TDBigJ's message: Hey, hey, hey! Okay, I'm sounding like Fat Albert, and I'm neither fat or is my name Albert, even though that isn't a bad name to have, but how many people these days are named Albert? Sorry for any of you whose name is Albert, I hate to be rude, one of the last things I want to be. Anyway, who is up for another chapter? I think this story is pretty decent up to this point. The reception is more than I expected. I'm glad that those of you who have read one or both of my multi chapter fics before this one are reading this one and those of you who are new, thank you as well. I do this all for you guys and the fact that I enjoy writing. I guess it could be considered practice for my future career, I hope that doesn't sound selfish, and I apologize if it does. With what I needed to be said having been said let's get to the responding of the reviews.
Wolves22 (Guest #1): I wish I could say she would, but she was only and OC for my last two stories. I hate to say she probably won't be appearing in this story, but I might change my mind, you never know. Thanks for the review!
Espeon44: I'm not quite sure. Thanks for the review!
Oliverqueen01: Yeah, Sasha Banks against Charlotte inside hell in a cell is something that is a pretty genius idea. Mick Foley is right. Women need to make history. Sweet! You'll be back to writing soon. Yay! I'm happy. Yes Bellamy is like you know who. Good bonding moments, every story needs them. Thanks for the review!
Mad Ass Dragon: Heh, pimping her dad out. It seems like Bellamy is up to that isn't she? Where is Ash taking his kids and Serena on vacation? Well, you'll see. It's an early memory as in not very early but from the original series. Yeah, puppy dog eye moments, I like those too. My Basset Hound does that to my mom very often as well. I'm planning this story to be fifteen chapters like the other two. Thanks for the review!
ChloboShoka: I'm glad you like the idea of Ash's ex-wife being an OC. I just don't like it if it was a female from the anime, especially one of his former travelling companions. I would just like Ash to keep his friendship with everybody he's met. I'm rooting for Serena too, although only I know where this story will be going. Sorry if I'm being rude. I like the idea of Tristan and Bellamy having Serena as a stepmother. Just seems like a good idea. Thanks for the review!
Orcinus21: Glad you liked the chapter. No problem. Your recommendation is right. I really need to expand genres as a writer if I am to be one in my life. Thanks for the review!
Guest #2: The crossover fic should be out within a week so sit tight. An amourshipping picture on my page? I don't know, I'll think about it. Thanks for the review!
Darkaura808: Thanks for lifting my spirits, I sure could use it, although I don't want to ask for sympathy. I don't like being the center of attention. The Big Bang Theory is your favorite show too? Awesome! I'm actually watching it right now as I type this. Weird thing is, I actually am able to type better while I have it going on in front of me. Yeah, the experiment is them trying to live together. I watched last week's episode at my brother's place (Which he is now moving out of). Yeah, the reason I put those as Ash's reasons for accepting challenges because that seems that would be like something Ash would do. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Pikachu would like his buddy and his childhood friend become a thing. Thanks for saying I'm a great writer. Even the simple comments make my day. I hope this story has potential, but that is up to you guys. Why aren't Tristan and Bellamy with Denise? Well, I will point that out this chapter but it's just a simple reason. When are one of them going to make a move? I would say that around chapter seven or eight one of them will make a move. Don't worry, asking that question is fine, it's only a minor spoiler. Thanks for the review!
Guest #3: Well here it is. Thanks for the review!
Shadic4566: I think Pikachu thinking Serena as his second trainer seems to fit well. Braixen (Or Delphox) Seeing Greninja in this story? I'll think about it. Thanks for the review!
Brig nodrm2347: Yeah, Ash's kids carbon copies of Bonnie. I find that funny. Yeah, you really don't see four or five year olds that mature for their age but, you know they're still little kids so their maturity is nowhere near developed but I thought making Tristan and Bellamy decent kids for their age, make them different from the bunch. You think you know where they're going? Well, you'll see this chapter. I actually haven't seen this past week's episode, but at least you noted that it was a spoiler. I actually already knew that Serena wasn't going with Ash to Alola because I've been reading Sun and Moon articles for the past month. I hope that Ash and Serena have a chance to reunite in the future and perhaps travel once again, but I have no idea where the anime will go after Sun and Moon. I guess I'll have to wait for a few years to find out. I hope she appears in Alola too. The writers have to at least give us that. I am not ready for the goodbye (Although it might have already happened). But I'm ready for Sun and Moon and see how Ash fares in school. Thanks for the review!
Roger1119: This is your favorite fanfic out of the hundred that you read? Aww, thank you. That also makes my day. Well, here is that chapter you're wanting. Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.
It was ten at night and Serena was packing her bags. She needed to check if she had everything for the trip: clothes, toiletries, etc. The following morning her, Ash, and his kids were taking a trip over to the Orange Islands. They had been making plans the last couple of days and they eventually decided that they would go the second locale that Ash had travelled in his younger days. Serena had never been there but Ash noted that he had taken his kids there once or twice in the past. Since neither his kids nor Serena had really much of an idea of what the Orange Islands looked like (his kids more so than her), they thought that Ash would give them a look at one of the first great memories he had made as a trainer.
After checking that she had everything and putting her bags right next to the side of her bed, she sat down and wondered about this whole trip. This whole vacation was Ash doing a favor to Serena since she had hardly travelled much since she was a young girl. He felt bad for her and thought that while he was off for a couple of months, he might as well spend some of his time with her. She was his best friend (besides Pikachu) after all, and she was ecstatic that he had thought about her for this. But that was who Ash was: so considerate and thoughtful. At least he wasn't dense anymore.
When he invited her on this trip, she was surprised. She had just met up with Ash again and he was already doing her a favor. He certainly didn't have to, but he was Ash, someone who always put others before himself. She was pleased to go with Ash and his kids, and she would especially get to know his kids better. But there was one thing she wanted to do while going on this trip with Ash and his kids: It was to have some bonding time with Ash. Since she hadn't seen him in sixteen years she wanted to know all about him again. She wanted to be the next woman in his life and she wanted to start by knowing what kind of person he was now. She knew he wasn't the exact same person she travelled with so long ago so she wanted to know what parts of his personality had changed. She already knew he was more mature, less dense, and a lot smarter than the boy she knew when she was young. She really wanted to see what was different about him now. She didn't want to be his next love interest right away, that would take time. Just like everyone else, she needed to take baby steps while achieving her goal, and that was exactly how she was going to do it. Of course, there were some parts of him that hadn't changed throughout the years: His kindness, his boldness, his respectfulness, etc. Those were just a few of the things that she loved about him so much, a few reasons why she still harbored a crush on him to this day.
And then there were his kids. Tristan and Bellamy seemed like adorable little kids. The question regarding her relationship status a few days ago sure stunned Serena as she wasn't expecting a question from either of his kids like that. It raised some questions in her head. Did they still love their mother? Did they want their dad to be happy again? And then a new span of questions arose in her head. If they wanted their dad to be happy again, did that mean Ash was going downhill? Was he depressed? She couldn't make any of these her conclusions as she didn't know the exact reason why they wanted a second mother in their lives. Yes, she would love to be their mother because of them and Ash, but why, and why her? She didn't have the faintest clue. Maybe it was due to the fact that they only saw their mother on an occasional basis. Ash did say that they only saw their mother once in a while. Why so? Did Denise want nothing to do with her kids? Did she not have time due to her schedule? She more or less wanted it to be the latter as she didn't think Denise wouldn't want to be around her kids because she resented them, although she didn't know what kind of person Denise was. But from what Ash described their divorce as, she was sure that Denise wasn't a horrible woman and that she loved her kids, but probably perhaps she just didn't have enough time to visit or spend time with them. Maybe she had a job that got in the way or there was so much other stuff she did that occupied her time. She felt bad that Tristan and Bellamy's mother was hardly ever around them. It's like they don't have a mother at all, and that probably hurt them, she would love to be around them so they had a mother figure and plus be with the man of her dreams.
She fell back on her bed and continued thinking. A lot had happened in sixteen years. The last six months for Ash probably had to have been hard for him. Serena wondered if Ash was over his marriage. Did he still think about Denise? If he did, did it depress him? Did he regret the divorce? Serena didn't think so, Ash didn't look like he was depressed when she saw him a few short days ago. But of course, many people don't show their depression for the sake of not concerning their friends and loved ones. Since he saw her for the first time since they were kids, did he not want to show that he was feeling bad about the divorce in front of her? Now, why was she thinking this? She didn't know the exact reason why his kids wanted a second mom. She knew Ash wasn't depressed. Ash was a strong person. But hey, depression could hit anyone, no matter how strong they were mentally-
She slapped herself on the side of the head. Depression wasn't one of the answers right now, why was it running through her mind? She needed to let that go.
She looked at it outside. It was dark and the sky had it's stars. She thought that she would hit the hay as early in the morning she would be leaving to catch a plane with Ash and his kids to the Orange Islands. She was already in her pajamas so she decided to crawl under her sheets and get some shut eye. She went through her bags one more time to check if she had everything. She would check again in the morning but thought doing it one more time before bed wouldn't hurt and let her think if there was anything else she could grab before she forgot. After checking it through thoroughly, she crawled under her sheets, turned off the lamp next to her bed, and fell asleep.
The following morning, Serena's alarm clock went off blaring. She was suddenly startled awake and flicked the switch and turned off the alarm. She sat up and stretched her arms out, pulled the covers off of her, and got out of bed. She looked at the clock, it read 7:48 a.m. Since Ash was going to be here at nine, she thought she would get an early head start and get her day going.
After getting showered, dressed, and checking through her bags one more time, Serena texted Ash (she got his number a few days ago) just to let him know that she up and ready. He texted her back saying that he needed a few more minutes until he AND his kids were completely done and ready, so she had some time to get anything else done that she could think of.
She sat down on her couch after getting herself some coffee and took out her phone again. She checked the weather for the next few days in the Orange Islands (Yes she can check that from Kanto). The weather was supposed to be in the eighties the whole week, so it seemed that it was going to be very humid weather on this vacation, so it was a good thing she packed some short sleeved shirts and capris for the trip.
She was wondering what the Orange Islands was going to be like (Other than the fact that it was going to be warm). Ash had a better idea of what that Orange Islands was since he's been there many times before so she thought that while on the plane ride there she would ask him a few questions of what it's like there and plus what Ash himself has done there on his past visits. She was a little curious so it might as well make for some good small talk while passing the time on the flight.
Ash just texted her and told her that he and his kids were done and they were on their way to her place to pick her up. She put her phone in her pocket and went into her room, got her bags and brought out to the front door, that way she wouldn't have to worry about making two trips back and forth.
Within fifteen minutes, Ash had pulled up in his SUV and helped Serena pack her bags in the car and then took off. It was a twenty minute drive to the nearest airport so they had a lot of time to talk about what they were going to do while in the Orange Islands. On the ride there, Ash's kids were well behaved, and asked Serena many questions as to what she has been doing in recent years and what it was like travelling with their father when she was young. She gave her honest opinion about what it was like going around Kalos with Ash (Without mentioning that she had and still does have a massive crush on their father). Serena had to admit they were smart kids for their age, and the fact they knew how to behave. Normally kids at four and five were a lot different and were a bit raucous when they were in a car or in general, but Ash's kids were completely different. Ash and Denise must have taught them really well in their early years.
A little time later, they arrived at the airport and got their tickets. A few people here and there knew who Ash was (Who didn't?) and went up to ask him questions and/or ask him for an autograph. Ash was very patient with them and answered their questions and gave them his signature if they asked him without hesitation. When that was all finished, they sat down in the seats the airport had available. Their flight didn't leave for another forty minutes so they had time to kill.
"So Serena, what was your favorite memory when you were travelling with my dad?" Tristan asked.
"My favorite memory? Oh where do I begin? It's kind of hard to think about it." She replied.
"Is there a lot of them?"
Serena literally didn't know where to begin. But she then figured out it was quite obvious. "My favorite memory of travelling with your dad was when we went to the Coumarine City Festival and after all the lights were lit, he gave me a blue ribbon he got as a gift."
"Is it the same blue ribbon you have tied to your shirt?" Bellamy asked.
Serena placed her left hand over the ribbon. "It is. It's my most cherished possession. He did it out of the kindness of his heart. That was what made that moment special."
"My dad holds a special place in your heart as well, doesn't he?"
"I… well… he's one of my best friends even to this day. We knew each other well before our journey and he even went out of his way to help me the first day he met me." Serena explained.
Ten minutes later, the two kids had fallen asleep, wanting to catch up on some since they got up so early this morning just so they could get here. Ash and Serena were each checking some things on their phones. Ash put his back in his pocket and then looked over at Serena. He wanted to ask her something.
"Hey Serena?"
"Yeah Ash, what is it?"
He took a deep breath before asking. "How come you're still wearing the ribbon I gave to you when we were younger?"
Now she took a deep breath before answering. "I still wear it because someone who happens to be my best friend gave it to me. But it means more than that. It was something that you got as a gift but you went out of your way to give it to me as a matter of saying thanks. It is still the most meaningful item I own that someone gave me."
"It really means that much to you?"
"Of course Ash. It came from you."
Ash took a moment to think that over. What did she mean by: "It came from you." How important was he to her. He knew he was important to her but didn't know how serious it was. He must have guessed that he had a lot of importance to her if she still wore a ribbon he gave to her a long time ago. She was important to him, but the other way around seemed like it was more serious.
"Oh, and Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"I realized that I never thanked you for your moment of gratitude from back then. I thought that now would be a good time while it's on topic."
Ash smiled. "Think nothing of it Serena." He said as he took his phone out of his pocket once again.
The forty minutes passed and they had boarded their plane and taken off. Tristan and Bellamy had fallen asleep again since apparently the forty minutes in the airport weren't enough, and the fact that they fell asleep last night at 8:30 and woke up at 7:00. So they ended up getting ten and a half hours of sleep and still being drowsy in the morning, but Ash wasn't complaining. They were little kids after all, sleeping half the day away was kind of their thing. He didn't know whether they were still tired or were just sleeping just to pass the time since they didn't really have anything else to do. Serena had pulled out her laptop to something on it while Ash was looking out the window that was a few feet away from him, just paying attention to what passed by outside, whether it was Pidgeys, it's evolved forms, any other flying type Pokemon that flew by. It was pretty boring seeing only a few things pass by the plane as it soared through the sky.
Seeing the Pidgeys fly by reminded Ash of his Pidgeot that he had back at Oak's lab. He remembered when he was a young trainer and had trained his Pidgeot. After he left Kanto he didn't train with Pidgeot at all for a long time, not since after his stay in Alola. He felt bad for not being with Pidgeot all that time. Pidgeot was the first flying type he ever obtained during his journey when it was a Pidgey. He wished that he came back to Pidgeot while it was still looking after it's flock. He was grateful that he was able to train a lot for Pidgeot since then and frequently used her in battles to this day. While he was thinking this over, he didn't notice was that Serena was looking right at him.
"Ash?" This snapped Ash out of his trance. "You okay? What are you thinking about?"
Ash rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Oh, I was just thinking about my past. Nothing too major."
"Was it about one of your Pokemon?"
"Yeah. Pidgeot specifically."
"Well, I hope your Pidgeot is fine. I'm pretty sure Oak is taking good care of it at the moment."
"Yeah, I hope so."
The rest of the flight was pretty much uneventful. Ash's kids had woken up after five hours of sleep and pretty much used their electronics the rest of the way. Once they landed, they went to the nearest hotel and booked in and got tucked in for the rest of the night since the flight was a good ten hours and they thought they'd get some shut eye after the long flight. It was 10:00 at night and they wanted to get a good amount of sleep because Ash had something planned for tomorrow. He apparently said he was going to take them to a special place tomorrow since it was nearby. So they got in their pajamas, crawled under the sheets and slept the night away.
The following morning they had gotten showered, dressed, had breakfast, and left towards the locale Ash had told them about. Tristan and Bellamy had been taking pictures ever since they left the hotel. They sure were interesting kids, weren't they.
Tristan took out his disposable camera and took a picture of the scenery. He may have been four years old but he was just as curious as every other kid… and person. Meanwhile, Bellamy was keeping an eye on her dad and in her words "potential mother" hoping that they would somehow show some signs of affection towards each other. Her dad had always mentioned that she reminded him of his former travelling companion Bonnie. She never quite got what he meant by that but she wasn't the one that travelled with her for months. But Ash told her that once Bellamy met Bonnie, Bonnie would confirm it, and he was right.
"Have you ever been here before, Serena?" Ash asked.
"Actually, no, I haven't." She replied.
"Well, take it in. I've been here many times before. It also holds one of the first great memories I had on my journey." Ash explained.
"It's good to go back to a place you know and love so well, isn't it?"
"Yep. Hey kids?"
Tristan and Bellamy looked up at their father. "Yes daddy?" Tristan asked.
"Remember when I told you I had some struggles to start off my journey but once I got here I felt like I started to believe in myself a lot more after I left?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I'm going to take you to a place where I made my presence known here. Come on, let's go. I'll show you." He started walking, with Serena and the kids following soon after.
"Hasn't dad shown us everywhere he's been here before the last couple of times we've been here?" Bellamy asked to Tristan.
"I don't know. Maybe there was something he didn't want to show us yet until now." Tristan answered.
"I guess we'll have to walk with him and see." Bellamy added.
A few minutes later, they entered a forest. Seeing as they were kids and you know the attention spans kids have these days (and the patience they had), Tristan and Bellamy were getting anxious, really wanting to know where their dad was taking them.
"Where is this place, dad?" Tristan asked.
"Not that much farther. Maybe a good ten minutes." Ash responded.
"I'll be distracted by a Pidgey within that time." Tristan whispered to Bellamy. This caused a stifle of giggles from Bellamy. Luckily for them, Ash and Serena didn't hear their commotion. It's not like they would have cared but it's good to keep it secret without others knowledge.
"Where is this place?" Serena asked Ash.
"You'll see soon." He replied.
"Come on. Won't you tell me?" Serena asked in a lovey dovey voice while also giving Ash puppy dog eyes.
"Uh, what is that look for?" Ash asked.
Serena was surprised that Ash asked that. He had been married before but even though she had no proof that Denise did the same thing, she was pretty sure that she did that at least a few times throughout their marriage.
"Oh, it's nothing." Serena replied.
"Oh fine, I will tell you." He leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Oh, that's cool to take us there." She responded.
"Ssh, just make sure the kids don't know." He stated.
Serena made a zipping motion across her lips. "My lips are sealed.
Ten minutes later they got close to their destination. Once they reached it, it happened to be a big stadium. Ash's kids were a little confused as to why he took them here. Serena had a better idea, although she herself didn't know the reason for being here.
"Daddy, what did you do here at this stadium?" Tristan asked.
"This… Is the same stadium where I won the Orange League against Drake." Ash answered.
Serena was surprised by this. She had no idea that Ash had won a league before. Why did he never tell her this when they were young?
"You won a league? I never knew that. I thought you never won a league before you travelled with me." Serena stated.
"Well, the Orange League isn't an official league, so it really didn't count as a major league victory." Ash replied. "Let's walk inside shall we?"
The four of them then walked inside the stadium. Surprisingly is was still well maintained. To the kids and Serena, it was a great looking stadium, to Ash, it looked like it hadn't changed a bit in the last decade and a half.
"Did you make some good memories here dad?" Tristan asked.
Ash bent down and put his arms around his kids. "I sure did Tristan. I sure did."
"Do you think you could battle here again one day for us?" Bellamy asked.
"I could do that. After all you kids love seeing me do it." He responded.
Tristan and Bellamy turned around and hugged Ash, who returned the hug. Suddenly, they heard a camera shutter. They all looked and saw that Serena had taken it with her camera.
"One for the memory books." She said.
Author's note: Well, there you have it. Looks like their vacation to the Orange Islands went smoothly. I think it was nice for Ash to show his kids and Serena the sight of his first and only league victory (Even if the league is unofficial). Well, at least he's won a league. It's one of the main major achievements Ash has had so far on his journey, that and conquering the Battle Frontier. At least that's my opinion. What do you guys think will happen next? Well, I've got a major event (Sort of) happening in the next chapter. If you want to know what it is, read the preview.
"Aww, but we don't want you to go." Bellamy whined, hugging Serena's leg.
Serena bent down and hugged Bellamy back. "I know. But it's getting late and I have to see how my Pokemon are doing. Who knows what party they've been throwing while I've been gone."
Bellamy and Tristan laughed at what Serena had just said. They knew she was joking. Serena must have swore, these kids had the intelligence of a teenager, if you thought teenagers were smart.
"Don't worry, I'll come back soon. Who knows? Maybe I'll come back tomorrow." She stated.
"Will you?" Bellamy asked.
"I'll think about it. But I love you guys, so it's a good possibility."
Tristan and Bellamy blushed when she said she loved them, only making them hope she would be their new mother even more. She obviously was the mother figure they'd admired to have.
"Just trust me, I'll come over a lot to see you guys. I couldn't live with myself if I stopped. I'll be back over soon, okay?"
Bellamy looked down, but she was still smiling. "Okay."
"All right." Serena said, then rubbing them both on the heads. "I'll see you guys soon."
She opened the door and walked out, waving goodbye. She started making their way home. While on the walk home, she thought about how often she visited Ash and his kids. It had been the third time in five days. She didn't want to overdo it. But Ash seemed to be fine with it. He actually liked having her come over quite often. She was his childhood friend after all. He knew her longer than anybody (Besides his mother).
Ten minutes later, she made it halfway home. It was 5:39 in the evening and the streets weren't as crowded as they were when she made her way over earlier today. She looked at her watch to find out how long she was over there.
"Geez, four hours. I feel like my visits are getting longer. I hope I'm not bugging Ash too often for too long." She said to herself. She wondered what her Pokemon had been up to since she left. Since her visits got longer she had been leaving them alone longer than she had ever been. Maybe one of these times she'd have to bring them over to Ash's so she wouldn't be worried.
But almost immediately, she bumped into somebody, which jolted her back to reality. She looked at the person she bumped into. It was a woman, maybe a few inches taller than her and she appeared slim with long curly brown hair.
"I'm so sorry about that. I should have watched where I was going." Serena said.
The woman raised her hands in the air. "It's no big deal. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going either."
"Well, I guess we're both to blame here." Serena stated.
"Yeah, I would have to agree."
Serena held out her hand. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? The name is Serena."
The woman shook Serena's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Denise."
Author's note: WHOA! Didn't see that coming now did you? Is this Denise woman Ash's ex-wife? Well, who else would it be BigJ? What other woman in this story is named Denise? While my mind tries to punish me, think about what could happen next and what might transpire between the two women in the next chapter. I might even have to read a dictionary to find out what transpire means. So I'll see you in a week for the next installment. Until then…
TDBigJ out!
Hey it's me! America!
-Ricky Bobby