Chapter 13:
Joy continued to fill Serena's hospital room as her and Ash's newly born son Kyle dozed back to sleep in her arms. It was a sight that brought tears of joy not just to Serena but Ash too as the young parents continued to observe the blue bundle in Serena's arms. It was a moment neither of the young Parents' wanted to end but, after a few hours after being given the all clear Serena and Kyle were discharged from the hospital to return home.
Something Serena was more than ready for she even denied the nurses offer to wheel her and Kyle out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Rather the honey blonde haired performer opted to walk out of the hospital with her baby in her arms but not before stopping in the hospital's waiting room where Kelli was waiting with their friend and Alola's newest Pokemon professor Lillie Ather who both took turns holding Kyle as he continued to sleep which how he was able to do so baffled Lillie and Kelli but, it was not a surprise to Ash and Serena who realized when it came to sleeping Kyle clearly took after his mother.
After their brief introductions the small party managed to sneak past the press core waiting outside the hospital thanks to some help from Lillie and the Ather foundation who helicoptered them from the hospital back to Ash and Serena's house where everyone was able to play with Kyle. After a few hours however and although she was having fun and enjoyed playing with babies as much as the next woman Lillie realized she needed to return to work but not before receiving a barrage of unnecessary thanks from Ash and Serena. After Lillie took her leave the two young trainers decided to place a video call to their parents so they could meet their grandson. Both Delia and Grace were overjoyed to receive the video calls from their kids as they both agreed little Kyle Ketchum was simply adorable and, they were both quick to assure their kids that they would come visit soon which came as no surprise to the young parents but what did come as a surprise was that neither Delia or Grace gave Ash or Serena any details about when that would be.
Eventually night began to fall on mele mele which signaled to the Ketchum family that it was time for bed but as Ash and Kelli retired for the night; Serena stayed up to give Kyle one more bottle and a brief rocking and although both of these things quickly put the young boy to sleep Serena just didn't want to stop rocking Kyle she didn't know exactly why this simple action brought a smile to her face and made her so happy but it did. However as the minutes turned to hours the young honey blonde mother finally decided that was enough for the night and gently placed Kyle in his crib which laid at the foot of her and Ash's bed before finally sitting down on her own bed and climbed under the big blue comforter next to Ash who subconsciously rolled over as she did so and placed his arm over Serena. An action that brought a smile to the performers face as she continued to "snuggle" closer to her husband before ultimately falling asleep.
The Following Morning:
As the sun began to shine inside their bed room Ash and Serena found themselves woken up by the fussing of their son Kyle who continued to lie in his crib. That is until Serena got up and retrieved the small child and carried him into the other room to change him while Ash got up and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone while Serena changed Kyle. After about twenty minutes Ash had breakfast ready for everyone as Kelli came sliding into the kitchen in her pink stockings followed shortly by Serena who was holding her baby brother who was now dressed in his Pikachu themed pajamas. As the Ketchum family enjoyed a quiet breakfast Serena was bouncing back and forth between her plate and giving Kyle his bottle.
After about five minutes Kelli finished scarfing down her breakfast so while Ash, Serena and, Kyle finished eating Ash suggests to Kelli since it was yet another beautiful day outside that she should get her shoes on and go play outside. A suggestion Kelli was more than happy to take but only if she could bring a couple of her parent's pokemon with her to play with. Terms Ash and Serena both agreed to so with her parents blessing Kelli put her lavender colored shoes on and grabbed her father's Noiverns Pokeball as well as her mother's Pancham and Sylveon's Pokéballs and bolted out the kitchen door to head out into the back yard to play with Pikachu in hot pursuit behind her something that made the young parent's laugh as they continued eating.
Once the rest of the Ketchum family finished eating Ash collected the dishes to begin washing them while Serena continued to tend to little Kyle Ketchum it was a task Serena honestly could do all day as she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room so that she could rock Kyle who began fussing again while Ash opened the kitchen window above the sink and shouted to his and Serena's daughter that it was time to do her chores instructions Kelli acknowledged with a thumbs up as her father closed the window and resumed washing dishes.
After finishing the dishes the raven haired trainer decided to go back to his and Serena's bedroom to check on them but before he could make it to the hallway he was greeted by Serena who was holding their son who was fussing in her arms as she whispered to him; "see Kyle daddy is right here don't cry!" before handing the small child to Ash who immediately began swinging and hushing him. As Serena asked Ash where Kelli was? As Ash continued to rock their son he explained to his wife that Kelli was out doing her chores. It was at that moment Ash thought of another way to calm down his son as he walked out the front door and onto the front porch with Serena following close behind.
Once outside Kyle calmed down instantly. It was a welcome relief to the young parents as Serena took a seat at their patio table with Ash sitting across from them with Kyle in his arms as their attention turned back to the front yard where they saw their daughter playing with their Pokemon.
"Alright here it comes" Kelli exclaims to her parent's pokemon of Pikachu Pancham Sylveon and Noivern; as she threw her ball out to all of them. Kelli was unaware that her parents were outside with her until she hears her mother's voice shouting to her; HOLD IT RIGHT THERE YOUNG LADY! Her mother's voice caused Kelli to immediately drop the ball down to the ground clearly startled by her mother's voice. As Serena began shouting to her again; "Your father told you that you could play with everyone after you finished your chores!"
Kelli looked at her mother with a confused look on her face as she responds to Serena; "I did mommy!" As Kelli responded to her mother; Serena's look of inquiry did not leave her face as she responded to her; "Did you remember to feed Rhyhorn & clean him up?" Her mother's inquiry caused the honey blonde girls moth to open a little bit as she realized she did forget about that. Unsure of what to do or say at that point Kelli just looked at her mother and mutters to her; "no but..."
Kelli's response clearly did not satisfy her mother as Serena began tapping on the table causing Kyle to start fussing again as Ash continued to hold him so Ash decided to say something to try and lower the tension as he calls out to his daughter; "Kelli go get that taken care of; then you can go back to playing with everyone okay?" They were terms Kelli couldn't do anything but comply with because her father had just saved her skin with her mother as Kelli nods to her father with a smile on her face before turning to her parent's pokemon and tells them she'll be back soon...
A little while later with Kelli...
Why isn't this working? Kelli asks herself clearly frustrated because she had been sitting there in Ryhorn's stable for about an hour trying to get Rhyhorn clean and, not only that she was losing valuable play time with her Pokemon friends. However Kelli just continued to try and clean the mud spots off of Rhyhorn after all her father bailed her out big time and she knew that he probably wouldn't be able to help bail her out again because she knows her mother will punish her if she ignores her chores.
As Kelli continued on she was too distracted to notice a certain visitor enter the stable and sneaked up behind her. That visitor then says to the honey blonde haired girl; "Scrub upwards it works a lot better!"
Advice Kelli follows as she takes the scrub brush and goes upwards with it finally removing that spot that had been giving her grief before realizing just who it was that gave her the advice. It was a realization that made Kelli drops the scrub brush before turning around with an ear to ear grin on her face to see Serena's mother Grace was standing right there. Seeing Grace Kelli shouts out; "GRANDMA" as she runs to the older woman and hugs her. Grace immediately returns the Honey Blonde Haired girls hug back as Kelli looks up to her with her auburn eyes and asks Grace if her mom and dad knew she was here? It was a question Grace answers with just a shake of her head before whispering to Kelli; "no not yet." As Kelli takes her grandmas arm and escorted her back to the house.
Meanwhile back with Ash & Serena:
Serena had just returned to the patio with two cups of tea in her hand one for her and one for Ash who was still holding Kyle in his arms. After placing his tea in front of Ash Serena took her place back at the table across from him as their attention jumped back and forth between Kyle and their Pokemon who were still having a blast playing with one another in the warm Alolan sun as they waited for Kelli to return. It was a sight that brought a smile to the young parents as they heard Kelli calling out to them from the side of the house "Mom... Dad...!" As the honey blonde girl came around the corner Noivern, Sylveon, Pikachu and, Pancham came running to her ; It was a sight that brought a smile to both Ash and Serena's face but Serena's smile slowly faded as she was skeptical that Kelli had actually finished her task as she asked her daughter if; "Rhyhorn was clean now?" However before Kelli could answer her mother she was interrupted by another familiar voice; "Sure is…" It was a response that Serena clearly recognized and was surprised by as the performers head immediately shot up as she realized her mother was here and sure enough there was Grace standing behind Kelli as Serena finally acknowledged her mother's presence; "Mom what a surprise!" While Ash just smiled before asking his mother-in-law; "what brings you by today?"
It was an inquiry that just made Grace smile at Ash who although she personally likes he did marry her daughter so she does have to give him a hard time every once in a while as she finally responded to Ash's inquiry by saying; "I just thought I'd come and see my girls and my new grandson; is that alright with you?" in a tone that although sounded like every other mother in law in the world. Ash knew it was all in good fun as Grace walked up to him and picked little Kyle up out of his arms.
As Grace took Kyle into her arms the retired Rhyhorn racer began smiling at her grandson who was looking up at her with his electric blue eyes as Grace began stroking his cheek causing the young child to coo it was a response that caused Grace to smile as she finally addressed her daughter; "Serena I'm disappointed in you I thought that you'd at least teach Kelli how to properly wash Rhyhorn!" It was a remark that brought an ear to ear to Kelli's face as she realized her grandmother was siding with her against her mother. However Serena was not amused rather she was infuriated by Graces remark. Out of the corner of his eye Ash could see Serena was getting flustered at her mother's comment. Finally after a couple minutes of silent tension Serena finally responded to her mother's comment;
"I did but I'm sorry if i couldn't teach her the same way you did me; Mrs. Rhyhorn expert!
After venting her frustration to her mother Serena got up from the patio table and with a huff stormed off back into the house slamming the kitchen door behind her. It was a response that Grace clearly didn't seem to be too concerned about which was evident by her taking her daughters seat as she continued to hold Kyle while Kelli went back to playing catch with the Pokemon. It was a scene that didn't sit well with Ash and after a few minutes of waiting Serena still hadn't come back which caused him to grow even more worried about Serena so Ash turned to Grace and asked her if; "she'd keep an eye on Kelli and Kyle?" A question the retired Rhyhorn racer answered with a nod as Ash got up from the patio table and walked into the house to check on Serena and make sure she was okay.
Once inside the completely silent champion's residence Ash made a B-Line for his and Serena's bedroom confident that that's where he'd find Serena and sure enough as the raven haired trainer slid their bedroom door open he found Serena lying on her side on their bed with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face! It was a sight that Ash kind of expected to see as he finally spoke up to Serena; "I thought I'd find you here." Hearing Ash's voice startled Serena as she rolled over and began to sit up on the side of the bed allowing Ash to take a seat next to her before placing his hand on hers. It was a small gesture but a gesture that brought a smile to Serena's face as the two of them continued to sit on their bed in their eerily quiet bedroom that is until Serena finally broke the silence; "Why does she always have to be like that Ash; no matter what I do it never seems to be enough for her!?"
As Ash sat there he noticed a tear rolling down Serena's cheek it broke Ash's heart because he never liked to see Serena upset but he hesitated at first to say anything to Serena because truth be told he didn't really know how to answer her question. After all Ash never had this kind of problem with his own mother However, after a few minutes of silence Ash finally made up his mind on what to say to Serena.
As the honey blonde performer continued to sit there she began to feel Ash wiping away the tear that had rolled down her face with an heirloom that Serena would recognize anywhere it was the blue handkerchief with the Pokeball design on the corner the one that symbolized their relationship. It was an action that had a real calming effect on the performer even if it was just a small gesture.
Seeing Serena relaxing was a welcome relief to Ash as he scooted over closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. In that moment time began to stand still for Serena as she felt Ash's hand sliding up and down her arm as he hugged her it was an action that made Serena purr as she turned her head to face Ash and when her electric blue eyes met Ash's auburn eyes Ash began telling Serena what he thought about all this.
"You know Serena; I think she only gives you a hard time because she cares about you and, just wants to push you to keep doing better…"
After Ash finished telling her what he thought about all this Serena began thinking back to some of the conversations that she had with her mother in the past, including the one where she told Grace that she was going to marry Ash and, after thinking about it Serena realized Ash may be onto something. It truly amazed Serena once again Ash's words managed to inspire her and cheer her up in this moment Serena didn't think she could love Ash anymore.
As Serena gazed into Ash's eyes she realized that she truly was the luckiest woman in the world. She not only had her childhood friend and crush as her husband they had two beautiful kids and, no matter what happens Serena knows Ash will be there to comfort her to give her strength and, give her all the love and attention she wants and needs.
After reflecting on this Serena looked over to Ash and smiled at him in a way that only Ash can make her do before leaning over and kissing Ash as he continued holding her and after a few seconds Serena pulled back and whispered to her husband; "You're right thank you Ash for sitting here with me and just listening, you're the best!" They were words that brought a smile to Ash's face as he felt Serena hug him. Seeing Serena smile and feeling her hug him brought an even bigger smile to Ash's face because, he truly loves Serena and loves seeing her happy. After all seeing Serena happy makes the raven haired trainer happy too. As that thought raced through Ash's mind he felt Serena's grip tighten on him as she whispered to him; "I love you Ash!" They were words that made Ash finally return the gesture as he wrapped his arms around Serena's waist he whispered back to the honey blonde performer; "I love you too Serena."
It was an embrace that neither Ash nor Serena wanted to break. Right now they were in their own little world that neither of them wanted to leave but at the same time their "parenting mindset" began to kick in and they realized that if they didn't get back soon; Kelli, Kyle and, even Grace would all start getting worried about them. So with that thought in mind Ash and Serena then broke their embrace and got up off their bed to walk back downstairs where Grace, Kelli and, Kyle were probably waiting for them worried sick but, the young couple didn't hesitate holding hands as they returned to them.
A/N: Awe… such a nice moment. Anyway here is chapter 13 of family adventures I hope you all enjoyed it. Believe it or not this chapter was based on a "scrapped idea" from my YouTube video series but I felt the concept would fit this part of the story to a tee plus truth be told I really have been wanting to write something like this for a while but yeah hope you all enjoyed and look forward to Chapter 14 coming soon where the other in law (Delia) may or may not make an appearance! Stay tuned to find out and as always everyone Templars74 Signing off Have a great day everyone and I'll talk to you all next time goodbye everybody.