This is a big week: a very special, very important, VERY INCREDIBLE WEEK!

Oh, it's also Advanceshipping Week. Let's start it off right!

Day 1: Dreams

"There. All clean."

22-year-old Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum smiled at his work. Coming into his room that morning after breakfast, he had noticed quite a bit of dust collecting on his collection of trophies, badges, and other mementos and accomplishments from his journey. It was Saturday, so he decided that since he had nothing else to do, he would polish them up a bit. It would not only make his room cleaner, but also give him a chance to go down memory lane.

"What do you think, Pikachu?" he asked his best buddy, who was sitting on the bed watching his trainer. Ash stepped to the side so he could see it. "How's it look?"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in approval, giving him a thumbs-up. Ash stepped back and smiled at his collection, marvelling with Pikachu at his side.

"It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" he agreed. "Half a lifetime of adventures, all on one small shelf." He sighed. "Half a lifetime of pursuing the ultimate dream." Pikachu nodded, then blinked as though confused. He looked at his trainer with a curious gaze. When Ash noticed, he turned to him. "What? Am I missing something?"

Pikachu shrugged, deciding it wasn't too important. Ash, knowing his partner's second opinion was always reliable, looked back at the shelf, curious to see if there was something Pikachu noticed that he didn't. Everything seemed in place. What was he missing?

His train of thought was broken when he heard the front door open. A bright smile found its way onto his face, and he stood up and walked out to the entrance hallway. There, a young woman with short, brunette hair was coming in with bags full of groceries.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"I got it covered," she replied with a smile, "but thanks." He followed her into the kitchen, where she set down the bags. Once she did so, they came together for a brief kiss.

"You remember to buy spaghetti sauce for tonight?" he asked as they started putting the groceries away.

"That's tomorrow night," she replied, putting a cucumber in the fridge. "Tonight's ramen night, remember?"

"Oh, right," he chuckled. "My bad."

May just smiled and shook her head. Even though they were much older and had been married for almost two years now, she found that he was still the same, clueless boy she met so long ago: the same boy who guided her towards her own ultimate dream. And that's why she loved him so much. With the groceries all put away, May headed to their room. As she opened the door, she blinked as the sun reflected off of the trophies and mementos on Ash's shelf. Coming in, she got a better view of them. She blinked again, this time in surprise.

"Did Ash polish these up?

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded. He came up to her and nuzzled her leg, prompting her to give him a nice scratch behind the ears. Ash came in shortly after.

"You polished your trophies?" May asked.

"Yeah," he said, sitting next to her. "I figured that since I didn't have anything to do this morning, I would make it my project for the day." He put his arm around her waist as they sat. "I was gonna start cleaning yours up next."

"That's sweet," she smiled at him, "but I think I should be around to help clean my trophies, don't you think?"

"Fair enough," Ash chuckled, before planting a small kiss on her cheek. May never got tired of that. They sat there a moment more, staring at his collection. Then something caught May's eye.

"Wait a minute," she said. "Something's missing."

"You noticed, too?" Ash asked, looking at her. "Pikachu thought something was missing earlier, but I couldn't figure out what."

"Well that's a little surprising," May said. "I thought you, of all people, would have noticed." She stood up and started rummaging through the end table's drawer beneath the shelf. "Aha! Here it is!"

Ash stood up and came over to her, just before she handed him a small trinket. Or rather, half a trinket.

"Our ribbon," he said softly.

"There you go!" she said cheerfully. "That's your last thing to polish for the day!"

"Can't believe I forgot to clean this, too," Ash muttered to himself, taking the half ribbon in his hand. "I guess I was so focused on everything that had to do with my dream that it just slipped my mind."

"Your dream?" May blinked.

"Yeah: my ultimate dream to be a Pokemon Master."

May blinked again, then chuckled. "Is that really your ultimate dream?"

Ash was about to say yes, but as he looked at the beautiful young woman smirking at him, along with the ribbon they shared, a small smile once again found its way onto his face.

"Well, not my ultimate dream," he chuckled. "I mean, it's still my dream, but...well, ah…"

May giggled. "You're so cute when you're flustered," she said. Ash blushed slightly, putting a hand behind his head.

"I never thought I'd say this, but...being a Pokemon Master isn't the most important thing in my life anymore."

"Well, what is?" May asked teasingly. "Food? Sleep? Having fun with your Pokemon?"

Ash returned her smile and, coming over to her, gently pulled her into a warm embrace. "No," he said, still smiling. "No, I don't think so."

May sighed softly as she returned his embrace, melting into his arms. She loved the feeling of being so close to the man she loved. It made her feel safe, secure, and warm...all at the same time.

For her, this was the ultimate dream come true.

Pretty short, I know. Tomorrow's is gonna be longer. What did you think? Feel free to rate and review; just make sure they meet the guidelines I've set.

See you tomorrow!