I asked some friends of mine if they wanted to see this, so here we are. Before we start the finale to my Pokemon fanfic universe, let us enjoy the wedding of Ruby Silverlock and Hop Dande. Hope you enjoy this little Valentine's Gift from me to you. ^^
Hop was about to ask the one question that would change his life forever. It was also a question that was going to change Ruby's life forever too, but Ruby didn't know this. It was going to be Hop's big surprise and he could already imagine the look on her face when he sprang it on her.
Seven years had passed since the Silverlock family and their loved ones had journeyed to the Crown Tundra and gotten caught up in a big adventure that saw them fighting against a madman who wanted to conquer the world with Legendary Pokémon. Since then, life had been much more down-to-Earth for the family. No more evil schemes to foil, no villains to face, just them, their loves and their Pokémon to enjoy life as it played out for them. For Ruby Silverlock, that meant spending year after year defending her title as Champion of Galar and challenging Pokémon trainers from regions all over the world. Incredibly, she STILL remained undefeated even now. Nine years had passed since she'd become the Champion after defeating the previous Champion, Leon, and Ruby still showed no signs of being dethroned from her position. She'd only continued to get stronger over time and her ever-changing team of Pokémon made her incredibly unpredictable as she never used the same team in every battle. If she ever used the same team again, it was always after a few battles before going back to that team. She owned a lot of Pokémon and could assemble teams that could handle just about any challenge from the many options available to her. Her particular favourite team to use was one consisting of Bugs the Cinderace, Soundwave the Noivern, Freddy the Toxtricity, Spearhead the Barraskewda, Lancelot the Kingambit and Doomsday the Eternatus. She often viewed that as "her best team" for it was the team that proved the hardest to battle against for many trainers.
Hop thought back to when he first met Ruby as both he and her walked down onto the beach together. It felt like only yesterday when they were kids and were first meeting each other after the Silverlock family moved into their house in Postwick Town. Hop had become quick friends with Ruby and her twin sisters, Emerald and Sapphire. But little did he know that the girl he befriended would become his girlfriend. Their romance had started blossoming after they began their Pokémon journeys together as soon as Ruby turned 13. And they made it official the year after Ruby had become Champion. Ruby was now 22 and Hop was 23 and their romance had only grown stronger and closer as time went on. So close that Hop thought now was the time to take the next step in life. He hoped Ruby would like what he was about to do.
The two lovers arrived on the beach. The sun was already blazing in the sky, bringing warmth to all who stepped out in its rays. The sea lapped softly at the shore, making relaxing crashing sounds as they rolled over. The wind blew gently, playing with Ruby's beautiful silver hair. She'd grown it longer over the years and Hop couldn't stop admiring how pretty she looked whenever it blew out like that. Ruby was dressed casually in her trademark Champions t-shirt that clung tightly to her body, black trousers, red boots and a black leather jacket with short sleeves. It was the kind of outfit that showed Ruby was still a kid at heart and enjoyed a bit of action in her life. Hop also dressed casually too, wearing a tight fitting vest that displayed his muscular figure and showed off his arms and shoulders, sporty trousers and running shoes. Like Ruby, his hair had grown longer over the years too. It wasn't as long as Leon's, but it would get there in due time. He still had his trademark fringe so as to distinguish himself from his older brother. Ruby liked this look for Hop, teasing him on how it emphasized how handsome he'd become over the years with the change from teenager to adult. Hop only teased back that puberty had been equally as generous to Ruby.
"You picked a lovely place for a Pokémon battle, Hop." Ruby acknowledged, "A bright sunny beach with the sparkling sea beside us…if you didn't say this was for a Pokémon battle, I'd think we were on another date!"
"Oh I thought we could give this battle a romantic edge by picking a romantic setting, babe." Hop said casually, "Besides, our Pokémon love it on the beach. It's spacious, pretty and they get plenty of fresh air. It's as much for them as for us."
"Still thinking about Pokémon and their true feelings, hon. That's what makes you so perfect for becoming a Pokémon Professor." Ruby complimented, "It's also why I can't stop loving you like so."
"You say the nicest things as always, Ruby." Hop chuckled, "OK, let's begin! I know I've not battled in a while but I'm gonna give it my all regardless!" he declared, whipping out a Pokéball.
"Oh Hop, I wouldn't ask for anything less from my boyfriend." Ruby purred, "You always fought your best when we were kids. Why expect anything different now?"
"You can expect I might actually win for once." Hop teased.
"We'll see." Ruby playfully shot back, drawing out her own Pokéball.
The two took up their positions and stared each other down. This was feeling like back at Hop and Leon's house when they had their first Pokémon battle together. Here they were, face-to-face and ready to show what they were made of.
"Bugs, you're up first!" Ruby yelled, throwing her Pokéball.
The spherical device opened up and a beam of light formed into the shape of her starter Pokémon and her signature ace fighter, Bugs. Ruby raised him up from a Scorbunny to a Cinderace and he proved even to this day to be Ruby's strongest Pokémon. Any trainer who fought her often had their battles end with Bugs taking them down. The fiery rabbit Pokémon balled his fists and dropped into a battle ready stance. No matter who he was fighting, he was always ready for action.
"N'yah, what's up doc?" he said in his usual laid back manner.
Hop chuckled and held out his Pokéball. Ruby watched in confusion as Hop merely held the ball out but didn't throw it. What was he doing? Weren't they supposed to be battling? Was Hop going to bring out his first Pokémon or what? Things got stranger still when Hop started to walk towards her. He was smiling coolly at his girlfriend as if to say "Trust me, this'll be great!".
"Uh…what are you doing?" Ruby asked in confusion, "You can't just walk onto the battlefield like that, you'll get hurt."
"Yeah doc, ain't ya supposed to be sending a Pokémon out to fight me?" Bugs asked.
Hop ignored them both and continued approaching them. Once Hop was within arm's reach of his girlfriend, he pressed the button on the Pokéball and opened it up. Ruby's eyes widened in astonishment. The Pokéball didn't actually contain any Pokémon at all! Instead, there was a golden ring with a tiny red ruby on top that sparkled in the sunlight. Ruby felt her heart skip a beat. Was that…?
"Ruby Silverlock. May I…choose you?" Hop asked smoothly, still wearing his cool smile.
Ruby put her hands to her mouth in shock. She never would've guessed this whole thing was a set up for an engagement, and yet here she was being proposed to! Bugs recoiled as it settled in what was happening. He'd heard all about weddings from Ruby and he understood that humans proposed to each other by offering engagement rings to get married. He began hopping up and down as if he was the Easter Bunny handing out eggs.
"Wait just a cotton picking minute! You set up dis whole Pokémon battle just so ya could propose to my trainer?!" Bugs exclaimed, "Dat's so romantic! Aww! I'm truly at a loss for words there, Hop! What a pleasant surprise dis is!" he cried in awe.
"I hoped it would be, mate!" Hop laughed, "So what do you say Ruby?"
Ruby finally shook out of her daze, her eyes twinkling with excitement and joy. A broad smile spread across her face. She put her hands on Hop's shoulders.
"I wondered how long it would take for you to ask. Turns out it wasn't that long!" she joked, "Oh Hop, the answer is a resounding yes from me! Of course I choose you! I wouldn't choose anybody BUT you to be my husband!"
"You've just made me the happiest guy in Galar Ruby! Thank you!" Hop cried in excitement.
The two wrapped their arms around each other and embraced warmly. Both began to cry tears of joy over their proposal. Even Bugs couldn't resist bawling his eyes out for the two trainers in spite of his usual snarky demeanour. It was going to be a wonderful new direction for both Ruby and Hop to take in their lives. No longer would they be just boyfriend and girlfriend. They would be husband and wife! Ruby could already imagine what life would be like for her going forward. Being the Champion of Galar and the wife of a future Pokémon Professor did sound pretty amazing. As Hop slid the engagement ring onto Ruby's finger, they gazed into each other's eyes with love and happiness.
"I know that we'll be a wonderful couple, you and I." Ruby said lovingly, "Whatever comes our way, I know we'll get through it together."
"You bet we will!" Hop concurred, "So how should we go about this wedding? Lee suggested right here in Galar but I wanted to make it more special. How's about we make it a holiday abroad and get married somewhere nice?"
"I bet the beaches of Alola would be a very romantic setting for us." Ruby thought, "I'd love that. But we gotta let everybody else know about this before we rush into anything! God, my sisters are gonna scream the house down when they hear this!"
"My mother and Lee know already." Hop informed, "I told them I was going to propose to you earlier today. They'll be glad to know you accepted. But yes, we should totally inform everybody else too. Our mates are so gonna flip when we tell them!"
"Just wait til I tell all da other Pokémon back home!" Bugs put in, "Dey'll really raise da roof! Dey're gonna be so happy for both of you!"
"You're right on that, Bugs." Ruby concurred, "Oh I'm so excited! I can't wait to get this wedding started! We're all gonna look so pretty and handsome and…gosh, I'm practically squealing myself silly just thinking about it!" she exclaimed.
"Just like back on your Pokémon journey whenever you beat a Gym." Hop joked, "You'd squeal yourself silly then too."
Ruby laughed and pulled Hop into another hug again.
"Thank you again Hop. I was hoping that we could get married eventually, and now that time has come." the Champion said sweetly.
"And not a day too soon." the professor-in-training replied, "And I thank you in return for accepting."
They leaned forward and their lips locked into a passionate kiss as they embraced each other warmly once more. Hop had grown a little taller than Ruby so she had to stand up on her toes to reach him. Her hands played with his neck, shoulders and hair as she kissed and Hop's hands ran down her back and hair as he returned the gesture. They felt as if they could keep this up for the rest of the day, but they would have to stop eventually. Some very close people in their lives would be very keen to hear the news…
Naturally, the first people to hear about the proposal were Ruby's family. Her parents, Annie and Michael Silverlock were in the sitting room with Emerald and Sapphire joining them. Their lives as contest coordinator and Dojo Master on the Isle of Armour respectively had been going well and the two were as close as ever to their own partners. Emerald was with Tony Summers and Sapphire was with Ashley Benson. Like Ruby, they had grown into beautiful long ladies too. Emerald's hair had grown a little longer and she liked to dress in homely attire consisting of a casual long-sleeved shirt, some dark green dungarees with a flower printed in the middle and a pair of casual trainers. To everyone's amusement, she still wore her trademark green tam-o-shanter even at her current age. Sapphire on the other hand had adapted to her girlfriend's adventurous life style, long having traded her hoodie and jeans combo for shorts, walking boots, fingerless gloves and a leather jacket. She still dyed her hair blue but now wore it in a long ponytail. Once the family was altogether, Ruby and Hop came into the room and announced they had something to show everyone. All Ruby had to do was show them the engagement ring on her finger and that told everyone what they needed to know, no words required. There was a shocked silence as the happy news set in for the four and then the cheering began. As Ruby predicted, Emerald and Sapphire squealed as if they were trying to bring the house down on their heads.
"OH MY ARCEUS, HOP PROPOSED! EEEEEEEEEEEEE, THIS IS SO EXCITING!" they hollered in unison.
"Congratulations to you both!" Annie cried, her eyes streaming with tears of joy, "Oh look at you my baby girl, all grown up and now you're going to be married! Where did all that time go?!" she exclaimed, hugging her eldest daughter in joy.
"No idea mum." Ruby joked, "But we're ready for this next step and I know that we're gonna enjoy life as a couple."
"We couldn't be prouder of our little girl." Michael said happily, "And the fact you're marrying Hop makes us even prouder. If any man was going to wed my daughter, I'm glad it'll be you Hop." he said kindly.
"Aww, thank you Mr. Silverlock." Hop said bashfully.
"When's the wedding taking place?" Emerald inquired, "And where will it take place? Will it be here in Galar or anywhere else?"
"We're thinking we'll have the wedding a few months from now, maybe near the end of the year." Ruby answered, "And we're thinking we'll have the wedding in Alola and make it not just a wedding, but also a holiday for all of us."
"Why not? I hear Alola's a really beautiful region." Sapphire said approvingly, "And they have a lot of cool Pokémon there too so it'll be cool to meet any of them."
"I think that sounds wonderful, darling." Annie agreed, "A wedding in Alola will be perfect. Who shall we invite?"
"Obviously, all of you and all of Hop's family." Ruby noted, "For anyone else, we should definitely invite Cousin Gloria and her parents. Gloria will love it. I personally would love to invite Marnie as well. I think she'll really appreciate getting to attend this wedding. And of course, Em and Sapph can bring Tony and Ashley too." she added, nodding to her sisters.
"I'll be happy to invite Sonia." Hop offered, "With what a big impact she's had on our lives, it'd be crazy of us not to invite her too! I might ask Victor as well." he thought, "I'm sure he'd like to come."
"And naturally, anyone who wants to bring their Pokémon can do so." Ruby added, "Can't leave them out of course."
"Who should be the best man and bridesmaids?" Michael asked.
"How about me and Sapph? We'd love to be bridesmaids!" Emerald offered.
"Well obviously it's going to be you two." Ruby snickered, "We would never have picked anyone else. If Gloria or Marnie are up for it, they can be bridesmaids as well."
"For best man, there's only one option for us, and that's Lee." Hop insisted, "My big bro deserves that position more than anyone else in my eyes. He's been such a big inspiration and played such a big role for both of us in our lives as Pokémon trainers that he really is our "best man" so to speak."
The family chuckled.
"Sounds like you have it all figured out." Annie said happily, "We'll start handing out invites as soon as possible and get the wedding holiday all booked in advance."
"We sure will mum." Ruby said happily, "And I know for a fact it's going to be the best holiday any of us will ever have."
"The holiday of a lifetime if you ask me." Sapphire concurred, "Oh I can just see it now. We're all going to look our best and we have a day full of love and joy as you and Hop make it official. I know I'd love mine and Ashley's wedding to be like that too."
"Same for me and Tony." Emerald put in, "I'm not sure when we'll ever get married, but I hope we will soon."
"You two will get your chances, I know you will." Ruby said kindly, "And your weddings will be great too. But we've got me and Hop to do first so let's not get ahead of ourselves."
The twins nodded in agreement. For now, they'd enjoy watching their older sister get married. For them, that day couldn't come soon enough!
The months slowly went by and soon enough, the wedding holiday finally came. Ruby and Hop had booked a two week holiday in Alola for the big day itself. They flew to Alola on the first week around six days before the wedding day itself. After arriving, the family and all their guests got checked into the hotel and settled in to their rooms. The hotel was known as the Grand Sirenis, the biggest hotel in Alola. It had enough rooms for hundreds, if not thousands of guests to stay in and had several restaurants to dine in, an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a lazy river ride and a stage for entertainment nights to be hosted. The Silverlock and Dande families and all the friends they'd invited had spent those six days enjoying the warm sunshine and tropical climate of Alola as they sunbathed around the hotel grounds, played on the beaches, went swimming in the pool at the hotel or the sea at the beach, enjoyed some themed meals in the many restaurants and relaxed in the spa or on the lazy river ride. Alola was nothing like Galar with its beautiful tropical scenery, lush plant life and humid climate. To the Galarians, it felt like being in a giant greenhouse and Ruby often looked up expecting to see a huge glass ceiling as a result. The best way to keep cool was to stay in their rooms and put the air conditioning on for a while if they got too warm and needed some time out of the heat. But in spite of the heat, they were enjoying their holiday. No region offered holidays like Alola did!
Two nights before the wedding, Ruby and Hop lay in bed together with Ruby snuggled up close to her purpled-haired fiancé and stroking his strong, toned chest. Hop had taken great care of himself growing into adult hood and had built up an impressive muscular physique that made him resemble Leon even more. Leon even joked that Hop might be sexier than him as Hop was still young while he was getting older. Ruby enjoyed getting to see Hop with his shirt off with how good he looked and whenever they slept together, she could hardly keep her hands off him. Hop didn't mind. He loved the soft and gentle way Ruby played with his chest when they were together. He watched her fingers tenderly caressing his bare skin as she cuddled up to him.
"You could do that all night if you wanted." he teased.
"It's your own fault for being so damn gorgeous." Ruby teased back, "I'm like a magnet to you when you're like this."
Hop chuckled and slid his arm around his fiancée. Ruby moaned with pleasure as Hop began to tenderly stroke her back as she stroked his chest. Hop had long since discovered Ruby's favourite spot to be massaged in was the centre of her back between her shoulders. Every time he stroked her there, he swore Ruby would purr like a content Meowth. His fingers caressed her back softly, giving Ruby goosebumps as she shivered in delight.
"Mmm…I could let you do THAT to me all night." Ruby sighed with pleasure.
"I would but I imagine we'd both fall asleep in due time so it wouldn't be possible." Hop chuckled.
"At least once we're married, we can get used to having every night like this." Ruby noted, "I'm still buzzing to think that it's two days away!. Our wedding day's coming so quickly!"
"I know, it's mind-blowing!" Hop sighed in wonder, "Very soon, we become husband and wife! Still feels like yesterday when we proposed!"
"In my case, it still feels like yesterday when we first met." Ruby mused, thinking back to that day, "I never would've guessed that several years later, I'd be marrying my neighbour."
She moved her hand from Hop's chest to his cheek and caressed it softly with her thumb. She gazed into his eyes lovingly.
"I know I've made the right decision in marrying you, handsome." Ruby whispered softly, "Do you feel the same way?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Hop retorted, "I think proposing to you might be the best decision I've ever made!"
"I thought you'd say that, baby." Ruby said with a smile, "And once we're married…do you have any idea what we should do next?"
"What do you mean?" Hop asked, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder and massaging it slowly.
"Well, I've been thinking and I think it's best to ask you this…would you ever want to be a father?" the silver-haired woman asked.
The purple-haired man thought for a moment.
"A dad huh?" he murmured, "I never thought about that to be honest. I guess I was so focused on becoming a husband that I didn't think for afterwards. How about you?"
"I personally would love to be a mother." Ruby answered, "I dunno why, but the idea of having children just appeals to me. I guess I want to be like mum and dad a little and raise my own future Pokémon trainer as they did me and my sisters. Of course, if our child doesn't want to be a trainer, I'll support them regardless. Would you love it if we had children?"
Hop thought it over. Ruby stayed respectfully silent as she waited for her fiancé to reply. She imagined it might take some time for him to come to a decision as it was a big thing to mull over. Ruby hoped that bringing this up wouldn't ruin the wedding for Hop. But to her surprise, Hop came to a decision.
"I never thought about it before, but now you bring it up…I guess I'd be on board with that." he said brightly, "I think I might enjoy being a dad. Me and you would be ace parents, that's for certain! I don't think I'd want a lot of kids though." he murmured.
"Me neither. One would probably be enough." Ruby agreed, "With our kind of lives, too many children to raise would wear us both down. But that one child we have will be beautiful and wonderful, I just know it."
"With us to raise him or her, you bet." Hop said supportively, "And whatever our child will become, we'll be with them all the way."
The soon-to-be-weds kissed each other goodnight and settled down to sleep. Ruby rested her head on Hop's chest, enjoying the gentle sound of his heartbeat while Hop ran his fingers through his fiancée's hair. They soon feel asleep to the sounds of their own breathing and the quiet noises of the rolling sea making waves throughout the still, warm Alolan night…
The wedding day was here at last. The day dawned bright and sunny as almost every day in Alola seemed to do. The sky was a clear blue with no clouds in sight, almost as if the heavens above wanted to see this wedding. Come the afternoon, all the guests were gathering together on the beach ready for the big moment to begin. An altar had been set up for the priest and the couple to stand under. The altar had been built in an arch shape with bouquets of flowers decorating it to make it look prettier. Rows of white chairs were set up for the guests to set on and watch the ceremony take place. From where the guests would be seated, they'd have a perfect view of not just Ruby and Hop as they were wed, but the rolling sea in the background too. It made for a beautiful backdrop that only further enhanced the romantic occasion. There were a lot of people attending this wedding. For the Silverlock family, there was Annie, Michael, Emerald, Sapphire, Gloria and her parents while Emerald and Sapphire also had Tony and Ashley joining them. For the Dande family, there was Leon, Judy and Hop's grandparents. Both sides had invited some friends over to join them. Ruby had invited Marnie, Peony and Peonia and with suggestion from Emerald, had also invited Dawn to join them all the way from the Sinnoh region. Hop had invited Professor Sonia and Victor. All of them brought their own Pokémon with them to enjoy the big moment from Leon's Charizard to Emerald's Rillaboom to Sapphire's Inteleon to Marnie's Morpeko to Dawn's Empoleon and much more. Even Jinx the Crobat had been invited. It was a fantastic sight of humans and Pokémon all gathering together to witness the marriage between two esteemed trainers.
The guests took their seats while Hop and Leon stood by with their Dubwool and Charizard behind them waiting for the bridesmaids and the bride herself to make their entrance. Leon had been chosen to be the best man just as they'd decided on months before. All the men were dressed in sandy brown suits with white shirts and orange ties. The women were all dressed in either white or purple dresses. Leon looked to his younger brother. Hop had done everything to smarten himself up for the day, even slicking his hair back a little to look like a proper groom. Leon could see that Hop was a little nervous. That was understandable. Who DIDN'T get nervous at weddings?
"Hey bro, no need to be anxious. You'll be great out there." Leon said reassuringly.
"I sure hope so." Hop muttered, "We've been waiting for this for months and now it's here! I just want everything to go perfectly."
"It will Hop, don't worry about it!" Leon said encouragingly, "You and Ruby will make this a Champion time for both of you. I know it's not a battle and all but…"
"Heh, I get ya Lee. I know what you meant." Hop insisted.
A minute later, the music began to play as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle scattering petals behind them to welcome the bride onto the scene. The song that played was Beautiful in White by Westlife, an appropriate choice for what was to come. Emerald, Sapphire and Gloria had been chosen to be the bridesmaids and they looked very pretty in their purple dresses. As they scattered petals behind them, Ruby herself came down the aisle. Hop thought his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as he saw his bride approach him. Ruby had been dressed up in the most elegant wedding dress anyone had ever seen. It was the purest of white in colour with tiny silver glitter to make it sparkle in the sunshine and had silver trim around the waist and hem sections. She also wore long gloves that came to her elbows and a crown of pink flowers around the back of her head. Her silver hair flowed gracefully behind her as she walked. All heads turned to stare at Ruby as she made her entrance. It was unusual for Ruby to even wear a dress so the fact she was wearing one now earned some gasps of surprise. Ruby walked up to Hop, her face all aglow. Hop took her hands and gazed at her.
"Impressed?" Ruby teased.
"I never would've imagined you'd look that good in a dress!" Hop chuckled, "Gosh…I don't think words can describe how beautiful you look!"
"And you look positively dapper in that suit." Ruby complimented, "Very smart indeed. I love it."
"Thanks baby." Hop said graciously, "You ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, handsome." Ruby replied.
The two held hands as they walked down the aisle together and approached the altar. The music stopped playing, leaving only the sounds of the sea to break the silence. The priest stood at her podium ready to begin as the couple approached her. The priest was a local Alolan priest with short hair, dark skin and a gentle voice that put anyone at ease whenever she spoke. A camera was set up to film the wedding. All the humans took their seats while the Pokémon stood either behind them or at the side of them to watch as the ceremony finally began. The priest spoke the opening words.
"Welcome to the most important day in the lives of Hop Dande and Ruby Silverlock." she announced, her voice soft yet somehow carrying her words above the sound of the sea behind her, "Best man, bridesmaids, all honoured guests, we are all gathered here today to witness a union of love and commitment between Hop Dande and Ruby Silverlock and join them together in holy matrimony."
The priest spoke for a few minutes. Then it was time for the exchanging of vows. The priest turned to Hop first.
"Hop, do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honour her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
Hop gave Ruby a loving smile.
"I do." he replied.
The priest turned to Ruby next.
"Ruby, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honour him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
Ruby's eyes twinkled as she gazed up at Hop.
"I do." she replied.
"Repeat after me." the priest said, "I, Hop Dande take you Ruby Silverlock to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
Hop and Ruby held hands and looked at each other as Hop repeated after the priest.
"Repeat after me: I, Ruby Silverlock, take you Hop, Dande to be my husband, to have
and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in
sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
Ruby echoed the priest's words exactly as been told just as Hop did.
"If anyone has any reason that these two people should not be joined, let them speak now or forever hold their piece." the priest said.
There were no objections coming from anybody. How could any of them object to a marriage like this? After that, the wedding rings were brought to the altar. Marnie had offered to be the ring bearer for the wedding. She approached the altar with the rings on a satin cushion. She gave one of her usual small smiles to Hop and Ruby as she handed out the rings. Hop went first, placing the ring on Ruby's finger.
"Ruby with this ring, I make a pledge of constant faith and abiding love." he announced.
He mentally sighed with relief, glad he'd gotten it just right. Ruby placed the other ring on Hop's finger.
"Hop with this ring, I make a pledge of constant faith and abiding love." she declared.
They turned to face the priest as she made the final pronouncement.
"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." she said to Hop.
The crowd erupted into cheers of joy and excitement as Ruby and Hop kissed each other. All the Pokémon cheered with a mixture of roars, screeches, cries of excitement and bellows all round. Everyone applauded, whooped and cheered for the newlywed couple. Some people wept for the couple while others cried out in happiness. Ruby and Hop were officially husband and wife! The next chapter of their lives had begun and they were ready for it. As they embraced and kissed deeply, they knew that they were in for a wonderful life together as a couple.
And as they'd suggested the night before, a possible life as parents too…
Gotta love a happy marriage, eh? I think Ruby and Hop will be very happy together as husband and wife. ^^ Their marriage is done but their lives are just getting started. Tune in to my next fanfic in which we'll be following Ruby and Hop's daughter, June Silverlock, in her own epic adventure as she takes a "Journey Through Kanto". Hope to see you all then! :D
Trivia: This wedding was largely inspired by my older brother's wedding on the beaches of Mexico back in 2018. Like him, Ruby and Hop get married on a beach and the suits the guys wear are the same colours as the suits all the guys wore at his wedding, even me. The girls being dressed in purple is also taken from that wedding too. ^^
And as another reference to the wedding, the hotel everyone is staying in is named after the hotel we stayed in on that holiday too. Yes, the Grand Sirenis is a real hotel in Mexico and if you ever go on holiday there, you'll love it. It has everything you could ask for (including what I described here) and makes the stay in Mexico worth it, even if the heat is a little hard to bear. XD
And no doubt the way Hop proposed to Ruby will remind many of Professor Kukui's proposal to Professor Burnet in the Sun and Moon anime. I just thought Hop had to propose that way too. ^^