TDBig J's message: Hola fellow readers. How are you? I've had a pretty enjoyable time in the last week. What about you? Anyway, we're here at the third chapter. Yippee! I love to see all of you who were here for In or Out here as well as a few new faces. I love you guys! You guys do seem to leave me a lot of questions in your reviews, well, mostly the guests, but for those of you who are users and leave me your thoughts, thanks for telling me. Your words of inspiration are fuel that adds to the fire of my creativity. Yeah, I know, that wasn't really clever, but I'm not going to dwell on it. I just wanted to point out a couple of things that I have been planning to do with this story. Nothing major, I wanted to tell you that the names of the chapters I will be making for this story will be named after songs from my favorite band Airbourne. Yes, the first two chapters so far are names of Airbourne songs, just so you know. Also, You probably saw that I put a quote at the end of the last chapter. I was planning to do that with every chapter from here on out. I forgot to do it with the first chapter but luckily I remembered for the previous chapter. A little heads up is that even though the quote for the last chapter was a quote from Pokemon, I'm not going to use just those. I plan on adding quotes from various tv shows and movies for them, and the one for this chapter is from one of my favorite movies and I love the quote and is said by my favorite actor. Now don't skip ahead and see what it is, you'll see it eventually. Actually, it doesn't matter. What you don't know doesn't hurt you, right? Nothing new has happened for me in the last week, but it was still pretty fun. I got to do this and play some Xbox in the meantime. Yeah, writing and gaming are two of my favorite hobbies. No really, it's true. And yes, I'm a huge Xbox fan. I live in the state that created Xbox so that's kind of a given. Sorry for you Playstation fanatics out there if you're reading this, that's just my preference. Have been since 2008. My mom always told me my teachers when I was in school that I was a good writer so that's why I do this and hopefully make a career out of it someday. Okay, let's get past this now, you guys probably want to read the chapter now, so let's get to it. Oh wait, yeah, I have to respond to reviews first. But you know, you can skip it if you want, unless you're one of the reviewers, then read just yours or all of them, it doesn't matter.

Rams30 (Guest #1): Yeah, making Trip nice was a good idea. Serena facing Ally in a battle, that could be a possibility, but I'm not really good at writing battles, so I'll put it into consideration. Thanks for the review!

Espeon44: That would be a good idea, since we need more than just the actual characters plus the OCs that have been in there for a while, make this story more interesting. Thanks for the review!

Klay (Guest #2): Well, if you want to know what happens next, read and find out. I hope it's good. Thanks for the review!

Blizzard21: Sorry if the story so far is a little dull and that there isn't much spice, but it's only the beginning and I promise you that more spice will be added later on. Something planned? Well, you'll see soon. Thanks for the review!

Oliverqueen01: That one-shot you wrote came to you naturally? Well, great job, because you nailed it! Yeah, I remember in the story description that Her Saviour was on hiatus again, sorry that it happened. I am excited for episode 22 now that you said it's your favorite episode. I'm going to wait for the English dub and see what happens. My oldest brother always watches the newest episode before I do so he will most likely get to it first. I think I know what that episode may be about because I think I've seen a picture of the video on youtube, but I'm not too sure that's the right one so I'm not going to guess. I will read your new story soon. Will Ash and Greninja be a thing in this story? Maybe. I'll think about it. Thanks for the review!

Jaguars5 (Guest #3): The two of them doing a tag battle, hm, interesting. That's not a bad idea. Conway probably won't be doing that, I wouldn't want to make him weirder than he already is. Thanks for the review!

Wolves22 (Guest #4): Yeah, I hope the Pokemon are okay, too. The girls having fun together. Actually I was planning that for a chapter later on, but it will be that and the guys having fun as well. I mean, them hanging out. Don't get any wrong ideas. That really was an idea I had for a chapter. Thanks for the review!

Cavaliers23 (Guest #5): They could, it's a possibility. And the other one, I don't know. Thanks for the review!

Raiders89 (Guest #6): Yeah, there could be a moment where they meet. Glad you love Ally, I'm pretty sure espeon44 would love you for that. And the answer to the Pokemon will be answered. That could happen, since a lot of you ask that. Yeah, they could, it's a possibility. Thanks for the review!

Mad Ass Dragon: Yeah, I think it's perfectly normal that Ash isn't 100% comfortable being in a relationship with Serena yet. I'm pretty sure a lot of people feel that way in their first relationship. I have a feeling I will when I get my first girlfriend. Ash and Pikachu are no doubt inseparable. I like how you said they were two halves of the same being. That is a good way to put it. Watching the episodes and seeing their chemistry always puts a smile on my face. Ash and Pikachu have so much in common. Throughout the entire anime, they both have learned so much. Ash always comes up with new tactics and battle strategies and Pikachu learns and adapts to new attacks and becoming more powerful, that's why I love the duo so much. Thanks for the review!

Warriors30 (Guest #7): A battle could be put into consideration, but like I said above I'm not good at writing battles so that could be a little difficult. Kenny could possibly appear. I plan on putting more characters from the anime into this story. I don't see them dating, they have girlfriends by the names of Serena and Dawn so there's most likely no chance of that happening. Could be an idea, I'll consider it. Well, he doesn't know she's dating Ally, so he could do it. They won't be bullied, trust me. I will try out that story. Good to know you like those characters. I'm taking a shine to them too. Them saying I love you to each other, yeah, they will probably say it in this story. Thanks for the review!

Bryce (Guest #8): What OC did you have in mind? Don't worry, Shadow won't lose his confidence. By golly I hope they do as the story progresses. Glad you like the story and thank you for thinking I'm improving, I appreciate the compliment. Maybe, I'll put some thought into it. Thanks for the review!

Thunder35 (Guest #9): Man, you have a lot of questions. Ally and Ash just see each other as friends so I don't want to tear them away from their girlfriends. Conway probably won't be doing all of that, it'd be too much drama. This story does need it, but not that much. I appreciate your suggestions though. Thanks for the review!

Cubs18 (Guest #10): Yes, you will be learning about these couples as the story progresses. Each couple will end up getting together, although I'm not so sure at the same time. Team Rocket appearing was a possibility, but I'm not 100% sold on it. Gary could end up dating Misty. Those are a lot of suggestions for a con to each couple. I might consider that later on, but I'm unsure on it. Thanks for the review!

Jets14 (Guest #11): Most likely she will meet her family. The answer to what happened with Forrest will be answered in this chapter. Rumors won't spread about them. I couldn't see myself writing that. I'll put that one-shot into consideration. Yeah, I like all the couples too. You'll find out what they look like later on in the story. They could, but not anything like making out. Thanks for the review!

Brig nodrm2347: Great to know you liked the chapter. I thought it would have been better off with Trip being on good terms with Ash since that's how we last saw it in the anime. I think Ash really only needs one rival that gives him a hard time, and Paul seems to be the one doing that. Gary used to do that but got past it and is also on good terms with Ash. Having everyone on Ash's next journey actually could be a good idea, but I'm not so sure about Clemont, Cilan, and Iris since they're gym leaders. Thanks for saying that. It's good to let Ash know about the characters in the story that aren't real characters in the anime, I intend to have him know about the other ones too. Sorry that I didn't PM you this past weekend like I promised, my mistake. I'll surely PM you by the end of this weekend, that's for sure. Yeah, Ash being a little uncomfortable about his newfound relationship is something I'm pretty sure everyone experiences. I know I haven't been in a relationship but I think that's a pretty good guess. Thanks for the review!

Guest #12: Thanks for the appreciation and I will get to work on the crossover fic. Thanks for the review!

Shadic4566: Yeah, I kind of figured that someone would have easily guessed that it was Trip. After I typed the chapter I thought to myself: Man, I shouldn't really leave that obvious of a hint in the previews. Maybe I could have put in: It was Trip. That would have been better, that way it would have already been answered. Fennekin evolving into Braixen could have a good chance of happening in this story. And Pikachu going out with Dawn's Buneary? I like the sound of that. I'll put some thought into that. Thanks for the review!

49ers (Guest #13): I'll consider putting your OC into this story. Since a lot of people seemingly ask me that question, I hate to deny my readers anything. Thanks for the review!

Athletic2 (Guest #14): No, don't worry, she probably won't run into any trouble. They could say that to their respective loved ones later on in the story. Maybe, that could happen. Woo, I hate to pick favorites when it comes to people, but I guess Ally. Yeah, he probably will. He's almost like Ash when it comes to girls and dating, although not to the same extent. Since he's with Serena, there really isn't any chance of that happening. They most likely will, but nothing more than a short kiss. Thanks for the review!

Jack (Guest #15): I could make those two couples together, if everyone wants them to be. A one-shot of them could be hard, but I'm not saying it won't happen if I have a change of heart. Thanks for the review!

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

In the text conversations, Ash lines will be in italics, Brock's will be in bold, and Serena's will be bold underlined.

Ash stood in front of the bathroom mirror, checking if anything was out of order, mainly his hair. He took a comb that was next to the sink and stroked it through the spikes in his hair. Ever since he started dating Serena, he wanted to keep his appearance in top shape. He knew Serena probably didn't care, but he still wanted to do it, just in case. He kind of knew that Serena made herself look decent every day, but, she was a girl and they usually do that. Yep, no girl wants to look like a stale dish rag. Guys were almost the same way, but most made little effort or just plain didn't care, Ash did his best to not be one of those. Every so often his mom had to remind him but he remembered on most occasions. But why was Ash wanting to look spiffy today? It was because he promised Serena that they would visit the first gym Ash ever challenged: Brock's gym in Pewter City.

It was Saturday and yesterday Ash had made plans with Serena to go see Brock's gym. Ash had already cleared it with Brock to go do so. He asked Brock to see if it was okay, and Brock no doubt let it happen. That's what friends were for, right?

Ash walked downstairs, not worrying about putting his hat on for the meantime since he wasn't going to leave for at least a couple hours, so he was just going to watch some tv until he had to leave. He didn't see his mom yet so she must have been still been getting ready for the day. He jumped to the side and landed on the couch with a thud, laying sideways. He picked up the remote and flicked the tv on. Pikachu came rushing down the stairs and jumped onto Ash. Ash wrapped his arms around his buddy.

"Good morning, buddy. Have a good night?"

"Pika pika." Pikachu answered, nodding his head. He leaped out of Ash's arms and laid down on the spot next to his head, with his own a little up off the couch so he could see the tv screen clearly.

"Remember Pikachu, we're visiting Brock's gym today. Remember that place?"

"Pika."

Pikachu did in fact remember the Pewter gym as well as Ash did. There were some good memories, but in fact there were some bad ones as well. A good one marked one of the first memories he had with Ash and in fact the first battle he ever had. But a moment in the two attempts also held a bad memory. Being squeezed by Brock's Onix was a painful time indeed, but since he and Brock's Onix, now a Steelix, were on good terms since Ash and Brock were very good friends, he knew that was never going to happen again, so he could breathe a sigh of relief there.

"I hope that while we're there that I can challenge Brock in a battle again. I'd like to see a full battle between us, with an official finish." Ash said out loud. "I want to see if Brock's still got it."

Ash believe it or not, has been wanting a rematch with Brock since that very day six years ago. Sure they have had training battles when they travelled together, but Ash wanted to battle once again in Brock's gym, against Brock, no one else. The only battle he had there since his first battle in that gym was against Team Rocket when they redecorated Brock's gym out of his parents insistence while he was in Kanto challenging the Battle Frontier. Ash remembered that day, it wasn't a good one for him, May, or Max. Brock had the hardest one out of all of them, because he was surely pissed when that happened and when his parents arrived back from their vacation that was provided by a disguised Team Rocket. Man, those guys sure were a pain in the ass weren't they? But when it came to the visit to Brock's gym, Ash would ask Brock when he was there, just to see what Brock would say. He doubted Brock would say no, but he didn't want to guarantee it. Pikachu had no idea Ash was thinking this right now, but when he knew, Pikachu would be ready without a doubt in the world. Pikachu was paying attention to the tv and what program it was on, so he didn't see Ash deep in thought. Ash had brought his phone downstairs just in case either Brock or Serena texted him. And wouldn't you know it, he instantly received a message from Brock.

"Hey man, you up?"

Ash typed in his message then pressed send. "Yeah. I've been up for the past half hour. You?"

"About fifteen minutes. I still need to take a shower, but I wanted to know your situation before I do so. You and Serena will be here in a few hours right?"

"Yeah, just like we planned."

"During that time let me get the place all situated. Need to make sure that the gym still looks decent when you guys get here."

"You sure, Brock? I'm pretty sure that the gym looks fine."

"It does, but I need to make sure because, you know, Serena will be with you."

"Serena probably won't mind. You know her."

"Yeah, but still, she's a girl. You know what they're like with tidiness."

"Understandable. So I'll see you in a few hours?"

"I will. See you then."

"See ya."

After that last text Ash put his phone down. Since he had been doing that for the last few minutes he had missed some of what he was watching on tv. He looked over at Pikachu. His eyes seemed to be glued to the tv. He didn't really know Pikachu to be the tv watching type, especially the way he was watching it now. Ash had never seen Pikachu so attached to the tv like this. They never really watched tv while on a journey, but when they were at home, that mouse was one entertained Pokemon. Just one more thing that Ash loved about his longtime partner. Ash then saw his mother enter the room, looking decent for the day.

"Wow honey, I didn't expect to see you up before me." Delia said, surprised.

"I have something planned for later. I could have slept in, but I decided not to. Thought I would do this for a couple hours until I leave." Ash answered.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" She asked.

"Actually no, I haven't." He responded.

"That's surprising. Breakfast is usually the first thing you do when you come down in the morning."

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, must have slipped my mind or something."

"Well, go eat some breakfast honey. I know how hungry you get when you don't." Delia commented.

"Might as well, since I've got time." Ash stated as he got up and went into the kitchen to make himself something.

After Ash had eaten breakfast and filling his stomach, he went back into the family room to continue what he was watching. His mom went to being busy in the kitchen as usual. Pikachu came rushing in too after he had eaten some Pokemon food Ash had given him. He ran over to the couch and jumped up on it back in his previous space he was sitting in before and once again glued his eyes to the tv, not literally though.

Ash did the same as well and wondered what he missed. It was a lost cause as he didn't really remember what was on before, so he shoved that aside. He picked up his phone and checked if he received anything. Nothing. Nada. But he was thinking if Serena was up yet and if she recalled what they were doing today. He thought he would send her a text to see if she knew.

"You up yet?"

Within a minute he got a reply. "Yeah, I've been up for about an hour."

"You remember what we had planned?"

"Yeah, I know. We're visiting Brock's gym in Pewter."

"You excited?"

"I guess I am. It would be nice to see where you had your first gym battle."

"You'll love it. It's a great place. Brock said he would have it spruced up before we got there."

"Why is he doing that?"

"He figured that since you were going to be there that he would make it look decent."

"Why? It doesn't matter to me."

"That's what I told him. He thought that he would need it to be neat in front of a girl. Can't really blame him for that."

"That's true. Anyway, is it okay if I come over in a few? So that way you don't have to wait for me before we leave."

"Yeah, that's fine. I have no problem with it."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

"I'll see you then."

Ash put his phone down after the last text and rubbed his face with his hands and then looked up at the ceiling. What was today going to be like? That would have to be answered later. Pikachu was looking at him, wondering what was going through his mind. He kept his focus on him for a few more seconds and then went back to watching the tv.

Ash was trying to exercise that brain of his. This was one of the few times that he did so when it wasn't based on Pokemon or battling. He also tried to calm himself a bit. He wasn't in any stress but he needed to be relaxed for the day. He started watching tv again, hoping to forget about anything and everything for the meantime.

For the next half hour, Ash continued watching tv and whatever was on. There wasn't much but was he complaining? Suddenly, he heard the front door open and shut and within a few seconds he saw Serena enter the room. She walked over to him and planted a kiss on his forehead before sitting down.

"Hey baby, what are you up to?"

Ash looked up at her and then back at the screen. "Nothing really. I've just been doing this since I got up."

"Ah, I see. You ready for today?"

"Yeah. We really don't have to leave for another hour so we can just sit back and chill until then."

"All right." She said and set her hat down on the table and took off her boots and curled her legs up on the couch.

"Is it just going to be us visiting Brock?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to bring you along to see what started my journey a few years back. Give you a first glance of it." Ash replied.

"It's hard to believe that Brock was the first gym leader you ever challenged and he ended up travelling with you so many times. That's how you two know each other so well."

"Yeah, I know. Surprised me a bit when he decided to travel with me afterwards. I just wonder how I always end up travelling with gym leaders. I've always wondered." Ash stated, pondering this thought.

"That is a bit surprising. One thing I would like to know is how they can travel with you when they're gym leaders. They have a gym to tend to, how does it run when they're travelling with you?" Serena asked.

"Cilan ran it with his brothers and Clemont has a robot named Clembot that does the battles when he's not there. Those are the two I know at least." Ash explained.

"At least those two had a plan. But what about the others?"

"I don't really know yet. I'll ask them one of these days."

Delia then popped her head out from behind the wall. "You two kids doing okay?"

"Yes, mom, we're fine." Ash responded.

"If you need anything, just holler. I'll be around the house."

"Okay mom."

Delia left to go help Mr. Mime with something. Serena had a thought. Her and Ash were both raised by just one parent. She was a little curious to know how it had been for him growing up like that.

"Hey Ash, I just wanted to know something…" Serena started.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"How has it been for you growing up with just your mother?"

Ash was surprised to hear her ask that. No one really bothered to ask him a question regarding that subject. He guessed that since she really wanted to know that he would give her a good answer.

"It's been great I guess. I mean, I know it's hard for both of us without my dad around, but we've managed and it looks like we've done well, so it isn't too bad." He explained. "It's nice to know I've got a mom who loves me and supports me every day. My mom says I mean the world to her and she wouldn't have a life if I wasn't here. I think the same towards her and I thank her for being both my mom and my dad. I don't know where I would be if she wasn't my mom. I wouldn't be the same. I want to thank my mom for everything she's done for me and hopefully one day I can pay her back. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I wouldn't want anyone else to be my mom."

Serena had tears of joy in her eyes after what Ash had said, and it wasn't even towards her. She found it so sincere that Ash thought so highly of his mother and that he'd rather not exist than live without her. What she took from that was: Always put family before friends, no matter the circumstances.

Serena wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Ash, I'm so glad that you love your mother to the moon and back. I love how you cherish your mom for raising you alone and supporting you throughout your life, I love hearing that from you."

Ash smiled and then looked at her. "She's a good mother. Raising a child by yourself is not easy, but my mom managed to do so. I guess she made it look easy. My mom will always be the most important woman in my life, no matter what."

Serena had understood what he had said. Making your mother the most important woman to you was a smart thing to do. Serena didn't mind Ash saying that, she wasn't one to push him into thinking otherwise.

"I just really wish I knew who my dad was. Know what he looks like, what kind of person he is, is he still alive?" Ash said.

"Same here." Serena replied.

Ash looked at Serena. "What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"How has it been growing up with just your mother?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, it hasn't been easy for her, but it hasn't necessarily been hard for her either. Since she was a famous Rhyhorn racer, she made ends meet with minimal difficulty. She wasn't looking forward to raising me by herself but she was in a line of work where she had only very few problems. She had me in her life so I was her pride and joy. I'm very important to her and she's very important to me." She explained. "But just like you said, I wish I knew who my dad was. I would give anything to see him again, get to know him."

"Me too." Ash stated. "I guess there are some things we have in common."

"Yep."

An hour later, it was time for the two of them to depart for Brock's, so they got their footwear on and got ready to leave. Ash had to go up to his room to fetch his cap so he wouldn't forget it and look a little different than usual in front of Brock. Once he was back downstairs, Serena had a little basket in her hands that contained something. Ash wasn't going to ask since she'd probably tell him later. They said goodbye to Delia and left towards Pewter. It was going to be a long walk.

Right when they reached the forest nearby, Ash looked around the trees, seeing the various Pokemon he was familiar with: Pidgeys, Caterpies, Metapods, you name it.

"Sure is nice to walk out here." Ash commented, admiring everything that was around them.

"Yeah. As long as the Beedrill aren't around and attacking you without notice." Serena added.

"That's true."

"I really don't like them doing that. I don't have an idea why they would."

Ash looked up to a spot in the sky that wasn't occupied by Pokemon. "It's just in their nature. They don't like it when someone or people approach their territory. A lot of Pokemon are like that."

"Those are Pokemon I can live without." Serena commented.

"Whatever trainers that are lucky enough to capture them have it easy." Ash added. "Or are able to fend them off with commands. I wish I could do something like that."

"I bet everyone wishes they could do that."

"You know, that reminds me of somebody." Ash stated.

"Wait, you met someone who could fend off Pokemon by telling them to stop?" Serena asked.

"She couldn't just do it with talking, she was able to do it telepathically." Ash answered.

Serena's jaw immediately dropped. "Are you serious?"

"I'm completely serious. Her name is Anabel. She's a frontier brain here in Kanto. Back before I challenged her when I met her for the first time, Pikachu and I were out jogging, training for our next frontier battle. A swarm of Beedrill popped out of nowhere and flew after us. After about a few seconds she jumped into the path of the Beedrill and communicated with it telepathically and calmed it down."

Serena still looked dumbfounded. "So she was able to understand Pokemon were saying?"

Ash nodded. "I was beyond surprised that she was able to do it. I thought she was pretty cool. I hope I run into her again someday and ask her all about it."

"I hope I'm there with you. I'd like to know all about that about her too." Serena stated.

"If I ever plan on doing so, you can come along. I haven't seen her since then." Ash said.

"Sounds like a plan."

After walking for nearly an hour, they finally reached Pewter City. Brock's gym wasn't that far off so they were almost there. Since Ash had been there before, it was easy for him to find it. Not even five minutes later, they reached Brock's house. Ash knocked on the door. They suddenly heard a lot of metal, probably pans, slamming around inside, then loud, slow footsteps. A few seconds later Brock opened the door, revealing himself.

Brock folded his arms and smiled. "What took you guys so long?" He playfully teased.

"Believe me, we got here as fast as we could." Ash replied, playing along with Brock's antics.

"I'm just playing around. Come on in guys." Brock said, stepping aside and letting the two in, closing the door after they entered. "I was just doing dishes before you guys came in. I'm almost done so you guys can go sit in the family room until I finish."

Brock then went back into the kitchen to complete his duty while Ash and Serena went into the family room, sitting down on the couch. Brock's mother came into the room, spotting the two there.

"Oh hey Ash. Good to see you." Lola greeted.

"Hey Lola. How have you been?" Ash asked.

"Never better. And who is this lovely young lady with you?"

"This is my girlfriend Serena. I don't think you two have met."

Lola held her hand in front of Serena. "Nice to meet you, Serena. I'm Lola, Brock's mom."

Serena smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"So this is the girl Brock told me you were dating. Ash, it's nice to see you have grown up a bit since I last saw you." Lola commented.

"Believe me, she's made me mature a little bit." Ash replied. Brock's father then entered the room, catching Ash and Serena out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh hey Ash. How have you been?"

"Great. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same. Is this your girlfriend with you?" Flint asked.

"Yeah, this is Serena. We've been going out for about four months." Ash responded.

Flint shook Serena's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm glad I finally got to see you in person. Brock has said so much about you."

"He has?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He only talks about you two every so often. Most of the time he's talking about him and his girlfriend Lucy." Flint stated.

"Well, it's nice to know that he finally got a girl that likes him back. After all he went through on our journeys, I'm happy that he found one that actually feels the same way." Ash explained.

"They're inseparable, that's for sure." Flint remarked. Brock came into the room, having finished doing the dishes. "Hey, you done?"

"Yeah, I just got finished. Ash, Serena, you guys ready?"

They both nodded and got up from their seats. Serena put the basket she brought down on the table. Lola took it and went to go put it in the kitchen where it would be safe.

"Careful in there Brock, Forrest is training your Steelix and Golem in there, so watch where you guys go." Flint stated.

"Okay dad." Brock replied and continued leading the two to the gym.

They walked over to the gym since it was on the same property as Brock's house. Once they went in, it seemed quiet, with the exception of a few clanks from Forest's training in the back.

Serena awed at the sight of the gym. It was so large, yet so well maintained. She thought it was a beautiful gym. Brock and his family sure kept it presentable.

"Wow Brock! This has got to be the best looking gym I've seen." She commented.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Even better looking than the ones we visited this past summer."

"Thanks Serena. No one has really given it that much of a compliment, so it's good to know someone appreciates it." Brock said.

"Yep. This was the place where I had my very first gym battle. I wish it could have gone better, but it was a good memory nonetheless." Ash stated.

"So this is the gym you used to lead?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. This is about the whole deal." Brock responded.

"It's nice to see that you've kept it in pristine condition, even after travelling with Ash."

"Yeah, a few of my brothers and sisters and my parents keep it top notch while I'm not home. They deserve the credit."

"You must have been one heck of a gym leader." Serena commented. "Hard to believe you battled Ash at one point, let alone the first gym battle he had."

"Yeah, it wasn't much of a battle though. First time I forfeited and when I came back I almost beat him but something happened that made me want to stop the battle."

"What was that?"

"The sprinklers turned on and soaked Brock's Onix and I was about to have Pikachu use thunderbolt on him, but I didn't want to beat him that way. It would have been too easy of a win."

Serena smiled. "Even at the beginning of your journey you had some smarts in you."

"Yeah, well, I told Brock that it wouldn't have proven anything if I let that happen. But even after that he gave me a badge anyway, which surprised me a bit." Ash added.

"Maybe you proved something to Brock that you didn't know about." Serena commented. Ash looked at Brock.

"Is she telling the truth Brock?"

"Actually, yes."

"What was it?"

"Well, it was-"

Suddenly there was a loud rumble. It sounded like it came from within the gym.

"What was that?" Serena shouted, covering her head with her hands.

"I don't know, but it sounded like it came from here on the inside." Ash added.

"Let's go check it out." Brock ordered and the three of them rushed off to find the source of the disturbance. Once they went to the back of the gym, they found Brock's Steelix and Golem lying on the floor. One of Brock's little brothers, Forrest, was there, looking on in shock. Maybe it had to do with something he did. But what? The three of them walked up to him to see what had happened.

"Forrest, what happened here?" Brock asked.

"Well, I had Golem and Steelix take on each other physically. But when they hit each other, their attacks had too much power and they both took a huge blow. That's why they're lying on the floor, fainted." Forrest explained.

"Whoa, yikes!" Ash remarked.

"I'm really sorry Brock. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know their attacks would have been as strong as they were." Forrest stated.

Brock smiled and put his hands on Forrest's shoulders. "It's all right Forrest. I know it wasn't intentional. Everybody makes mistakes like this, even me… even Ash, right?" Brock said, looking at Ash after he had said his name.

Ash closed his eyes, sweat dropped, smiled, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that is true. I'm not Mr. Perfect that's for sure." Serena giggled after his statement.

Brock put his attention back on Forrest. "So I'm not mad at you, not in the slightest. Don't feel bad about one error, it's how you learn, right?"

Forrest smiled. "Right."

Brock then pulled his brother in for a hug. Forrest embraced his older brother. "I will do my best to not do this again." He released from the hug then looked at Ash. "So how have you been Ash? It's been a while since I've seen you."

"I've been great, Forrest. Never better."

"And you must be Serena. This must be the girlfriend of Ash's that Brock's always talking about."

"Yep. That's who I am." Serena replied.

Forrest went up to her, grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You're really pretty. Ash is very lucky to have you."

Serena blushed at the comment. "Aww, thank you. You're so sweet."

"Ash, you don't mind that I kissed her hand, do you?"

Ash put his hand up. "Not at all."

Then the one question that Ash had thought about this morning came into his mind. "Hey Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if you and I had a battle?"

"Sure, but what for?"

"Since the first battle we had here a long time ago didn't have an official ending, how about we make that happen now?"

"Yeah, let's do it."

A few minutes later, they started their one on one battle. Since Ash only brought Pikachu with him, he chose him, and since Brock didn't want to use Steelix or Golem after what happened, he went with Crobat. Forrest served as the referee.

Forrest raised both his arms in the air. "And… begin!"

"Okay Ash, I'll let you go first." Brock said.

"All right. Pikachu, use quick attack!" Ash commanded and the yellow mouse ran on all fours towards Crobat.

"Crobat, dodge and use supersonic!" Brock ordered and Geodude went up into the air and sent a supersonic wave at Pikachu.

The two were finally going to settle this once and for all. A six year span since these two squared off for the first time and they finally had another chance to see what would happen. It wasn't for a badge, but Ash wanted to know how he kept up with Brock this time around, and he was looking forward to it.

Six hours later, after Ash and Brock's battle, which ended with Ash victorious, Ash and Serena decided it was time to head home. After eating the macarons that Serena had brought with her, the two thought that they would call it a day and go on home and said they would see Brock on Monday at school. After a one hour trek home, since it was Saturday and they had been together the whole day, Ash asked Serena if she would like to stay over tonight. She accepted but wanted to clear it with her mom first, and Ash's. They entered Ash's house, where Delia was standing only a few feet away. She noticed the two walk in.

"Hey you two, how was the visit?"

"Pretty cool. It was awesome to see Brock's gym for the first time in a while." Ash responded. "Hey, is it okay if Serena stays the night here?"

"Of course. It's no problem." Delia answered.

"Okay, but I've got to go call my mom to see if it's okay with her too." Serena said.

"All right mom, we're going up to my room." Ash said and started making his way towards the stairs, but not before being turned around and pulled into a hug by his mom.

"Thanks for everything you said about me." Delia commented.

"What did I say?" Ash asked, confused as to what his mom was talking about.

"I heard your conversation with Serena earlier. You made me feel happy after you said those words. I am proud to have you in my life." She responded.

Ash smiled and returned the hug. "And to you too."

Serena saw the two hugging and giggled. "Like mother, like son."

Author's note: Aww, loving and cherishing your family is a beautiful thing. Loving your mother for everything she's done for you is a sincere thing to do. I always tell my mom I love her every day, I hope you guys do too. Well, to the chapter, what a crazy one. At least Forrest's accident with Steelix and Golem wasn't too severe. It's good to know they're okay. I really have nothing else to say, so on to the preview.

The two got out on the dance floor to start their first dance of the night. Ash having remembered what Dawn taught him before prom last year, kept his nerves calm, and put his hand around Serena's waist while she put her arms around his neck. Ash took a deep breath and the two started swaying side to side.

After about a minute, Serena thought she would break the silence between the two of them. "Looks like you remembered what to do."

"Yeah, I haven't really forgotten. I mean, we had our first dance here at prom last year and just because of that I didn't let Dawn's teaching go to waste. I wouldn't want to forget to do this, this is what got us together, right?"

"Right. That was the best night of my life, and I'm hoping this one will fit right up there." She commented.

"Me too. Let's not let anything ruin this night." Ash stated.

"I agree."

The two continued to sway with their dance. Serena put her head and right hand on Ash's chest, remembering she did that on prom night last year. There was no doubt she wanted to make this memory as good as the last, and she didn't know that Ash was thinking the same thing. She saw a few of her friends dancing with each other just like last time. They each looked happy, the same as her and Ash.

After a couple more dances they thought they would take a break. They parted with each other for the meantime since they had something different to do. When Serena walked back to her table, she was stopped by a familiar figure, someone who hadn't really approached her a lot this year, due to obvious reasons, but she didn't look upset, which was odd. That person, you guessed it, happened to be Miette.

"Miette, what do you want?" Serena thought to herself.

"Hey Serena, how has your night been with Ash?" Miette asked.

Meanwhile, Ash was walking towards the men's room, when he too was stopped by a familiar figure. Someone he'd rather not see, and also, because of obvious reasons. It was Paul.

"Paul, what do you want?" Ash thought to himself.

"So Ketchum, what have you been up to lately?" Paul asked.

Author's note: Ooh, okay, what are these two encountering Ash and Serena like this? Who would have known their biggest respective rivals would be? What do they have to say to our favorite couple? Will trouble brew like a cup of coffee in the middle of the Sahara? Boy, I hope not. If you want to find out, sit tight and see in the next installment. Until then…

TDBigJ out!

"You know I can't let you two go. I ain't made that way."

-Luke Hobbs, Fast Five