Chapter 11/Final: Part of Each Others' Worlds


The new morning rose as the new royal couple spent their last day together. Ash and Melody became engaged at the ball hosted by Ariel and Eric for Melody's safe return. With Swellow's help, Sebastian arrived in Ash's room to greet him. "Good morning, Ash!" he cheered. "Boy, do I have news for you!" He reached the bed and noticed no lump from on top. "Ash?" He peered under the blanket, but nothing was underneath. "Where did you go, Mon?" He saw the door opened and walked through as Ariel came out of her bedroom and spotted the crab.

"Sebastian?" she called. Sebastian turned to the queen.

"Oh! Ariel! Thank goodness! Your father wanted to congratulate Ash on da engagement to da princess! But he's not in his room!" Ariel gasped and wondered.

"Could he be with Melody?" Going by that assumption, both entered Melody's room in which they quietly entered. They saw huge bumps. Quickly, Ariel's motherly instincts begin to rise. She spotted Max sleeping along with Pikachu and Harmony. Quietly, she reached the bedside and lifted the blanket. Underneath, she spotted Melody on Ash, both bodies under the blankets. Melody's head rested on Ash's chest, listening to his heart. The fingers of her right hand with the coral ring interlaced with Ash's left fingers, one having the emerald ring. The sight told Ariel to ease her suspicions as Pikachu stirred. Ariel re-covered the two kids.

"Is it dem?" All Ariel did was giggle with her hand muffling some of the sound.

"Let's let them sleep as long as they need to. You can tell him when they wake up." Sebastian took a deep breath as Max and Harmony awoke. Ariel tiptoed to the animals. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Let's get some breakfast while Ash and Melody sleep." Max happily panted while he and the Pokémon left to eat with Pikachu in Ariel's arms. A minute after they left, Melody stirred. As she woke, the first thing she saw was her fiance's face. She gazed lovingly to his smiling face for sometime. That's when she sensed something and turned. The sun, and its light could touch his face.

'Not today, sunshine,' she thought before hiding their heads under the blanket. She now had her method of stirring Ash with a series of kisses to the face. She finished it off with a kiss to his lips. The passionate kiss lasted a minute as Ash began to wake up. Because of the layers of bed-sheets over him, Ash wondered about the time.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked. "It's still the middle of the night, right?" Melody's giggle told Ash it wasn't.

"No, it's morning. I was having a good time staring at that cute sleeping face of yours, I couldn't resist." Ash flashed a grin to Melody's tease.

"Letting me sleep or waking me up?"

"Well, I wanted to see those milk chocolate eyes that I love to look into." Ash huffed a giggle to the remark.

"Is that so… I could say the same with that sunshine of a face to wake up to." Melody laughed before they engaged in more kissing under the blanket. After their moment beneath the sheets, they headed out to the village where the people saw the newly engaged couple. They gave Ash and Melody some congratulatory praises, even hugging the couple for the engagement. The girls who swooned for Ash after appearing at the palace were still upset, but they were good sports. They fed some food to the Pokémon, even to Harmony. The day wasn't long but it was memorable as Melody enjoyed the last day together with her husband-to-be. On the beach, Ash was back in his clothes as the royal family and staff gathered. Ariel and Eric were the first to give their final farewells as Triton and his other daughters emerged to say goodbye.

"Ash, you don't know how much your visit has changed all of us," Ariel spoke. "We're actually glad you and your Pokémon came by and taught us about your world."

"Of course," Ash nodded. "I'm still surprised that not only did I return a princess, but now engaged to one. It still feels surreal…"

"We know the feeling firsthand when I fell in love with Ariel," Eric reminded. "And now we have someone who can take care of Melody." Ash came forward as Pikachu was picked up by Ariel, giving him a kiss.

"There's something else I got that I don't think I've had in my life," the trainer/new prince admitted. "A dad." This took Eric by surprise.

"Really!?" Ash's head bobbed.

"Never had a dad while growing up so you know how exciting it is." A tear shed from Eric's eye before they engaged in a hug.

"That is startling news, Young Master Ash!" Grimsby sniffed.

"We're all glad that you have a family member that you wanted," Carlotta cried before joining in the hugging. Ariel noticed Triton and came to him with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"Are you here to see Ash return to his world, father?" she asked.

"I am," Triton replied. "I do have a matter to discuss with him." Breaking from the hug, Ash heard Triton's request. Ariel returned to Eric's side.

"You need me for something, your highness?" he asked.

"I do," the king responded. "You were right, Team Rocket did come by last night. However…" Triton huddled with Ash to explain Team Rocket's punishment as Ariel met with the Pokémon.

"I had a great time with all of you," she praised. "Thank you." Totodile, Squirtle, Swellow, Corphish, Kingler and Pikachu enjoyed Ariel's words. She picked Totodile up before giving him a kiss that made the Big Jaw Pokémon a little embarrassed. Ash awed Triton's punishment to Jessie, James and Meowth who were now in a trench deep under the sea.

"Nice..." he laughed. Triton wanted to commend Ash for the warning.

"Now, I want to grant you a wish for your awareness with my trident," he offered. Ash couldn't believe his luck. Many things ran through his mind.

'This could be it!" he started to think. 'I can become a Pokémon Master!' However, that thought troubled him. 'No, that would be too easy. I would rather earn that title instead of a quick fix. But what could work?' That's when an idea emerged. "King Triton..." The king handed the trident to Ash before he pointed it at the sea. A beam shot out and a flash of light exploded, blinding everyone for a few seconds. Everyone wondered what Ash did with the trident.

"Ash, what did you do?" asked Eric.

"Made the connection for anyone who wants to visit the Pokémon World. That way, you can come by and interact with the Pokémon as much as you want and bring them home like Harmony. At least Team Rocket won't try anything on us." Those from the palace and Triton's daugthers awed the wish. Speaking of, Team Rocket couldn't move in their new polyp forms. Many sea creatures swam just above the new polyps. The sight of large eels, anglers, squids and sharks brought constant fear into James and Meowth.

"Get me outta here!" screamed Meowth.

"We don't like it down here!" cried James. Jessie growled, still mad that Ash ruined their surprise.

"If it wasn't bad enough that the twerp ruined our plans to get that locket and Pikachu," she scowled. "That Seaking is making us stay here? I'm gonna miss the Pokémon Contests! I won't become the best!"

"That's what you're worried about!?" the boys snapped.

"I can't help it! This is beyond torture! I want that guy to change us back!" Several jellyfish came closing in on the three. They screamed in fear of what they could become to the jellyfish. Back on the beach, Ash was with Grimsby and Louis after Aquata, Attina, Arista, Adella, Alana and Andria hugged and kissed their future nephew on the cheeks, wishing to see him more.

"Young Master, I do wish you the safest of journeys back in your world," Grimsby praised. He and Ash shook hands.

"I will," Ash promised.

"Ash, ze recipes I gave you will be beneficial to zis Brock or your mother," Louis recommended. Ash shook hands with the chef.

"They'll love the recipes, Chef Louis," he complimented. Ariel reached the trainer to offer her farewell.

"I suppose this is it for us for now," she moaned. She gave Ash a motherly hug before kissing him on the forehead. "I'm anxious to have a son and I may have one in the near future." She gave Ash two more kisses, one to each cheek. Carlotta also gave Ash a kiss to the forehead. Out of nowhere, Max tackled Ash before giving Ash a tongue bath, the trainer tickled.

"Max!" he laughed. "Okay! Stop!" After a few seconds, Max stopped and whimpered. Ash could tell that the sheepdog will miss him. "I know. I would show you another Max that you'd be a friend with." Max lifted his head to rest on the shoulder before Ash hugged him. "You be good, okay?" Max softly barked before Ash turned to Melody. Ash approached his fiancee. "They say save the best for last."

"And I can't think of anyone better to turn to," Melody joked. That's when Ash handed her the prizes from the AquaMon Tournament: the Dive Balls and the Mystic Water. "You're… giving them to me?"

"Absolutely. After all, you're a trainer now with Harmony. It's a reminder of how we met." Melody embraced Ash with a tearful hug.

"You know, I'm gonna miss you." Ash nodded to the claim.

"I believe it. I may not meet a better family, nor be claimed by anyone else. You're the only girl for me. After all… you're a part of my world." Melody giggled, hearing her words come back to her.

"And you'll always be a part of mine." She removed his cap before they engaged in one last kiss with Melody's leg popping up. They soon broke their connection.

"I love you," they said together. After the kiss and recalling his Pokémon, Ash and Pikachu entered the water and entered the tunnel. A few minutes later, Ash and Pikachu came out the same tunnel they entered.

"We should be back," Ash believed.

("So where could they be?") wondered Pikachu. That's when…

"Ash!" someone shouted. Ash and Pikachu turned to find a ferry sailing near the two, Briney on the wheel. Ash and Pikachu waived Briney over. May dropped a ladder to allow Ash to climb up. Ash and Pikachu came on board to see his friends.

"Welcome back, Ash!" greeted Tracey. Brock tossed a few towels for Ash and Pikachu to dry up. "Is Melody back home?"

"She is," Ash replied. "And boy do I have a story to tell."

"I bet," Max joked when he spotted the ring. "And since when do you wear jewelry?" May and the Waterflower sisters came to Ash after Max pointed out the ring.

"Whoa, that's a nice ring Ash has on!" awed Daisy. Ash had a lot to explain.

"You're not gonna believe me when I tell you what happened bringing her to her palace," he admitted. That word made Brock gawk.

"Palace!?" he repeated. "Are you saying that Melody's royalty!?" Ash sighed before explaining Melody's true identity to the group. Needless to say the shock on everyone's face.

"You've gotta be kidding!" gawked May. "Melody's a princess!?"

"And she's also a mermaid!?" shrieked Misty.

"And now you're engaged to her!?" yelped Brock. Misty and May became mad at Melody for hiding such a secret. Ash had a coral-colored medallion in his hand. Triton's castle depicted the carving.

"Technically, half-mermaid," he corrected. "But yes, I'm engaged to the heir of two kingdoms. Not to mention that the merman king himself has dealt with Team Rocket." Misty's sisters pounced onto Ash, hugging him and kissing his and Pikachu's cheeks.

"Ash, you lucky Houndour!" cooed Lily.

"You're a fiance to the princess, there's nothing I can do to top that!" cheered Violet.

"That's our boy!" teased Daisy. The sisters embraced Ash while Max and Tracey thought about the rest.

"That sheepdog has to be more friendly than Pikachu according to Ash," Max referred. "No offense to you, Pikachu."

("None taken,") Pikachu shrugged off.

"Still, merfolk and talking sea life," Tracey awed. "I'd be overwhelmed talking to those." Misty, May and Brock curled themselves in humiliation.

"If you want someone to do what you want, whenever you want," Misty grumbled. "You should get yourself a girlfriend!"

"Misty, Ash didn't get a girlfriend," May corrected while seething. "He has a fiancee!"

"And in Princess Form, too!" cried Brock. Briney and Peeko carried the trainers back to the mainland to resume their journeys.


(Months later)

It had been sometime since Ash first wore the engagement ring with Melody. He was on a new journey with Brock and a blue-haired girl in a white beanie hat, pink scarf, a black dress attaching a pink skirt and pink boots. Brock wore a green/orange jacket. Ash wore a black vest over a white t-shirt. They set up to enjoy dinner with Pikachu and a blue penguin chick. Both stayed with Ash as he polished his engagement ring. "I'm still amazed that you're engaged to a mermaid princess, Ash!" the girl awed. "Even Piplup likes it!" Ash huffed at the girl's admiration to his story.

"I'm surprised that you're not jealous about it, Dawn," he sneered.

"Well, when you're engaged before I met you, I'm out of luck." Ash sighed to the claim.

"Sorry…"

"Don't be." Ash returned with Pikachu and Piplup to the picnic table when an alluring song from a young woman caught his ears. Pikachu caught the song as well before they turned to the lake, to where the sound seemed to be coming from. This worried Dawn, Brock and Piplup as Ash and Pikachu stepped to the lake in a trance. "Ash?"

("Pikachu?") beaked Piplup.

"Hey, Ash!" called out Brock. Ash and Pikachu didn't hear the two. They reached the edge of the shore. Ash knelt to the edge, hand resting over. A hand soon popped out and yanked Ash into the drink. Dawn and Brock gasped, fearing the worst.

"Ash!" they shouted. Underwater, Ash opened his eyes to see someone kissing him. The blue eyes gave Ash the information he needed: Melody, thus he began to return the kiss. Melody had red mermaid fins which wagged around during the kiss while still wearing her camisole and the Mystic Water. The two emerged with a Milotic and Harmony nearby. Both surfaced to the relief of everyone.

"Ash!" sighed Dawn. "What a relief…" Ash soon returned to shore and helped by Brock.

"This is what I get for putting a lot of faith in Harmony," Melody teased. Harmony emerged and laughed. Ash saw the fins and wondered about her condition.

"Melody, what happened to you?" he asked. "I saw you have fins like your grandpa and your aunts." Melody's giggle hinted to a secret.

"Funny that you mentioned my grandfather," she mentioned. "See, he gave me a spell that works on water or on land." Three more merfolk emerged. One was a blond young muscular merteen. He had a green tail. Another was a raven-haired Asian merboy with fairly tanned skin. He had a blue tail. Last was a brunette young mermaid wearing purple shells for a brassier and a purple tail. Dawn caught the appearance of the blond and rushed to the edge where everyone else saw the move. "Who's that?" Ash had to introduce everyone.

"That's Dawn. She's traveling with me to learn how to be a Pokémon Trainer."

"Nice, and the legacy grows." She turned to the other three merfolk. "Alex, come and meet my fiance!" The blond swam to Ash and Melody before extending a hand.

"So, you're Melody's beau, huh?" he greeted. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Ash returned. When the other two merfolk arrived, Alex gave introductions. "Ash, this is Kim from a faraway ocean." The Asian swam up and introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet a young human like yourself," Kim welcomed.

"As I am meeting more merfolk," Ash countered while shaking Kim's hand.

"And this is Anita," Alex named the brunette. The brunette gave Ash a hug.

"If only I met you before Princess Melody…" she wished. Suddenly, a splash. Dawn came to meet Alex from behind as Anita plucked Pikachu from the shoreline. "Aren't you a cutie…"

("I've been told that a lot,") Pikachu claimed. Without a second, Anita kissed Pikachu on the lips. A loud "CHAAA!" made Anita hug the Pokémon.

"Alex, is it?" questioned Dawn as she swam to in front of him.

"Another human," he gulped.

"I think I found my 'Fish in the Sea'." Without waiting, she kissed Alex. Brock laughed to the sight.

"Love's definitely in the sea, alright," he snickered.

"It does go beyond that, actually," Kim started. Brock turned to Kim for an explanation. "There is a legend that a mermaid's kiss to a boy or a merman's kiss to a girl underwater will grant them Mermaid's Air." Hearing Kim, Ash now believed that he's inherited Mermaid's Air.

"And Melody kissed me after she brought me into the drink!" he reviewed.

"Wanna try?" she asked.

"Sure!" Both dove back in to where Ash took a deep breath. It didn't feel like water was getting in his lungs and breathing just fine. "This is awesome!" He saw Harmony, Milotic, Mantine, a small purple shell with a face on a black pearl inside, a blue marine fox-like creature with ruffs around its neck, ears and tail and a Lapras. "Are these your Pokémon, Melody?"

"They are! Harmony, Milotic, Mantine, Shellder, Lapras and Vaporeon!"

"That's so cool! And I haven't revealed my new Water-type Pokémon." He opened a Pokéball where a light brown weasel wearing a small yellow flotation ring and two tails emerged. "Buizel, I like to show you my fiancee, Melody."

"Hi!"

("Hey, there!") Buizel barked. Alex, Dawn, Kim, Anita and Pikachu joined the couple and their Pokémon.

"So, it is true!" awed Dawn as Milotic came to Buizel and nuzzled its face above the ring. Buizel seemed surprised before Milotic cheered.

"Looks like Milotic's found a mate," Anita teased. Pikachu also couldn't believe the new ability from Anita's kiss.

("Even I can breathe!") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked. He swam to Ash and Melody before they started to swim into the depths. Dawn, Piplup and the other merteens joined in with Alex and Dawn holding hands. As the kids swam, they found their love under the sea. For Ash and Melody, they're now a part of each other's worlds.


THE END

(Thanks for this voyage. There's a poll to see which Disney fic you want me to tackle in 2019. Meantime, stay tuned for the Ashmas Poll coming up.)