Chapter 2-Time to Ketchum
(In case you're wondering it's a play on words with "Time to Catch Up" I know the title pun is bad, so sue me)
Okay before this chapter begins, I would like to answer some of the questions in the reviews you guys left.
Mark(Guest)-No he would more or less be King of Kalos not Prince and no that position still belongs to Brandon.
Now, THE STORY RESUMES!
"Ash Ketchum!?"
Everyone was in shock to see their old friend Ash after so long, and that he was the Battle Theatre Frontier Brain. It explained why that Charizard looked so familiar. The only thing that shocked them more was that Ash, the densest trainer they had ever met, had a girlfriend!
"Nice to see you guys again," Ash finally said.
"Ash, you're the Frontier Brain," May asked, still in shock, "you're Serena's boyfriend?"
"Yep," Ash answered normally.
"When, where, how?" Dawn asked, everyone had questions for Ash, especially how he and Serena were a couple.
"Whoa, one at a time," Ash said trying to calm them down, "how about we go have some lunch and we'll talk about it then."
"Fine," they all said in unison.
They went upstairs to find a well furnished living room and kitchen.
"You live here too?" Max asked.
"Saves a lot of time getting to work, huh?" Ash joked. They all sat around the dining table and enjoyed a well cooked meal from Serena.
"Wow Serena, you're a really good cook," Dawn complimented.
"Yeah this is the best food I've ever had," Max added.
"Why thank you," Serena said, "and what do you think May?"
May tried to say something but her mouth was full of food and she kept stuffing herself with it. Everyone sweat dropped at Mays table manners.
"You were right Ash," the performer said to her boyfriend, "her appetite does equal yours."
"Yeah," Ash said scratching the back of his head, "but at least I improved my table manners." Everyone laughed at this, except May of course. Once everyone finished eating, Dawn got straight to the point. "Alright Ash, spill it," she said slamming her hands on the table, "you are one of the densest trainers we have ever met, so how do you have a girlfriend?"
"Well where do you want me to start?" Ash asked.
"The beginning," May said, "how did you two meet?"
"I remember that as if it were yesterday," Serena said, "It was back at a summer camp in Kanto when we were eight..."
Flashback
A young Serena is lost and scared in the forest behind Professor Oak's lab. Her mom thought it would be a good idea for her to go this camp and make her appreciate Rhyhorn racing a bit more, boy was she wrong. She hated the camp she wanted nothing more than to leave this camp and go back home, that is once she got of this forest.
"Hey where is everyone," she cried out, "is anyone there?" Then she heard a rattling in the bushes and tried to run away, but she tripped and hurt her knee. The creature causing the rustling was a Pollywag and it scampered off into the forest. "I never even wanted to come to this camp," she said crying, "Mommy!" Then she heard another rustling coming from the bushes. Already frightened she was expecting a more scarier Pokémon but she did not expect the sound is the creature made.
"Pollywag?" Out came a raven haired boy with a yellow and red t-shirt, he noticed Serena and came over to her, "Hey who are you," the boy asked, causing Serena to open her eyes and see the boy, "my name's Ash, what's yours?" He then noticed how scared and sad Serena was. "Hey what's wrong," he asked.
Serena looked down at her knee and said, "my knee, it hurts."
"Are you alright," Ash asked as he kneeled down beside her. He reaches for his pocket and pulls out a blue handkerchief and wraps it around her knee. As he was doing this, Serena couldn't help but feel glad this boy was helping her. Once he was done, Serena tried to get up but with little success. "No for the magic words," Ash said as he waved his arms around, "pain, pain, go away." It was a cute little chant but alas, Serena's knee was still in pain.
"It's no use I can't stand up," Serena cried.
Ash got up on his feet and said, "Never give up 'till it's over." He then extended his hand to help her up. She was a little shy at the time so she was a bit hesitant in grabbing his hand, so Ash grabbed her hand and helped her up, but he pulled a bit to hard and caused them to fall into a hug like state. Serena quickly noticed this and pulled away staring at the raven haired boy. "There, you stood," he said with a toothy grin, "come on lets get back to the campsite," and he lead Serena by the hand towards the camp, little did he realize a small blush crept onto Serena's face.
"...and I've had a crush on him ever since," Serena said, finishing the story.
"Oh my gosh, that is sooooooooo romantic," Dawn said now more calm, "but hold on, If you knew Ash before he went on his journey, how come he never mentioned you?"
"Well I went back to Kalos after camp which made me really upset, and I still had the handkerchief Ash used on my knee," Serena explained, "and he forgot all about it," she glared at Ash.
"Now that's the Ash I know," Max said earning a few laughs from the group and a blush from Ash.
"Hey, I did remember eventually," Ash said.
"Oh I was just teasing Ash," Serena said before giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "besides I forgive you for that."
"Thanks Serena."
"Alright clearly that wasn't the last time you two saw each other," May said, interrupting the moment between the two love birds, "so how did you too reunite?"
"Well my mom is a famous Rhyhorn Racer and trained me to follow in her footsteps, which I did not enjoy by the way," Serena explained, "but then one day after a day of practicing there was a news story about a boy who saved a Garchomp on Prism Tower, when I saw it was Ash, I knew that it was my chance to see him again, so I left on my journey the very next day to meet up with him."
"However once Serena got to Lumiose City, I was already on my way to Santalune City for my first gym badge," Ash added, "So after she got her starter Fennekin, she went straight to Santalune as well."
"When I saw Ash at the Gym I was practically ready to jump right into his arms," Serena continued, "but I was stopped when I noticed that there were others watching, two were traveling with Ash at the time, Clemont and his younger sister Bonnie. He lost that match and headed straight for the Pokémon Center, and completely passed me, I was a bit disappointed but then I noticed he forgot his backpack and returned it to him."
"Once I won my rematch with the gym leader Viola I invited Serena to come on our journey and she agreed," Ash said.
"Wait, wait, wait, YOU invited HER?" May asked.
"Yeah," Ash confirmed, "kind of a switch up isn't it?"
"Anyway, while we were traveling, I was also trying to find my own dream," Serena continued, "and thanks to Ash, I found it in Pokémon performances."
"So how did you end up together, as a couple I mean," Max asked.
"Well while we were traveling I started feeling a little weird around Serena," Ash explained, "it took me a while to figure out I had feelings for her."
"I can imagine," Dawn said, earning a couple of snickers.
"Anyway," Ash continued, "I was able to conquer all the gyms and Serena became Kalos Queen not so long before I entered the Kalos League."
"How did you do in that one?" May asked.
"I got to the finals but lost," Ash said, "it was one of my better Leagues."
"It was definitely better than the Sinnoh League where you made it to the semi-finals," Dawn said.
"Yeah," Ash said, "but the one thing I will never forget is the night after that battle…"
Flashback
Ash was standing on a balcony of the Pokémon Center looking at the starry night sky, contemplating on his loss in the league. 'I really thought this would be the one,' he thought. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone come up behind him.
"Ash?" He turned around to see Serena with her face filled with concern.
"I'm fine Serena, don't worry," said the Kanto native, trying to reassure her worry, "this isn't the first league I've lost."
A small smile started to form on Serena's face knowing her crush still had some spirit in him.
"So what are you going to do," she asked walking up next to him, "now that the League is over?"
Ash looked down in disappointment. "Probably the same thing after every other League," he replied, "head back to Kanto, find out about another region, and try to conquer that League." He really didn't want to do it, not alone at least. He really wanted Serena to come with him since he realized he had feelings for her, but Kalos Queen was only specified for this region, in order to hold onto her title she had to stay here, he just wished it could be otherwise. He then noticed Serena was too looking depressed. "Hey what's wrong?" he asked.
"I-it's nothing," she lied.
"Serena, you know if something's bothering you, you can tell me right?" Ash said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't want you to leave," she let with tears in her eyes, wrapping her arms around Ash. Needless to say he was shocked, not just because of what she said, but that she was actually hugging him. "Ash I never really wanted to go to Professor Oak's summer camp, you were the one thing that changed all that," she confessed, "you're the reason I am who I am now; you're the reason I went on my journey in the first place, you're the reason I found my dream, you're the reason why I'm Kalos Queen right now." Ash was totally speechless, Serena believed he was the reason she was where she was now? "I don't know where I would be if I hadn't met you, Ash I… I…" she choked up for a while, she's been waiting to tell him this ever since the met again, yet even now she was nervous. But finally she was able to say, "I love you!" She finally said it, she didn't care now if he returned her feelings or not, at least she finally told him how she felt.
Ash just stood there in shock, Serena actually loved him? He couldn't believe it, but then he realized that there many times she probably tried to tell him this but it just flew right by him. Why did he have to be so dense?
"Serena, is that true," he finally asked, "do you really feel that way about me?"
"I meant every word," she said still holding him tight. Then she felt something on her back, it felt very welcoming and warm, she hadn't felt anything like it since… since Professor Oak's summer camp. She then noticed Ash was hugging her back, she wondered why he was doing this. Then he finally spoke.
"Serena, I've probably realized this a few weeks ago," he said, staring into her dazzling blue eyes, "but I love you too."
Now it was Serena's turn to be surprised, he loves her, he actually loves her. She looked at his chocolate brown eyes as she started to cry once more, but these were not tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. "Oh Ash," she said, "you don't know how happy that makes me feel." They then came together for another hug, both had felt the warmth of the hug coursing through their body. They wished this moment could last forever.
"Are you still going to leave?"
"Now why would I leave without you?" Serena stared into Ash's eyes once more in confusion. "Being a Pokémon Master won't mean anything if you're not there with me."
"You mean… you're staying?"
"I'm staying."
Silence filled the air as the two trainers gazed happily into the others eyes. They felt a strong force pulling their faces together, they slowly came closer and closer and then…
"Hey Serena where are you," came a young voice from inside the Pokémon Center, startling the two trainers and making them blush, "Dedene and I are waiting to play charades with you before bed."
"I'll be right there Bonnie," Serena said, she then turned to see her new boyfriend, "so… see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," they then returned inside the Pokémon Center to get a good nights sleep.
"...We've been together ever since," Serena said, finishing off the story.
"Well that was very sweet," Dawn said. She then looked at the clock, it was almost 5. "Wow look at the time!"
"We need to get to the Pokémon Center," May said.
"The Pokémon Center is quite far from here," Serena said, "you can stay the night here if you want."
"Really," Max asked, "you wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all," Ash said, "we can continue our story in the morning."
"In that case, I want to see the stores," May said, "I want to see what kind of cute outfits Kalos has."
"Then why don't you two follow me," Serena said heading towards her closet, "I know where all the best clothing stores are."
"Then lets go," Dawn said as she and May followed Serena out the door.
There you guys go, the second chapter. I bet some of you were hoping Ash and Serena where going to finish that kiss, well sorry. I figured it might make the chapter a bit too fluffy considering my last two romance fics were. So I decided to purposely have it interrupted to avoid fluffyness, if it's still fluffy, I tried right. Anyway I have a feeling you Pearlshippers and Advanceshippers are going to ask this so I'm just going to get it out of way. No May and Dawn will not compete with Serena for Ash's affection, they will be happy with their relationship and support them, sorry. Now I don't hate the ships, I just don't ship them. Anyway, next chapter will tell the origins of the Battle Theatre, but before that chapter comes I want to hear how you think it came to be, you may be right, you may be wrong, but you'll find out if you stick around because THIS WILL CONTINUE!
