TDBigJ's message: Hey guys. Another week, another chapter to be released. This chapter I may warn you may be a little boring but I feel like it needs to be a topic for a chapter just so that I don't skip anything that I feel like I could have added but in the future I thought I should have. Don't want that feeling. Anyway, how's it going? How was school for those of you who did? How was work for those of you trying to make a living? For those of you who don't do either, just, how was your week? For me, just going to my job, finishing up my training and then going out to start my job, that's basically what I've been up to. I have to work this weekend so at least I know that my weekend's booked but I'm not sure about all of next week, that's still up in the air. The working world really is something isn't it. Looks like I've got a lot heading my way for the coming years. Like I've said in the last couple of chapters, I've only got about 1-3 more chapters coming out on a weekly basis until my job actually starts interfering with the progression of this story. I just want to keep you guys up on that just so you know what's going on. It's going to be hard to keep this story going and focusing on my job at the same time but like I said before, I'll manage. I'm pretty sure it's the same for you who work and write stories at the same time. That should do it for now, let's respond to the reviews first, and then let's get this chapter rolling.
76ers (Guest #1): Okay, gotcha!
Espeon44: Lose him what? Glad you liked it!
Wolves22 (Guest #2): Glad you agree!
Rocki. : Sorry if it was too long. I don't like to talk about myself too much. Thanks for the review!
Brig nodrm2347: Good to know you agree. Yeah, that seems to make sense. If you know someone well enough you can do something original. Glad to see you liked what Ash did last chapter. I know nothing about dates since I've never been on one but at I should at least have an understanding of them. Yeah, I'm taking their relationship step by step, and each one is what most people would do in a relationship. Yeah, I hope that people read my responses to their reviews, even though it doesn't bother me if they don't, but it's good to know you do. Thank God you know the quote I used for the last chapter. That's personally one of my favorite quotes from the entire movie franchise. It's from a badass moment and plus it's said by my favorite actor, so yeah, glad to know you liked that one. No, I haven't seen the new movie yet but I really want to go see it. I heard last night that some people said it was really good. The Fast and the Furious series is my absolute favorite. Thanks for the review!
Armorshippingfan: Great to know you liked their date last chapter! Thanks for the review!
Shadic4566: I'm happy you loved it, it seems everyone did. You liked the ending of Ash saying they will have children? Great! I guess that's not really a spoiler since it's already revealed they had kids together. Hey, I might throw a Pikachu and Buneary moment in this story. The furry little guy deserves love too like you said. Thanks for the review!
TheAztecKing: Great to know you loved it. Thanks for the review!
Guest #3: Yep. It seems so. The next chapter of the crossover fic, almost here (Man, I don't want to let you down again). Thanks for the review!
Oliverqueen01: Yeah, I agree. They need to book Roman a lot better than they have been. The feud with Braun Strowman is going on too long (and too brutal). Yeah. The Undertaker is forever a legend like you said. Twenty six and a half years is a damn phenomenal run. Looking forward to Nakamura's match? I wish I could watch it but, you know already. Ha! Love that frying pan part you brought up. I don't think she would do that but it's still funny. Good to know you liked the chapter. Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.
"Wow, gee, that was a totally different scene than I had in mind." Phil stated.
"Can't say that I'm surprised." Serena replied.
"But hey, that was certainly an original date he had planned. He must have been an expert on romance if he did things differently." Phil stated.
"Nah, he wasn't really an expert at the time." Serena commented.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when we travelled Kalos together, he was pretty dense to the fact that I liked him. In fact, he probably didn't even know what romance was before we parted ways at the end of our journey." Serena explained.
"Oh, so he was not smart at all? But… I don't get it."
"Well, like I said, I wouldn't have called him an expert, but I wouldn't say he wasn't smart at it."
"Huh?"
"He wasn't the total know-it-all about romance at the time but he was smart enough about it to "wow" me a bit during our date. I admit, he did surprise me a lot." Serena stated.
"So not very smart, but not dense either?"
"Correct. Believe me, as he got older he got more mature on the idea of romance."
"How mature?"
"Really "mature." She said while waving her hands backwards.
"More mature, huh? In what ways?" Phil asked.
"I would tell you what kinds of ways, but I feel as if it isn't appropriate for this discussion." Serena said, blushing a little bit.
"Probably would be best. It's none of my business anyway. But I can pretty much guess by your cheeks turning red." Phil said. "Anyway, what happened after your first date?"
"Well, for the next few months, he took me out on lots more dates, not one of them being the same as another, but after about six months of dating, the next big thing happened."
"What would that be?"
"That I can tell you."
Thirty five and a half years earlier
Ash started making his way home. He and Serena just had another date and it was their fourth this month, and the month was only half over.
But a few minutes after they parted ways, Ash had been thinking about something, and it was something that probably would improve their relationship. But he had to think it over clearly so that he wouldn't complicate it or cause a roadblock for the two of them.
What he had been thinking about was…
He wanted her to move in with him.
It had been on his mind for a few days now. The two of them had gone on so many dates in just a half a year, they went on at least four or five dates a month, six if it was a good month. They didn't want to overdo it so that's why they kept it to a maximum of six in a given month.
Back to the topic at hand, they had been on so many dates already that he felt like asking her to move in with him had been long overdue. He felt that it should have been after at least their tenth date but his mind was on other things at the time. He didn't remember what those were because that was a long while ago, but it wasn't important so that took a backseat for the time being.
This sort of thing had been on his mind in the last couple of dates but he felt that he was unsure plus he didn't think it over really that much before then, but now he was sure, but thing was, was it too early or was it too late? Only time was going to decide this one.
Ash had been getting more mature as a person lately, and so was Serena. He had noticed. Over the last six years dating back to their Kalos journey Ash had realized how much of an amazing person Serena had become. She went from a girl trying to prevent herself from becoming a Rhyhorn racer like her mom to a girl who had transformed herself into an accomplished human being, and Ash found that attractive about her. He knew all about her personality and that's what drove him to decide to ask her to be his girlfriend, and boy did he relish that decision. Didn't even regret it, not in the least.
But now was the choice that would make the next big moment in their relationship. But question was, was it time? There was only one answer…
Yes, yes it was.
He was going to go home and get a good night's sleep and then in the morning he thought he would call her and ask her to come over and then he would ask the question.
But now, he just wanted to get some sleep, he was pretty tired.
The next morning
Ash sat there on his couch, waiting for Serena to arrive. He had called her over because he wanted to ask her something, and this was important. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level, but not in the way you think.
Ash checked his watch (Yes he wears one now), it read 1:37 in the afternoon. He had called her about a half an hour ago but she lived at least fifteen minutes away. Maybe she needed time to get herself ready, but knowing Serena, she probably didn't need to. She was the neatest girl he knew.
"Come on, Serena, any time now." He said to himself. Pikachu was sitting there near his feet, knowing about the whole situation. He was eagerly anticipating this as well, seeing as it was his buddy's girlfriend. Ash looked down at Pikachu and rubbed his head. Pikachu was a few years older as well but still had the young heart he had when he first became Ash's Pokemon six years ago.
Jiggling of the door handle soon emitted. Ash then realized that the door was locked. He got up and unlocked the door, letting Serena in.
"Hey, you called me over?"
"Yeah, there's something I wanted to ask you, and it's very important. Come sit down."
The two of them went over to Ash's couch and sat down. Serena brushed her hair behind her ears. "So, what is it?"
Ash rubbed the back of his neck before starting. "Well, you see… We've been dating for a while now and I feel like there is something we could do. Something that could advance our relationship."
"Okay, what did you have in mind?" She asked.
"Well… it's just… I…" He started but was getting nervous at each passing word.
"Are you sure you're ready to tell me?" Serena asked, clearly seeing Ash's nerves kicking in.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." He replied. He took a deep breath, which eased his nerves.
"Serena… I want you to move in with me."
Serena then gasped and covered her mouth. "What did you just say?"
"I want you to move in with me."
Serena was surprised by this sudden question. What brought this up? Was he trying to progress their relationship and thought this was the next step?
"Did you seriously just ask what I thought you asked?" She asked, still unsure of what was going on.
"Look Serena, we've been dating for a while and we've gone on numerous dates and I think I should've asked this a while ago. I feel as if we need to make the next step if we want to have any future together." Ash explained. "So what do you say?"
Only simple words came to Serena's mind at the moment. She still wanted to ask some more questions but there weren't really any that could seem important, or get information she didn't already know. But she knew her answer, it was as clear as day.
"I would love to Ash." Serena replied then crashed into a hug with Ash. "I'm ready to take the next step."
Ash returned the hug. "I'm glad you think so."
The hug lasted for another ten seconds before Serena decided to let go. "So, when would you be most comfortable for me to move in?"
"I was thinking probably this weekend. Since it's basically Tuesday now, that gives us four days to prepare." Ash replied. "Is that okay with you?"
"Fine with me. I was just wondering when it would be okay with you, because I don't want it to the point that I'm moving in tomorrow so that you're feeling that we're rushing it."
"I understand. So Saturday then?"
She nodded. "Saturday."
Four days later (Saturday)
Ash and Serena were carrying some of Serena's items into Ash's apartment. They even got some of their friends to help. Brock, Cilan, Dawn, Misty, and Clemont had agreed to help them. It was pretty easy for all of them, except Clemont, who at the moment was carrying a lamp and was slouching over to the point that the bottom of the lamp was at the level of his knees.
"Come on, Clemont, pick up the pace." Brock said.
"I'm trying but this lamp is so freaking heavy. It feels as if I'm carrying a cinderblock." Clemont responded.
"Clemont, come on. I was carrying a lamp like that five minutes ago and it felt as light as a feather." Brock replied.
"Well, you're probably stronger than me."
Brock sighed. "Maybe you should go to a gym Clemont, and I'm not talking like a Pokemon gym like the one you run."
"Probably a sign that I should." Clemont stated. "I've been like this for years."
"Guys, a little less chit chat and a little more carry stuff in." Ash said.
"Sorry Ash. But I have a feeling Brock is right about this." Clemont stated.
"I have no complaints about your physique, Clemont. You're perfectly fine the way you are." Ash commented.
"Thanks Ash, but I'll take Brock's words to heart and improve myself."
Ash patted Clemont on the back. "Come on, buddy, there's still some more stuff to move in. I'll let you deal with the light stuff."
"I've got you, Ash."
Ash and Clemont still had that bond that they had when they travelled with each other over six years ago. Clemont in a way looked up to Ash and now for a good reason now that he was World Champion. Of course, when they travelled together, Clemont was a gym leader and Ash was a simple Pokemon trainer, so he was higher at the time, but now Ash was and Clemont felt like he had a right to do so.
They continued to move in more items for another hour. Most of it was already moved in as they had been doing it for about three hours so they were covering a lot of ground in that much time. Ash, Brock, and Cilan dealt with the heavier items as well as the lighter items along with Serena, Dawn, Misty, and Clemont. There were only a handful of items to be unloaded left, and they felt like they could be done in the next half hour, and then it was time to arrange everything. They had to unload Brock's, Cilan's, and Ash's cars and a few things from Misty's as well. A few of them had agreed to bring their cars to Ash and Serena would have more room to put some of Serena's items. Serena didn't have a lot as she was only sixteen but there was enough to fill each car up at least once, well except for Brock's. Only a couple of boxes were in his but there was at least four small one's in the other's cars, but hardly any of it was valuable stuff, just clothes and a few feminine items like hairdryers, curling irons, and a few bottles of perfume (She didn't wear a lot at one time but hey, a girl needed to smell good didn't she?).
After everything was brought in, it was now time to arrange everything. They had to rearrange some of Ash's items to make room for some of Serena's. Ash knew it had to happen so it didn't bother him. He was now at the part in their relationship where he had to make compromises, something he had to get used to, whether it was up to him or not.
Misty took a lamp out of a box. It was a beige type of lamp that Serena had in her room back at her mom's place. Serena told Misty to put it in Ash's room (Well, Ash AND Serena's room now) and that she would deal with it later.
"Hey Serena, where do you want this nightstand?" Cilan asked.
"Just put it in the bedroom like the lamp. That's what it's going to sit on top of anyway." Serena replied.
As Cilan put the lamp in the correct room, they had gotten everything else out of the boxes and started putting them in the rooms Serena wanted them to put them in, with having to ask Ash if it was okay to put them in that certain room.
It took them about a couple of hours to place everything according to Ash and Serena's preferences. Surprisingly it took them that long. They thought it would take longer but since Serena barely had anything (Valuable at least), it didn't take them that long to place everything. But after everything had been taken care of, Brock and Clemont had already planned to go do something soon so they had to leave. Everyone else had to leave too because they either had to go home and do something with their family or just go home because they were tired for helping Serena move in.
After everyone left, Ash and Serena plopped down on Ash's couch. It had been a heck of a move but they were also both tired from moving around so much.
"Man, I could go to sleep and not wake up until tomorrow morning if I have to, even if I have to skip dinner." Ash stated.
"I'm with you on that." Serena replied.
Serena slowly looked over at Ash. "I'm glad that we're living together now."
Ash smiled. "Me too."
"Thanks for asking me to move in with you. I'm glad that we're moving forward with our relationship."
"Yeah, same here." Ash said as Serena yawned.
"I wanted to wait a good amount of time until I was ready for us to move in together. I think after a few months of going out it was about time."
"Good to hear that you think so." Serena said as she laid her head down on the arm of the couch.
"I honestly think this was a big move for us. I never thought that growing up that we would end up living together, but I'm happy that we are. What do you thi-"
Ash looked over at Serena who had her eyes closed and was now falling asleep. She probably wasn't in a deep sleep quite yet since he knew it had happened in the last few seconds, but he could guess that she was too tired to move. So he got up, picked her up off the couch bridal style, and carried her to their room. Luckily, the comforter was pulled back so he just placed her gently on the bed, pulled the comforter over her, and kissed her on the cheek. He walked over to the doorway before stopping and saying something under his breath.
"Sleep tight, babe."
Author's note: Looks like they are all settled in. Oh boy that was a big step for them. Way for Ash to make the move, make him seem like a more mature guy. That is really one of my aims for this story. I want Ash to mature more on the subject of romance and as a person in general. Heck, I might even have Serena mature at some points. Them moving in, it's only the first fraction of the whole story Serena is going to be telling. There is much more to be told. I would tell you but that would be spoiling the story and I don't want that. You guys might want it, I don't know, but I sure as hell don't. Sorry if I come across as selfish but in this case I don't really have a choice. I'm pretty sure you guys want to find out as we go along rather than knowing now, otherwise the story won't feel as exciting when a certain part comes around. There is something I just wanted to get out of the way. And another thing, Sorry if this chapter seemed boring. Moving in pretty much is and I couldn't think of anything else to put in. Let's get to the preview, I'm ALSO pretty sure you guys are waiting for it.
"So, let me ask you another question." Phil stated.
"Go ahead."
"Was there, anything else that he did that lifted you off your feet?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Did he shock you in any way by doing something… out of nowhere?"
Serena then thought of something that did in fact happen. "Oh, yeah, the next thing that he did… was something that made a childhood dream of mine come true."
Thirty two years earlier
Ash had just won against a member of the Hoenn elite four, and he swept the floor with him too. That was how most battles were for Ash these days, him winning pretty damn easily. Some were even by a landslide. About three of Ash's friends had gathered onto the battlefield but the rest of them had decided to stand at the entrance to the battlefield and wait for him to exit when everything was done. A reporter came up to Ash to get his thoughts of the battle.
"Hey Ketchum, great battle out there. What helped you win the battle out there today?" The reporter asked.
"You know, just the usual. Keep busy with your Pokemon, train them the best you can so they know their true power. And above all else… never give up until it's over." Ash explained.
"How about your opponent?"
"He did put up a great fight. I admit there were some times where I may have struggled and he bested me, but overall, he was a fierce opponent."
"You heard it people. The words of wisdom and empowerment from our World Champ. Ketchum, anything else you want to say?"
Ash closed his eyes and smirked. "There is actually one more thing I want to say, and it's more of a question, and I want to hear the whole world to hear it."
"Okay, go ahead." Ash then turned around towards Serena and took a few steps up to her since she was standing right behind him. Ash knew this was the right moment, and it was time, and he knew it too.
It was time to nut up or shut up.
Author's note-2: Ooh, do I smell a… no, wait, that will spoil everything. Don't want that like I said before. What is Ash planning to do after his most recent victory? A party? A get together? The guys racing around Pallet in just their underwear? Oh, geez, I hope it's not the last of the three, that would just be plain weird. But I'm certain it won't be, that's not something Ash would plan for people to do. What Pokemon character would even think of something like that? Maybe Barry perhaps. Now that I've gotten that taken care of, I've got something else to say. Since I've barely gotten any responses from having my OC staying in this story or kept out it looks like I will have to go with the one person who gave me their opinion on him, and that vote was to keep him in, so that's what I'll do, but he won't come in until chapter six or seven, I hope you guys warm up to him, and remember, he's related to one of the characters. I want to give him a shot and I hope it's worth it. Now you'll just have to wait and see what happens next. It's going to be a big one but that's all I'm going to point out. What will it be? Well, you're just going to have to wait until next Friday. Until then…
TDBigJ out!
"Ha! Boom baby!"
-Kuzco, The Emperor's New Groove