his knees, eyes closed, and arms high in the air. Stephan and Cilan were the first to get to him and picked him up onto their shoulders. The rest of his friends came and patted him on the back as they congratulated his victory. The six years of training had finally paid off and it was well deserved.
"Congratulations Ash!" May commented.
"You definitely deserve it! You've worked so hard for this!" Misty added.
"You're definitely not a little kid anymore. Great job!" Iris said.
"It must feel good to have finally achieved your dream. I'm happy for you, Ash." Bonnie exclaimed.
"Thanks you guys. I owe a lot of it to your support. Thanks for sticking by me." Ash stated.
Back in present day
"So that's how he won the World Title, huh?" Phil asked.
"Yep. That day changed for him in more ways than one." Serena replied.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's nothing." She responded, a little shy to say what happened next.
"So then what happened?" Phil asked.
Serena took a deep breath before responding. "What happened next… is something that changed my life forever."
Author's note-2: Well, looks like things could possibly be off to a smooth start. Gee, I sure hope so, because I don't want it to be rough like the skin on my back. Whoops! Was that too much information? If not, then it looks like I'm good. If it is, then I'm a freaking gross individual. I'll see you all in a week as I apply lotion to my back. *Slaps forehead* I'm nasty. Just nasty. What do you think will happen next? I'm pretty sure you'll be able to guess, the hint is pretty obvious, but every once in a while my previews have to be at least a little obvious, but besides that, that's pretty much it. And who is Phil? You'll find out in the next chapter. And also, the name of each chapter will be the title of a Bon Jovi song (Entertaining music if you ask me). Sorry, that's just a sort of thing that I will be doing with my stories from now on, naming them after a song title. A lot of them fit well if you ask me. And one more thing, I am planning to add an OC to this story but I want to know if it's okay with you guys to put him in. The thing about him is that he is related to one of the characters. I want to know if you guys are okay with him being in this story, if so, then I'll keep him in the chapters I've already finished, if not, then it looks like I have some work to edit. Leave me a thought in your reviews (Although it's completely optional). I'll see you all in a week. Until then…
TDBigJ out!
"Join the club. We've got jackets."
-Shrek, Shrek 2