TDBigJ's message: Hey, hey, hey, what's up people? I've been up to pretty much nothing. Still working on getting a job. Strange thing happened today. I had Chinese food for dinner today and I got a fortune that said: "A new work opportunity will avail itself." Maybe this is a sign. But like I said last chapter, getting a job will not refrain me from working on a chapter and story, and like before, updates will probably not be weekly though, but I will try. I have been working on a novel for a while, and I haven't really made that much progress with it the last few months. I've recently gotten into a video game show called "Eleague" and it's pretty damn cool. I wish I could do something like that. Maybe I could write about video games. Yeah, I just might do that, that's a cool idea. Anyway, when it comes to the story, here is chapter five. And a little heads up, there will be a new character in this chapter. He's pretty much an OC of someone who reads this story (If you're reading this dude, get ready, I know you've been wanting this since In or Out was in progress), even though his OC is actually based off of a character from the anime, but he's different than he is when he was in the anime, and he will be adding some humor to this story. I think adding humor will add a good layer of originality to this story but not to the extent that it will completely detract the main romance/drama genre this story already has. Believe me, I love writing about humor but I want to keep the main genres of this story the same, because if I changed it, it would ruin the story and I don't want to get harsh reviews because of that. I think I've said enough, let's get responding to the reviews.

Oliverqueen01: That seems like a good plan. If you're stuck on a story, take a long break and alert your readers that you won't be writing that story for some time. I think a long break to figure things out will help you in the long run. Don't worry, I believe you will get over this writers block thing with Her Saviour. Oops! It was actually someone comparing your story to In or Out? My bad! It's not your fault. I shouldn't have misinterpreted that one. I wonder what happened in the newest (Well, second newest) episode that made you compare it to episode twenty two. Well, I'll wait and see. Thanks for the review!

Rams30 (Guest #1): Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Klay (Guest #2): Yep, Ash is good. No doubt he's my favorite character. Thanks for the review!

Espeon44: I will look for a PM containing OCs. Thanks for the review!

Wolves22 (Guest #3): You hope to see the next part? Well, here you go. Thanks for the review!

Bryce (Guest #4): I'm not sure that can happen, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

Jaguars5 (Guest #5): Don't worry, she's all right. Thanks for the review!

Raiders89 (Guest #6): Like above, it's all right. Thanks for the review!

Cavaliers23 (Guest #7): That's a good suggestion. I might consider that for a chapter. Thanks for the review!

Pelicans23 (Guest #8): At the end of the chapter in the preview, you will see that there is a trip planned with, well, it's pretty obvious. May is actually dating Shadow (an OC) and Dawn is dating Ally (an OC). Thanks for the review!

Mad Ass Dragon: Thanks for letting me use the OC you wanted me to use. If you saw what I said in the message above, you might see a surprise character in this chapter. Introducing him that way is no problem. Oh my God! I don't want to do that to you again. What is wrong with me? Glad you liked the chap! Thanks for the review!

Royals13 (Guest #9): They are dating someone, in the names of Shadow and Ally. I haven't really heard that pairing, so I can't say I'm a fan of it yet. I'm mainly an amourshipper as you can see. Thanks for the review!

Clippers3 (Guest #10): Man, you have a lot of questions. Some yes, some maybe not. Ash and Serena will have a problem here and there, but not a lot. No one really would hate Dawn and Ally's relationship. Clemont would probably be the only one that would be nervous, at least a lot. Who are Paul and Miette dating? Well, we might see soon. Thanks for the review!

StrayedS: I could add Aria to this story. It might not be a bad idea. Thanks for the review!

Guest #11: The first chapter of the crossover fic is about a couple thousand words done. It could take me some time, but be patient and you'll love what I have to offer. Thanks for the review!

Mixt Number XV: Glad you thought it was a good chapter. Thanks for the review!

49ers (Guest #12): I don't see them having a bully, don't worry. Since she's with Shadow, it probably won't happen. Thanks for the review!

Guest #13: I hope they get together soon. I think ElectricBounceShipping is underrated. They will probably kiss at some point, and don't worry, they won't break up. Thanks for the review!

Guest #14: I sadly don't see that happening. Thanks for the review!

Shadic4566: You think Miette is dating Paul? That did come to mind as a suggestion, but I think it would be too predictable. Yeah, I like Pikachu and Buneary together. I watched an episode of Diamond of Pearl recently and saw Buneary's affections for Pikachu. Thanks for the review!

Thunder35 (Guest #15): We might possibly find out how they met. I don't think Drew is that kind of character. Thanks for the review!

Brig nodrm2347: So the last chapter is your favorite chapter so far? To be honest, it's mine too. Like you said, I liked that their dance tightened their bond. Yeah, I think Paul and Miette should have been a little more on the good side talking to Ash and Serena last chapter. I didn't want to be predictable in having them say rude things. The Alola region I'm surprised to hear. You know, that there will be a new region in the next games. I know they do that with every generation of games. I hope Ash and Serena travel together in the next anime, and you're right, let's hope for the best. When it comes to the starters, I would have to agree with you. Really the only one out of the three that looks like a starter to me is Litten, which will probably be my starter in the games. I've always liked fire types since I got into Pokemon. Popplio, not so sure about that one, and Rowlet, I don't think that one looks like a starter at all, I don't see myself ever acquiring one of those in the games. But just like you said, I want to see their evolved forms before making my final judgment. Glad to know you liked the chapter and here is the next one which will answer your theory. Thanks for the review!

Raptors10 (Guest #16): Yes to all of those except the last two. I don't see any of the main characters hating each other. Others, you could see happen. Thanks for the review!

Smakwaffle: Glad you liked the chapter! I think so too. Seeing most of Ash's rivals being nice to him seems like that's what should happen in the anime. 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 conversation, Serena's lines will be in bold and Ash's will be in italics.

It was the end of November, and every student was happy that almost three months of school were over, but dreaded the fact that there was still seven left, but hey, the three months passed by rather quickly didn't it?

Since it was almost the end of November, that meant that there was only three more weeks of school of the year (Well, of the current calendar year that is). And three weeks away was the time of the year every kid and teen admired: Christmas break. They anxiously were waiting for it to come around, but they had to get through three weeks first, and they felt like three weeks was going to take forever. Well, good things come to those who wait, right?

Ash was in his Pokemon attack strategies class, the advanced level class to be exact. He was writing down everything that he could learn that he didn't know about yet. These teachers were experts on this sort of thing. The school really went all out with hiring these teachers did they?

Ash was scribbling note after note of the teacher's explanation of how to increase a Pokemon's dodge ability. This class was an advanced course, so this material was more complex than last year's course. There were so many great techniques that Ash was surprised that existed. When next summer came around, he would definitely be trying these new tactics.

"Okay, that should be all on that subject. And seeing as there are only a few minutes left of class, jot down whatever else I said and wait until the bell rings." Mr. Summers said.

Ash finished the last note, clearly remembering everything that Mr. Summers had said about dodging. After putting a period at the end of his last note, he closed his binder and spun around in his chair to face one of his former Sinnoh rivals, Barry. Barry was still getting down the last of his notes so Ash waited until he was done to talk to him. Within a minute, Barry had finished his notes and closed his binder and placed it to the side. Barry noticed Ash looking right at him and wondered why.

"Hey, Ash, what do you want to talk about?" Barry asked.

"Nothing really. Did you get down everything you needed?" Ash asked.

"I hope so. You?"

"Yeah, I got it all down."

Barry placed his arms on top of each other, apparently ready to talk a little more.

"I saw you in the Pokemon League this last summer. Pretty impressive finishing in the top four." Barry commented.

"Hey thanks, Barry. When's the last time you travelled?" Ash asked.

"Unfortunately, not since Sinnoh."

Ash's eyes widened a little bit. "So, you haven't travelled at all since you last saw me?"

"Nope. I've just been hanging at home since."

Ash was a little surprised. Barry hadn't travelled at all the last few summers. He and Barry didn't get along that well when they were rivals up until the Sinnoh League when Barry rooted for him. Since then, he and Barry got along pretty well.

"How come you haven't?" Ash asked, a little curious as to why Barry hadn't stepped foot in another region.

"I guess that after my loss to Paul in the Sinnoh League, since I got swept that my confidence dropped quite a bit and it really hasn't elevated since so I just stayed home the last three summers." Barry explained.

"Gee Barry, I'm really sorry to hear that." Ash commented.

"It's not your fault. I guess I shouldn't have been that cocky when I was your rival. Yes, I want to be a legendary trainer but I shouldn't underestimate others when I face them, that's probably why I lost to Paul." Barry continued explaining.

"Nah, don't undersell yourself Barry. Paul may be a great trainer but that doesn't mean that you're bad. Every trainer has their bad days, even me. I haven't exactly won every battle I've fought with my Pokemon. At first, I couldn't stand losing, but as I got older I matured a bit and I learned to take losing a little better. Losing only makes you a better trainer as you learn a lot more from a loss than from a win. It's a true statement, believe me." Ash explained.

Barry smiled a bit after hearing what Ash had to say. Ash sure was full of words of wisdom. Barry never realized it before, but Ash was smarter than he thought he was, and he now knows that he should never underestimate an opponent, no matter their skill.

"Thanks for saying all that, Ash. I've been trying to find things to boost my confidence back up and I think your understanding of the subject has helped. So, I think after the school year, I will travel again." Barry stated.

Ash smiled and playfully hit Barry in the shoulder. "Now that's what I'm talking about, Barry. Go for it!"

Barry's smile then turned into a small frown. "But there's just one thing…"

"What?"

"What region are you planning to travel in next?"

"Well, I heard from Paul that there's this region called the Alola region that I plan on travelling in next summer. Maybe you could travel there as well." Ash stated.

"Okay, I think I will give it a shot." Barry answered.

"All right, Barry. Do it."

"And maybe when I'm travelling there, you and I could have a battle again." Barry suggested.

"That'd be awesome, Barry. I'm up for that." Ash replied.

"It's a deal then?"

"It's a deal."

Then the two shook hands and then the bell rang, signaling the time to get to the next class. Ash and Barry got up from their seats, said their goodbyes and went to their next class. Ash's next class was across campus so he had a far walk but he was used to it since the beginning of the year. In the next class, Ash really only had Iris and Tierno in it so there wasn't much of his friends that he could converse with in that period. At least there was somebody, or in this case there were two, but there was no time to be literal. As he continued walking, all that was going on was the loudness of footsteps and chatter. But then…

"BAM!"

There was a loud explosion coming from the boys bathroom, and within seconds, a boy with brown hair, wearing a black and red short sleeved jacket, and a stubble on his face emerged from the bathroom. Water poured out from the under the door. Apparently something happened with either the sinks or the toilets.

"Woo! Bam! That's another one for the record books." The boy cheered, pumping his fists in front of his arms.

"Up to another stunt, Red?" Ash asked.

"You bet. And this one is one of the biggest I've pulled." Red exclaimed.

"What did you do?" Ash asked, somewhat curious as to what Red had done.

"I dropped a cherry bomb into the toilet full of acid." Red answered.

"YOU WHAT?"

"I know, crazy right?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess that's pretty crazy."

"No doubt."

"Red, don't you even consider the fact that you could get caught?"

"Hey, if I haven't been caught the first forty seven times I've pulled a stunt, what are the odds that I'll be caught now?" Red remarked.

"Just be careful. I wouldn't want you to get suspended and then expelled for doing something like this. I'm surprised you haven't been caught." Ash stated.

"Hey, I'm not one to brag, but I'm a master of my work." Red said, tapping his head with his right pointer finger. A few seconds later, Serena came running to the scene.

"What the heck was that?" She asked, clearly stunned by the loud explosion.

"Just another one of Red's stunts." Ash responded.

"Oh, okay. What kind of stunt was it?"

"Toilets, acid, cherry bomb. Need I say more?" Ash stated.

"Red, did you seriously do that?" Serena asked. Red pounded his chest with his right fist, telling her yes. "Wow Red, pretty intense."

"I know, right? Anyway, I've got to get to my next class. After that, I'll be pouring hot sauce in the teacher's lounge coffee. Gotta run!" Red said and ran off, waving to the two, with them waving back.

"So I'll see you at lunch then?"

"Yeah."

And the two parted ways. Ash reached his next class with twenty seconds left to spare, so he made it. He sat down in his seat and leaned his head back after slamming his binder down on his desk. Iris and Tierno, who sat at the same table he did, noticed his exhaustion.

"Tired, Ash?" Iris asked.

"Nah, just exhausted from walking across campus." He responded.

"So you are tired?"

"No, I'm exhausted."

"What's the difference."

"Tired means you feel drowsy, exhausted means you're low on energy from moving too much." Ash explained.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Iris said.

"So how was your last class?" Tierno asked.

"Just the ordinary, dude." Ash answered.

"Okay. You ready for-"

Suddenly the bell rang, starting class. Ash ignored the bell and kept his head back. The teacher, Mrs. Emmerson, patted Ash on the head.

"Heads up, Mr. Ketchum."

Ash jolted his eyes open and sprung his head forward. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, Ash. I understand that you're a little bushed from walking from your last class. Just be alert for this one."

Ash rubbed his eyes with his left hand and opened his binder, getting ready for class. He took out his pencil and started spinning it in his hand.

Well, at least there was two periods until he could relax.

The last four periods flew by. The final bell was about to ring. Serena closed her binder after finishing her last assignment. She couldn't wait for this day to be over and go home. She was just going to grab Fennekin and head on home with Ash. She pinched her eyes and rubbed them. Today had taken a little toll on her, but she was still high on energy. She had wanted to ask Ash if he could do something after school, but she had to wait a minute first.

The final bell rang and it was time to head home. Serena left the classroom before Ash did and made her way to go get Fennekin from the nursery. But within a few second, Ash grabbed her shoulder from behind, causing her to turn around.

"Oh, there you are. Ready to head home? Serena asked.

"Actually, I have to stay after and catch up on some work with Brock, Clemont, and Gary. And I wanted to ask you a favor." Ash explained.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you take Pikachu home with you? I'd hate to leave him in that nursery for an hour or two so could you take him home with you, if that's okay?" Ash asked.

"Of course. I'd be more than happy to. I would like to see how Pikachu handles hanging out with me." Serena answered.

"Okay, thanks. I appreciate it." Ash thanked and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you a little later okay?"

"Okay."

After that, Ash ran off towards the library, leaving Serena to go fetch both of their best friends. She walked to the nursery to where their Pokemon were held. Once she entered there, she called to Fennekin to come over, which Fennekin did.

"Hey Pikachu…"

"Pika?"

"Ash has to stay after today and he wanted me to take you home. Are you okay with that?" She asked.

"Pika pika." Pikachu replied, nodding his head and ran his way over to her, standing next to her feet.

"You two ready?"

"Pika."

"Fenne."

"All right, let's go."

Well, there goes the question she was going to ask Ash. She really wanted to do that thing with him but she guessed that she could wait until tomorrow.

So with that she picked up Fennekin. But how would Pikachu go with her? She didn't want him to walk down on the ground and she already had Fennekin in her hands. So what could she do?

"Wait… that could work." She thought.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't you hop up on my shoulder so you aren't all by yourself down there?" She asked him.

Pikachu nodded. "Pika."

Serena released one hand from Fennekin and reached down for Pikachu so he could climb up onto her shoulder. Once she got a hold of the yellow mouse he trotted up her arm and onto her left shoulder, which was the shoulder of Ash's he was always on.

"All right, let's go."

With that she left the nursery and then out the school's front doors and headed towards her house. She reminded herself that she had to call Delia and tell her that Ash stayed after and she had Pikachu so she wouldn't worry. But one thing came to her mind…

She had never been left alone with Pikachu before. Ash had never wanted her to take care of him on her own, mainly because he never had to or ask her to do it. Occasions rarely ever popped up for this such thing. She didn't want to doubt herself that she could take care of him, but she never had something like this happen to her. But she had a feeling she would not let Ash down. This was her boyfriend's best friend after all. She has experience doing it. She always takes care of Fennekin and plus, when Pikachu was attacked by Beedrill earlier that year, she knew how to heal his injuries and he was all fine and dandy after she helped the little guy, and Ash expressed how grateful he was the morning he found out she had nursed Pikachu back to health. She wouldn't forget that day. So she really had nothing to worry about.

She reached her house within fifteen minutes. When she walked in the door her mother was just coming in from the other room. Once her mother saw Pikachu on her shoulder, she looked confused.

"Honey, why do you have Pikachu with you?"

"Ash had to stay after school and catch up on some schoolwork and he asked me if I could take care of Pikachu for him until he was done." Serena explained.

"Oh, okay. Well, take good care of him. I'm pretty sure Ash is trusting you with him."

"Yes I know mom. He's in good hands. I won't let Ash down."

"All right. Now go do what you need to do." She said and walked back into the other room. After her mom had disappeared, she went up to her room, still with Fennekin in her arms and Pikachu on her shoulder. She opened the door to her room and walked in. When she got near her bed, she bent down and let go of Fennekin who leaped onto the floor once Serena released her. Pikachu, since she had no grip on him, just hopped off onto her bed. Pikachu knew what her room was, he had been there before, just not without Ash. Serena laid her binder down on her dresser, took off her hat and boots, and sat down next to Pikachu.

"So… what do you want to do, Pikachu."

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders. "Pika pi."

"We can do whatever you want. We've got lots of free time until Ash leaves school."

Pikachu was stuck. He had no idea what the three of them could do. He and Ash would think of anything to do. Half the time it was training, but the other half was basically anything Ash suggested. He was pretty good at suggesting things, but he wasn't there to help so what could he do?

"Fenne?" Fennekin said, pointing at the window, blinds open and letting the shimmering sun beam through to their eyes. She jumped up onto the bed and then up to the window, pointing once again at it, looking at Pikachu. Pikachu smiled and walked closer to it with Fennekin. Luckily the sun wasn't bright enough to turn their eyes to ashes, so it was a pleasant sight.

Serena followed suit and scooted over on the bed to get a good view of the outdoors. It was a nice sighting and she enjoyed every second of it. It was nice that Pikachu and Fennekin were as well, it was a moment for them to admire.

A little later, Serena suggested that the three of them head to the field that Ash and her always go to when they're together. The two Pokemon knew about this field and were the only two other than Ash and Serena that knew about this spot, since Ash and Serena said that this field was exclusive to them and not let anybody else know about it other than them and their two Pokemon.

Once they reached it, Pikachu and Fennekin went into the field of flowers to frolic around in them. Serena decided to do nothing but watch them. So she sat down and put her hands on her knees and watched the two Pokemon jump around. She giggled to herself as she watched the both of them goofing around. It was a time to relax for all three of them. Listening to the rustling of Pikachu and Fennekin in the flowers and the wisps of the wind occupied the air. Serena looked up into the air, and saw the many Pidgeys flying around gracefully in the air. The brightness of the sun made them a little hard to see but they were still visible. Serena thought there was nothing more beautiful to see in the sky. While she was watching, Pikachu, with a few flowers in his little mouth, walked up to Serena. Serena, having heard Pikachu's footsteps, looked down and saw him in front of her.

Pikachu took the flowers out of his mouth and handed them to Serena. "Pika pi?"

"Aww, thanks Pikachu. This is very thoughtful of you, and they're a beautiful bunch." She said and leaned down and laid a peck on the yellow mouse's head, making him blush a little, just like she did whenever Ash kissed her on the cheek.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She grabbed her phone and saw that there was a message from Ash.

"I'm taking a little break. How is Pikachu?"

"He's doing great! He just gave me a small bunch of flowers just now actually."

"Oh that's cool. It's nice to see him think of you."

"The little guy is a sweetheart. He treats me as if I'm his second trainer."

"I think Pikachu thinks of you that way."

"Does he really?"

"Yeah. If I were to go somewhere by myself and couldn't take him, he'd want to be with you. If I were to go someday, he'd want to be with you. He really does think of you that way."

"I'm happy to hear that. I'm happy to know that he thinks of me on an occasional basis."

"He thinks of you more than that. He trusts you one hundred ten percent, that's why he likes you so much."

"He's a chipper little Pokemon. That's why I like him."

"That's good. Anyway, I'll be here a little longer, maybe an hour or two more, so you can have more fun with him."

"Good. I'll see you then."

"I'll see you then."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too. See you in a couple hours."

After that Serena put her phone back in her pocket. When she looked up, she saw Pikachu picking out more flowers, Fennekin as well. Pikachu had about four or five stacked in a pile while Fennekin had what seemed like ten. Serena wondered why they were making their own piles. What were they making them for? Why so many? She didn't want to dwell on it so she let those reasons be kept to them and continued watching them pick flower after flower.

After about a half an hour at the field, Serena, Pikachu, and Fennekin decided to walk back home. Pikachu had about a couple or so dozen roses in his arms while Fennekin had the same amount in her mouth. Serena took a few to lighten the load for them. Serena was a little curious, so she raised the ones she had up to her nose and gave them a sniff. They had a very original smell. They didn't smell like the usual smell of flowers, it was different, and she liked different.

Pikachu and Fennekin trotted along the trail. They looked at each other and smiled. Serena liked to see that Pikachu and Fennekin got along so well, which made her smile as well. She started humming to herself as she walked along with them.

But alas, things were not going to go smoothly this time around. As a loud "caw" was heard in the distance. The three of them looked around to see where that came from. Pikachu was the first to catch it.

"PIKA!" The yellow mouse shouted, pointing up in the air, where a flock of Spearow were in the sky, glaring daggers at them. Serena gasped and Fennekin dropped the flowers in her mouth. The lead Spearow then cawed again and they flew down charging.

There was no getting out of this. Serena didn't want to get attacked, but she didn't want to run away either. She needed to be tough, she needed to be fearless. Ash had taught her to be this way and she had been learning well lately. With that in mind, a look of determination spread across her face, ready to give out the command. Pikachu and Fennekin took the same stance as she did, ready to give it their all. And within a second, Serena said those famous words that Ash said on a constant basis when in danger.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu charged up and let loose a devastating jolt of electricity, sending it toward the Spearow.

"Okay, Fennekin, you use flamethrower."

A ball of flames ignited in Fennekin's mouth and she let loose and strong stream of fire. The thunderbolt and flamethrower hurled toward the Spearow. Now the Spearow were in fear. Immediately, both the thunderbolt and flamethrower collided into the Spearow. The Spearow, having been hit with two attacks at the same time, got the spirals in their eyes and fell down twenty feet to the ground, groaning as they hit it. Seeing as their foes have been defeated, Serena, Pikachu, and Fennekin breathed a sigh of relief, having avoided a catastrophe. Seeing as to what happened, Serena smiled.

"Wow, now I kind of feel the rush Ash gets saying that." She said to herself. After that, the three of them picked up the flowers that they dropped and headed on back home.

A half hour later, in Serena's room. Serena and Fennekin were putting the flowers that Fennekin got and put them in a vase to put in her room. Pikachu on the other hand, was trying to tie a red ribbon around his bouquet, to no avail. Serena noticed the difficulty Pikachu was having and picked up the bouquet and neatly tied the ribbon around the middle of the stem and handed them back to him, making him smile in the process. Pikachu wanted to give the roses to someone special, as he saw them as a great friend. He wanted to give them to Buneary, seeing as the two grew even closer lately since homecoming, and he thought she deserved them. Serena and Fennekin finished putting the flowers in the vase and Serena put them on top of her dresser, and the flowers looked beautiful on it.

"You two really did a good job picking these. Thank you!" Serena said. Pikachu and Fennekin nodded their heads, telling her "you're welcome".

An hour passed by, and the three of them had fallen asleep after working on the flowers and eating a few apples and berries they had collected on the way home. Fennekin was laying by Serena's feet, while Serena had Pikachu cradled in her arms. They had fallen asleep twenty minutes ago, needing to after what happened to them. Entering the doorway was Ash, who had recently got done with his schoolwork and came by to pick up Pikachu. He walked up to the bed, and Serena, due to being a light sleeper, woke up and saw him there in front of her. Pikachu awoke as well. Serena quickly sat up, keeping Pikachu in her arms.

"Hey, you're here." She said.

"Yeah. Just got done twenty five minutes ago. Was Pikachu okay?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "He was terrific. Didn't cause one problem. He actually helped me with one today." She stated.

"What was that?"

Serena then explained the predicament that they went through in the forest with the Spearow. Ash was surprised, yet amazed, at how the three of them got out of something like that.

"Thanks for helping her out buddy." Ash commented to his buddy, rubbing his head. "Hey, you actually look cute with Pikachu in your arms like that."

"I do?"

"Mm hm."

Pikachu then hopped out of her arms and onto Ash's shoulder. "Okay, we should get home. My mom's probably waiting for me."

"Okay."

"Thanks for watching him for me."

"Anytime."

The two shared a quick kiss and then Ash and Pikachu left the room to head home. Ash waved goodbye to Fennekin as well. As soon as they were out of sight and she heard the front door close, Serena recollected what happened today. She got a lot closer to her boyfriend's best friend, and had a moment to remember forever. She learned a lot today, and she hoped that another day like this would happen in the future.

Yep, she hoped she could do this more often.

Author's note: What a day it was for those three. I think Serena bonding with Pikachu was a pretty neat idea. See what they could do together when Ash is not around. I think this was an okay chapter. I liked the idea for it but I'd say it was just a decent chapter. What did you guys think? Leave them in a review but before you do, read the preview.

Ash was thinking what he gift he could get for Serena for Christmas. He had known her for almost a whole year and dated her for six months, but he didn't have an idea of what he could get her. He had never gotten a gift for her before.

"Man, what kind of gift would Serena like? I know what kind of things she likes but I want to go out of the ordinary. What could that be?" Ash thought to himself. Grace looked over at him and noticed he was stuck in thought.

"Ash, you doing okay? It seems like you're thinking too hard." Grace stated, concerned for Ash's current state.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm still trying to think of what I could get for Serena. I don't want to disappoint her." Ash stated.

Grace placed her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, I think Serena could care less of what you get her. She'd be fine with whatever you get her. She's not a picky girl. As long as you get her something, she would be fine with it." Grace explained.

"You think so?"

"I know so. Come on. She's been my daughter for seventeen years, I know what kind of person she is."

Ash took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay Grace, I think I might have an easier time doing this."

She smiled and patted the shoulder she had her hand on. "Now that's what I like to hear."

With that, Ash resumed thinking of what he could get Serena. A little pep talk from Grace smoothed things out quite a bit. Now, he was more determined and confident to make his first Christmas with Serena one to be treasured forever, that he was sure about.

"All right Ash, let's do this." Ash thought to himself and he and Grace continued walking, ready to see what they could think of.

Author's note: Okay, it seems that the next chapter is going to take place during Christmas break. Actually, the next two are going to be set during that time. Will Ash be able to think of a gift to make Serena happy? What will Serena get for Ash? Well, we'll see won't we? Sit tight, grab some candy and soda, and see what unfolds in the next chapter. Until then…

TDBigJ out!

What kind of computer do you own? And please don't say a white one.

-Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory, Episode The Peanut Reaction