TDBigJ's message: Hello there again guys. How was the first chapter for you? I hope a lot of you found it to be quite the first chapter. Yeah, much different than the first chapters I've had in the past. It's good to see that most of you are back from my previous stories, for those of you who are reading this that weren't here the first chapter, glad you are back. Anyway, I've got a bit of news for you all, some of you may like it, some of you may not. Just on Tuesday, I had a job interview and I got hired on the spot, so yeah, I have a job now. My orientation for my job starts next Wednesday just so you know. But regarding my job, there are four possible times I will be working once I start and at least two or three of them could affect the progression and the updating of chapters, so I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is (I always prefer giving the bad news first just to get it out of the way and to end with a good note) that chapters probably won't come out weekly, and by weekly, I mean every Friday. Sorry to tell you guys that. I WILL do my best to at least try to get a chapter out every Friday, but don't expect it to be guaranteed. Maybe the first few chapters (maybe like five to seven) will be out on a Friday as they're already done but after that, updates will be slower. The good news is that I am in no way going to stop posting new chapters but it's only going to be every so often, but believe me, I'm not going to stop working on this story until it's done, and that's a promise. Just, remember, one chapter every so often after chapter five, six, or seven. I love you guys so much that I will never stop writing no matter the circumstances. The only way I will stop is if I have to put it on hiatus for a certain reason, which I highly doubt will happen, but you never know. Anyway, glad to see that most of you have returned, especially some guests. This story is already getting mass reception, having 16 favorites, 18 follows, and 12 reviews after just the first chapter. Thank you guys so much. Remember, I said I love you guys (Gosh I hope I'm not sucking up to you). That's really it, so for those of you who are new to my writing, here is what I always do at the beginning of the chapter… responding to the reviews.

Wolves22 (Guest #!): I'll take it.

Espeon44: I don't know if I'll be able to add them to this story, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

76ers (Guest #2): Don't worry, Phil won't have a huge part of this story. He is just going to be sitting at the bench listening to Serena talk for the duration of the story. Thanks for the review!

Armorshippingfan: Glad you thought so. I hope so too he will come back. Thanks for the review!

Guest #3: I know, 24 years does seem too long, but it's long enough to bring drama to the plot, which is what the story needs, but glad you liked the start. Thanks for the review!

Nexxus176: That would be a good plot twist, but it most likely won't happen. Glad you liked the start! Thanks for the review!

Brig nodrm2347: Oh man, words can't express how happy I am to see you reading again. You have been waiting the whole week? Man, someone definitely kept track time of when I'll be back. Thank you so much for being loyal! Yeah, 12 years as World Champion is a good run, but will he retain it if he returns? We'll see. You will get the answers later, I have an idea for them. No problem. You deserved to be welcomed back. You've done the same for me in the past. Phil, you'll see what he does at a later time, but I kind of like your idea. I wish I had thought of it initially. Glad to know you like my OC being a part of this story. Thank you for returning and for the review!

A.I (Guest #4): Thank you!

Shadic4566: Very happy to see you back! I'm so sorry that I didn't include you in at the beginning of the first chapter among the readers that returned. I deeply apologize for that. Anyway, so you would join in the people who turned on Ash when he "cheated"? I'm not going to judge you. That's your opinion, and you are entitled to it. Yeah, poor Buneary. I bet she would be devastated. Oh good, you like the appearances of the kids and who they took after. I liked that too. I liked the idea of making the kids of one gender look like the parent of the opposite gender. It seemed fitting to me. Besides, my mom says I look like her, and I can see it. Welcome back to you too! Thanks for the review!

TheAztecKing: Brave it out, dude, brave it out. I know you can. Anyway, great to see you back as well. Great to know you are looking forward to this story. Yeah I am enjoying your fic and I will review it soon, don't worry. Thanks for the review!

Oliverqueen01: So great to see you back! Yeah, I think it was better he went to Smackdown Live. Seems like you're pissed about Roman Reigns retiring The Undertaker. I'm not really affected by it although I am upset that Undertaker is retiring, especially after a loss at Wrestlemania. Tough to see him go out that way. But I kind of understand why he is. He is pretty old. He's fifty two for crying out loud. I like both him and Reigns but only one is still there. Just take a few breaths and it will be okay. Great to know this story has promise. Thank you for that and the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.

Good, now where was I?

Currently, I'm sitting at a park bench all by myself. I'm wearing a long black trench coat and black gloves. I'm looking at the ground with my hands barely cuffed, seeing one little yellow dandelion at my feet just dancing around as the breeze lightly blew through it, slightly blowing my hair into my face as well. I took my right hand and brushed my hair that was covering my mouth. It was silent out here as well, that's not including the sounds of cars passing by and people conversing nearby.

I sat there… alone.

A few seconds later, a young man, who looked like he was at least in his early thirties, came over towards the bench and took a seat down next to me. He took off the black satchel that he had hung over his shoulder and slid it a few inches away from where he was sitting. He then just looked out into the open world, exactly what I was doing.

We sat there in total silence for a minute, the man not even showing the slightest bit that he wasn't alone at the bench. But I thought that too soon as he looked over at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss. I was so exhausted from walking here from work that I didn't even bother to look over at you." He said.

I raised my hand and waved it a couple of times. "Oh, no, you're fine. I totally understand why you didn't. It's no big deal." I looked down at my watch. "It's only nine in the morning and you've already worked?"

"Yeah, I work an overnight shift. I start work at eleven thirty most days which explains why I'm a little tired at the moment. I already called my wife and told her I'd stop here for a while before I came home." He responded, and then held out his hand. "I haven't introduced myself, I'm Phil."

I reached out and shook his hand. "Hello Phil, nice to meet you. My name's Serena."

He then looked at me, not in a bad way, but it looked like he was trying to think. "Serena? Hm, that name sounds familiar. Where have I heard of that?"

I let go of his hand as he continued to ponder who I was. I didn't want to tell him who I was, unless he asked. Immediately, he had a look of realization hit his face.

"Oh, I think I've heard of you. You're Serena Ketchum. You're married to Ash Ketchum aren't you?" Phil asked.

"Yes, yes I am." I responded.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I met you! How is he- oh, wait, I shouldn't ask."

"What?"

"I just realized. I don't want to bring it up. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me to."

I waved my hand once more. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"I'm… sorry that he's been gone so long. Believe me when I say this, but I kind of miss him a lot as well." Phil stated.

Well, now I know that he misses him too. I thought to myself. But the question is… is he one of the people that shunned him… or is he one that believed in him?

"Why do you miss him so much?" I asked, wanting to get some information out of him but wanted to make it easy on him so that I wasn't stressing him out.

"It's… just… I… looked up to him a lot when I was a little boy." He answered.

Now I knew that he wasn't one of those people. Thank heavens. But what were his reasons? I wanted a bit more info, so I thought I'd ask him another question.

"You looked up to him? How so?"

"Ash Ketchum was and still is the best World Champion that this world has ever had. I know that is just my opinion but I firmly believe that. He's the best ever and I'm not going to let anyone else say otherwise." Phil explained.

"I know he didn't cheat in that battle, I just do. Whoever spread that rumor is a damn moron. I still believe in him to this day, and I hope that he makes a return sometime soon."

Now I knew that he was one of the good ones, and that relieved me. It seemed as if my husband was one of this guys' role models as a kid. It's good to know that there was someone out there who never resented him, not even back then.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking… How did you two meet?" Phil asked.

"I'll be glad to tell you." I replied. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before telling him.

"Well, if you didn't know already, I met him at a summer camp when I was little. I wasn't old enough to be a trainer yet, not for a few years. I was at a summer camp ran by the late Professor Oak. I was traversing the forest all by myself mainly because I was lost. I was looking for my way back to everybody when a Poliwag scared me and I hurt my knee. Then all of a sudden, my husband came out, wrapped my knee in a handkerchief, and led me out of the forest." I explained.

"Wow! That's quite a mouthful. So you guys met when you were just little kids? That really is something." Phil commented.

"Yeah. It was at that moment I immediately started having a bit of a crush on him." I stated.

"Whoa, that's interesting. When exactly did you meet up with him again?"

"Well, a little while after Summer camp, I moved away to the Kalos region with my mom so she could further her career as a Rhyhorn racer. My mom always pressured me into following in her footsteps, but it wasn't really my thing. It wasn't until one day, seeing the Garchomp incident on tv that I set out on seeing him again, starting my own journey." I explained.

"Did you still have a crush on him then?"

"Oh definitely. I journeyed along with him and a couple other people and as we travelled, my feelings for him only grew stronger. He even helped me out when I aimed to be Kalos Queen."

"So it seemed he made big impact on you when you were young. I see why you ended up marrying him."

"Yeah. I didn't act on my feelings until we parted ways at the end of our journey together. I kissed him, letting him know how I really felt about him and that he wasn't just a friend to me."

Phil seemed to have a look of amazement on his face. This guy knew what kind of person Ash was and how he changed those lives that he surrounded.

"But… not that it's any of my business, but, when did you two… end up getting together?" Phil asked.

I was waiting for him to ask that. "Well, let me tell you."

Thirty six years back

"Okay Charizard, use overheat!" Ash commanded.

"Lucario, you use aura sphere!" Said his opponent.

Charizard and Lucario both shout out their devastating attacks. Neither Pokemon were able to dodge in time (Especially Charizard, since aura sphere never misses) and both got hit greatly, and fell on the ground.

"Come on Charizard, get up!"

"Lucario, come on, stand back up!"

Both Pokemon struggled to get up, but after about fifteen seconds of using all their willpower to get up, they both were able to stand on their two feet, but barely being able to stand.

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."

Returning to flashback

Everyone was congratulating Ash on his hard fought victory. Everyone, except that one person.

Serena.

She just stood there, a few feet away from him, looking straight at him, smiling. Ash was wondering why she just stood there the entire time. But the way she was looking at him… Those blue, trusting eyes and that delicate smile that lit up the atmosphere wherever she went. He couldn't help but be taken in by her. After a few seconds, she walked away, keeping the expression on her face the same. Ash thought something over.

He had to do it.

Ten minutes later after all the congratulations were over and the stadium started emptying, Ash left the battlefield and went to go look for Serena. He was wanting to tell her something but he had no idea where she went. But just like with his training, he wasn't going to stop until he accomplished what he wanted to do. He searched every corner outside the stadium for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't said anything to him to congratulate him after him achieving his dream before walking away. Ash knew that wasn't like Serena. No one really knew it, but her opinion mattered to him more than anybody's.

Fifteen more minutes passed and he still hadn't found her. She really went somewhere that he couldn't find her, did she? Was this a test she was giving him? Was she intentionally hiding from him just so that when he found her she would tell him how she felt about his win? Nah, that sounded too corny. That DEFINITELY wasn't like Serena. But hey, you never know.

Ash got a few more congratulatory comments from fans as he searched every nook and cranny of the stadium for his childhood friend. Where could she be? He decided to look outside the stadium for her. Maybe she wandered off somewhere just to be alone for the time being.

"Now if I were Serena, where would I walk off to?" Ash said quietly to himself.

He saw a few hills about a good hundred yards away, but he saw a faint figure standing on top of the middle one. He squinted his eyes so he could get a better glimpse of who they were. Once he got a good view, he realized that it could have been Serena. He started jogging towards the hill just so he could clarify that it really was her. Once he got within fifty yards, he found out that it was her and then sped up his pace. He stopped when he was about five feet behind her.

"You came this far to see me?" She said, not even bothering to turn her head around, since she pretty much knew it was him.

"Well, you left the stadium without saying anything. I just wanted to come out here to talk to you about something." Ash stated, walking so that he was right beside her on her right.

She stood silent for a few seconds. "I'm very happy for you Ash. I'm very ecstatic that you were able to become World Champion and I was there to witness it."

"Thank you. That means so much coming from you." Ash said, not noticing the faint red blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ash took a deep breath before answering. "You see, there's something I want to ask you, and this is something that I've been thinking about for a while."

"What is it?"

"Serena… you and I have been friends for about a decade, and I can't thank you enough for the ongoing support you've given me for the past six years, and lately… I've been catching on to something."

"And that would be?"

Ash took another deep breath. "I feel as if you have a romantic interest in me."

Serena's eyes widened, not cheeks, but face flushed a dark crimson. "Wha- what do you mean?"

A smirk played at Ash's lips. "Serena, I may have not noticed it at first, but I know you have a crush on me."

Serena sighed. "How long have you known?"

"You should know that by now, Serena. Six years ago, when you kissed me at the end of our Kalos journey, ever since then I have gotten a better understanding of what that meant." Ash explained.

Serena looked down at the ground. "I guess that might have been too early, huh? Sorry that I did that."

Ash chuckled. "Why are you sorry? I didn't say I didn't feel the same way."

The wide eyed, crimson expression returned to Serena's face. "Wait? What?"

"Serena… I think I like you back."

Serena couldn't believe she was hearing this. Was her crush really saying that? She thought she was dreaming, but she wouldn't be able to slap herself enough times to make it seem so.

But Serena wasn't going to let this opportunity pass her up. She wanted to know for sure if he felt the same way towards her the same way she felt towards him for years, so now was her chance.

She smiled at him. "Then prove it."

Ash smiled back then took a couple steps toward her. He cuffed her cheeks and leaned in and crashed his lips into hers. They both closed their eyes, enjoying the moment they were having together. They swore if anyone came up to them, they would never let that person hear the end of it.

After kissing passionately for about a minute, Ash released from the kiss. Both of them opening their eyes and having the biggest smiles that they've had to date. This moment couldn't have been better for the both of them.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Looks like both our dreams came true today."

Author's note: Aww, what a sweet moment. Great way to start of the story of how it all went down. Well, I like how this story is progressing so far. I'm going to be adding a few elements to the story as it goes on. This story will basically be a retelling of past events but only all the important ones that led up to Ash's disappearance. Believe me, there are many of them. Anyway, I can tell you that the first few chapters are going to be based on the first few years of Ash and Serena's relationship and a bit of Ash's reign as World Champion. What do you think is next? Well read the preview and find out.

"So Ash, you getting ready for your first date with Serena?" Brock asked.

"Yep. Hard to believe our lives came up to this. We knew each other as little kids, who would've known that we would end up going out together?" Ash explained.

"Hey Ash, you and Serena have a history. I think it fits perfectly that you two ended up a couple." Cilan stated.

"Yeah, I guess so. But… she's done so much for me for the past decade of my life. I feel like I owe it to her that I treat her like the girl she deserves to be." Ash stated.

"I'm glad to hear that from you Ash. It's so great to see how mature you've become in the last six years." Brock said.

"Yeah. I was kind of tired of everybody saying I was dense. But at least that's in the past now."

"Ash, you weren't dense in general, you were just dense on the subject of romance. It wasn't until Serena kissed you that you got a better understanding of it." Clemont explained.

"I think you're right on that, Clemont. I'll admit that I was a pretty dense kid back then. But I think Serena opened it wide up for me, and I thank her for that." Ash said, fixing the collar on his jacket. He checked his watch, which read 6:27. "Looks like I should be heading out. Thanks for the talk guys."

"No problem, Ash." Brock, Cilan, and Clemont said in unison. Ash then grabbed his keys and headed out the door, but not before being stopped by Brock.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Knock her dead."

Author's note: So it seems like that Ash and Serena's first date is up next. What will unfold first for our now canon couple? The usual things people usually do on a date? Oh, I don't think so. People have really got to change things up these days. What do you think they will do? Give it some thought and I'll see you all next week. On another note, please give me your opinion on if I should keep my OC in the story or if I should edit him out. Give that some thought as well and I'll see you all in a week, hopefully. Until then…

TDBigJ out!

"Silence! I kill you!"

-Achmed the Dead Terrorist