TDBigJ's message: *Scratching like hell* Holy cow! Freaking irritating! No matter what I do, it keeps itching. *Looks at the audience* Oh, sorry, was I disturbing you a bit? Or a lot? Whatever, I need to keep this more secret. Anyway, what's up people? Had a good week? Bad? Either way, a new chapter is here to make it better, because I'm pretty sure it won't make it worse, unless it's a terrible chapter. Oh boy I hope it doesn't make it worse, I will go to hell if it does. Oh, was that and exaggeration? I'm pretty sure it was. For my week, well, I just worked two seven hour shifts this past weekend and an eight hour shift on Tuesday, but at least I had Monday, Wednesday, and yesterday off. Had to work a four and a half hour shift today, but I was able to get this chapter out regardless. Just remember what I said the last few chapters, either after this chapter, next chapter, or two chapters from now, due to my job, updates will be slower, meaning not every Friday like I have been doing since my first story In or Out, but I will do my best to get them out every Friday, but it won't be guaranteed, but I will still be fully committed to this story, don't you worry. Well, there's the message part of the chapter taken care of, let's get to the responding of reviews (Reading optional).
76ers (Guest #1): Interesting.
Wolves22 (Guest #2): You betcha!
Espeon44: I know right?
Armorshippingfan: Great to know you liked it! I agree, it's good seeing the both of them being mature, especially Ash. Thanks for the review!
Brig nodrm2347: Yeah, it wasn't easy putting in important moments when it comes to writing about people moving in, but hey, I managed didn't I? Yeah, other characters from the anime are going to have some parts in this story. Yeah, I kind of figured someone would know what the next chapter would be about, but like I said before, an obvious preview doesn't hurt once in a while. Oops! I'm sorry that I didn't put a quote in when I posted the chapter, totally slipped my mind. But don't worry, I put one in this past Saturday. It's a little short but I think some people will know it. Thanks for liking the chapter and the review!
Shadic4566: Glad you liked it! Good to know you also read these review responses. Yeah, like I said above, sorry for not putting a quote in when I posted the last chapter, but I put one in there this past weekend because I couldn't bear the thought of going a chapter without a quote (I know, look at me). Seems like you might know what this chapter is about as well. Yeah, I agree, Barry would probably be the only character in the anime that would do something like that. Thanks for the review!
Guest #3: Great to know you like the quote from the last chapter, probably the best quote from the movie. The crossover fic will be updated in the next week (For Pete's sake I need to keep my promise this time). Thanks for the review!
Darkaura808: Oh dude, don't worry about missing a chapter, as long as you make your way back, or you can go at your own pace, it doesn't bother me. Glad you liked the date chapter. I tried my best to make it different. Didn't expect them to do that last chapter, huh? Well, trying to keep the important things in. Thanks for the comments. It makes my day when someone tells me I'm one of the few people that makes reading stories worthwhile on this site, thank you so much for your committed support and the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and… whoever else.
"So yeah, that's how we moved in together." Serena stated.
"Oh, well, that was interesting." Phil replied.
As the last part of that story finished being told, another person came by the bench to take a break. Seeing as how Serena and Phil were already occupying the bench and they felt that they didn't want to be rude to the two of them, just stood next to Phil on his side of the bench. The person, a girl, who looked like she was at least a teenager, noticed the two of them in a conversation position.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" She asked.
"Oh no, you're fine. We finished the last part of our discussion anyway." Serena said.
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. Didn't want to be rude or anything." She took a closer look at Serena. "Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
"I'm not sure. Have we crossed paths before?" Serena replied.
"You know Ash Ketchum, the World Champion that went off the face of the Earth twenty four years ago?" Phil asked her.
"Yeah, I remember him. My dad always told us stories and showed us videos of him battling." Then, a look of realization hit her face. "Oh, now I recall, you're his wife, aren't you?"
"Yes I am." Serena replied.
"Holy cow! It's hard to believe that I actually got to meet you. How have things been lately?" She asked.
"I'm fine, but I could be better." Serena responded.
The girl held out her hand. "I'm Emma. Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum."
Serena reached out to shake Emma's hand, but she had a sense of surprise going on in her mind. The girl just called her Mrs. Ketchum. No one had called her that in years. Now that someone just did, she couldn't help but be relieved of hearing that again.
"Nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Serena, if you didn't know that already."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm so sorry about your husband." Emma commented.
"Thanks for being respectful. But I'm okay." Serena said, still a little surprised. "So, what are your thoughts on my husband?"
"Well, I can't really say. I never really knew him since he disappeared before I was born. I mean, he left twenty four years ago and I'm only seventeen, so there's a seven year gap in there." Emma explained. "But like I said before, my dad was and still is a huge fan of Ash Ketchum and he used to show me and my brother and sister so many recorded videos of Ash in his battles. I admit, he was a stellar battler, and he had a lot going for him. I don't know why whoever did what they did to ruin his reputation but he was a spectacular human being who was erased from existence because of one false rumor."
Now there was someone else who was still a believer. Sure, they weren't even alive when Ash went into disappearance but they still knew about him and what big of an impact he made on the people of his day, but it also seemed he did the same thing with the people of the next generation. It warmed her heart to think about that.
"I appreciate that you have faith in my husband. It seems that there aren't very many people who do but at least there's a handful that remain that way." Serena stated.
"Oh sure. I'm proud to still be one of those that firmly believe that the Champ will resurface one day. I just wish he could see that there are still people out there that still respect his talent and determination and wouldn't think of him any less." Emma explained.
"I agree." Phil added. Emma looked at him and nodded her head.
"Thank you. How long have you been sitting here actually?"
"For about a good hour. She's told me the first few memories she had with him after he won the title of World Champion and when she became his girlfriend." Phil explained.
"Oh man, I missed that?" Emma said. "Would you mind repeating how that happened?"
Serena didn't hesitate to do so. It was only fair since she already let Phil know. She retold the beginning of her story to Emma so she would know how it all started. For Phil, it was just a refresher course. After taking about a good five minutes of getting at least the most important details in there, Emma had a good understanding of what happened.
"Aw, you two met as little kids and ended up getting married? That's so sweet! That really shows that true love is forever." Emma commented. Phil nodded his head in agreement.
"You know, I've never had a boyfriend myself. But fact is, I do have a male friend that I've been friends with since I was seven. Sometimes I've been feeling as if I'm actually attracted to him but other times I feel like the complete opposite. I don't know what to do. What should I do?" Emma asked.
"You should just follow your heart, that's how I did it. If you feel even just an ounce of attraction towards this boy, you should make your move and do what your heart wants, not your brain." Serena explained.
"What if he turns me down? What if he says he just wants to stay friends?" Emma asked.
"You can do one of two things: You can leave things the way they are and just stay friends, or you can find a way to convince him to think otherwise. Just remember that in order for a relationship to work, both people must have feelings that are mutual, because it's not going to work if only one person does. You hear what I'm saying?" Serena explained.
"I understand. Thanks for the advice." Emma responded.
Phil knew that was true. When it came to his wife, they both had to have the romantic feelings towards one another and that's what happened when he started going out with her long ago. But now that Emma was caught up, Phil decided to dig deeper into Serena's story.
"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.
Ash took Serena's left hand and grasped them with both of his. "Serena…"
"Yes Ash?"
Ash took a deep breath. "I think… that now might be as good as time as any to do this."
Ash released his right hand from the grip and bent down on one knee and took a box out of his right back pocket. Serena was shocked when she saw him doing this and covered her mouth with both her hands.
"Serena, you and I go way back. We've known each other for so long and our history goes a long way and I'd like that to continue for years to come. And now, what I want to say is…"
"Serena… will you marry me?"
Serena had been waiting for this moment for ages, and it was now coming true. She had a hard time believing that it was really happening, but no matter how many times she closed her eyes, she would never wake up from this dream, so she responded the only way she could think of.
"YES! YES!"
Ash got up from his feet and the two kissed and hugged. The crowd roared with enthusiasm seeing that their World Champ had just proposed to his girlfriend. Ash took the ring out of the box and took Serena's left hand and placed the ring on Serena's outstretched ring finger. The two kissed again, with the fans, their friends and families looking on. They weren't going to let anyone ruin this moment. It was too perfect.
End of flashback
"Aw, that was so great! He did it in front of a crowd. He definitely wanted to make your guys' relationship public. He really went all out, didn't he?" Emma stated.
"Yeah. He didn't really care who knew about our engagement and the connection we had. Showed me that he really matured and developed as a person. I saw him in a new light that day, and I never looked back." Serena explained.
"I wish I could've seen it myself. I wasn't even born yet so I never got a chance to see it and I doubt one of my parents recorded it." Phil explained.
"Yeah, me too. That was well before my time. But I bet it was more beautiful to actually see it happen than to hear about how it happened. Man, why wasn't I born sooner?" Emma stated.
"You guys would've loved it. That moment definitely changed my life, but, who doesn't it happen to when they get engaged?" Serena said.
"So how did everyone else take the news? I'm pretty sure you got a lot of calls from your friends and loved ones." Phil stated.
"Oh yes. We sure did." Serena replied.
Flashback thirty two years
Ash was in the bathroom washing his hands, Serena was sitting in the bedroom, arm outstretched and hand raised, admiring her ring. She was beyond ecstatic. She had been waiting for this day for almost a decade and a half. Now that it was reality, she could finally live in the dream she had been thinking about for so long.
"I can't believe this actually happened. I'm finally going to be Mrs. Serena Ketchum. I just… I just… It's just too hard to believe." She thought to herself. That line had been ringing around in her head since that afternoon when the proposal happened. But could she really help it? Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She picked it up and wouldn't you know it, it was her mother, and she was facetiming her.
"Hey mom."
"Hi honey. Congratulations on your engagement! I'm so happy for you."
Serena smiled. "Thank you mom." She held up her left hand which held the ring. "See it mom? I'm so excited!" She squealed.
"I can easily tell. You're now an engaged woman. Enjoy it. You know your brother is happy for you too." Grace stated.
"I know. I will call him once I'm done calling you. I really want to hear what he has to say as well."
"Well, once again honey, congratulations. I've gotta go. Your stepfather is going to be home soon and I'm pretty sure he's going to be tired. I'll let him know to call you tomorrow when he's well rested."
"Okay, thanks for calling mom."
"No problem. I'll see you later. Bye."
"Bye."
Little did she know, that Ash was in the bathroom as well talking to his mother. She was just as excited as Grace was, and she was crying tears of joy.
"Honey… I… I… I'm so happy for you. I'm so proud of you. And you did it on tv in front of the whole world, now that was gutsy. Congratulations!" Delia said.
"Thanks mom."
"I never thought that you would do it that way, but I guess you wanted the whole world to know. You've really grown as a young man, and now you're engaged at twenty, never thought that you would be getting married so early in your life." Delia explained.
"Well, we're going to wait until we're twenty one to get married, so at least within the next year." Ash explained.
"Why wait until you're twenty one?"
"Well, I can't really drink champagne at twenty."
"Oh yeah."
"Well that's just a random reason. We just need a good amount of time to plan and set up everything." Ash explained.
"Well, that's true. Anyway, I'm very happy for you honey. Enjoy your first night as an engaged man. I've got to go. I'll talk to you later honey." Delia said.
"Talk to you later mom."
After Ash hung up the phone, he went back into the bedroom. He saw Serena still gazing at her ring. She had been doing that since they got home, and that was five hours ago.
"Still admiring it, huh?"
At the sound of Ash's voice, Serena suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked back at him, blushing out of embarrassment.
"Looked like an idiot doing that, didn't I?" Serena asked.
Ash smiled. "You're anything but an idiot to me." He said as he sat down on the bed. "You've been looking at that for hours."
"How could I not Ash? I'm finally living my dream. I'm going to be your wife within a year's time. You have no idea how long I've been thinking about this." Serena explained.
"With what you've been doing since we've got home, I would have a pretty good idea." Ash stated. "I'm glad you're happy."
Serena smiled. "I'm more than happy."
"Great!"
"In fact… so happy… that… I might have to reward you." She looked at him with a loving gaze.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
She giggled a bit. "Well, you proposed to me, I think that is enough for… something." She mentioned as she leaned closer, gaze still stuck on Ash.
Ash chuckled. "Not tonight. I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow."
"What will be so special tomorrow? It's just going to be a normal day, our second day as an engaged couple, this is our first, might as well make it count." Serena stated.
Ash thought about it, and he knew he wasn't going to get out of this. She was being persistent.
"All right. I guess I should keep my woman happy." Ash said.
Serena giggled. "Now that's more like it."
After that, they put their arms around each other and kissed. After a few seconds, it turned into making out. They slowly fell over onto the bed, letting their passionate embrace go on for as long as it could.
They had a right to. They were going to be forever united.
Author's note: Aw, that was sweet. Now they're engaged. Way to go Ash, way to be a man! Ash proposing to Serena is as good as it can get, until they get married of course. Probably a good proposal if you ask me, although in my opinion not as good as the proposal chapter in Against All Odds. This story is now a third of the way done, and I think it's running smoothly, at least that's what I think, I'm not sure what your guys' opinion is at the moment, but I'll let you leave your thoughts. Totally optional though (Like with reading the review responses at the beginning of the chapter I stated). And if you read it carefully, while Serena was talking to her mom, Grace mentioned "brother". Well, if you must know, that is my OC. I hope you guys are okay with it and that you will warm up to him. Next, the preview. This is also optional, although I recommend doing so if you want a general idea of the next chapter.
"Ash, you've got to get ready. The ceremony starts in about ten minutes." Misty said.
"Okay, Misty, thanks for letting me know." Ash replied, trying to fix the position of his bow tie. Misty came up to Ash and turned him around and hugged him.
"Ash, you've grown so much as a person since I first met you. At first, I thought you were a whiny little kid who barely knew anything about Pokemon battles, but I've seen you develop more as a trainer and as a person. I gotta say, Serena is a lucky girl. She's marrying a great guy."
"Thanks a lot Misty. You've grown a lot too. Glad to have you here." Ash responded.
"Well, I'm glad to be here. Now, you get yourself all situated, only little time left until you're a married man." Misty said and then left the room.
Ash knew he wasn't the only person who grew over the last eleven years. Since he was ten, everyone he encountered and stayed friends with since then had changed in the time he had known them. But out of all of the people that changed the most since he met them… was the person he was spending the rest of his life with starting today.
"A lot has gone on in so long. Just to think that out of all of them, the one I've known the longest is going to be my wife for eternity. I will remain loyal to her, faithful, love her to the moon and back until the day I die." Ash said to himself. Tracy came into the room a moment later.
"Hey Ash, you doing all right?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. A little nervous though." Ash replied.
"Everyone is on their wedding day. Even Serena is."
"Is that so?"
"Especially so. Perhaps more so than you."
"Really?" Ash replied, looking past Tracy's shoulder.
"Ash, she's been wanting to be your wife since you two met, you bet she's more nervous than you. Her dream is finally coming true, thanks to you." Tracy explained.
"Yeah, I guess this is going to be the best day of her life, isn't it." Ash stated.
"Most likely, and it should be yours too."
"Oh, for sure it is. Wouldn't want it any other way."
Tracy nodded. "Good for you Ash. If you want to know what Serena looks like, I say she will take your breath away when you see her."
"Okay, thanks for letting me know. Don't want anything spoiled though, that would ruin it."
"I should get back to the other guys, they're standing around waiting for it to get under way."
"Okay, see you in a bit, Trace." Ash said. "Oh, by the way, do I look all right?"
"You look spiffy, Ash, now go nail this." Tracy stated and then left the room.
Ash looked at his watch. Only five more minutes until the ceremony started. Ash was a little shaky, but he had to be strong… for her. This was the biggest day of their life, and he didn't want to ruin it. It was almost time, and he needed to make the most of it.
They both did.
Author's note-2: OH MY FREAKING GOD! THE WEDDING CHAPTER IS NEXT! *Clears throat* Sorry, got a little overexcited there, but I'm thinking some of you will be too considering those of you reading this story like Amourshipping (You wouldn't be if you didn't). What will wind down during our favorite couples special day? Will anything hold them back from tying the knot? Is there anyone that will object to their love? Will my nachos ever get done in the oven? Seriously, they've been in there ten minutes and the cheese is barely bubbling. While I wait for my third favorite Mexican food to get done, wait a week for the next chapter, because it could be here quicker than my chips getting toasted. I will meet up with you guys in a week, until then…
TDBigJ out!
"If it makes you feel any better, Thursday is no longer cruciferous vegetable night."
-Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory, Episode The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification
(Ha! Didn't forget it this time!)