Ordeal of Will

by Ygbvfcd

After winning World Coronation Series, Ash comes home to unwind before embarking on a new journey. With so many of his old companions in Pallet Town congratulating him, Ash Ketchum's life cannot be any better. Will he be able to save the most important person in his life if actual evil strikes from the New Team Rocket? Poke/Advance/Pearl/Amour. Character Death and Dark themes.

2. Chapter 2

Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region

"What's next, Ash?" Brock inquired, eagerly anticipating the excitement that will accompany their next excursion.

"To be honest, Brock... I'm not sure. But we have plenty of time to make a decision. I have the possibility to compete against the Elite 4 of any region, but I'm not sure when I should do so; after all, I have a full year. So I believe the first thing I should do is return to Pallet and host a celebration with my mom and all of my pokemon. I've missed them terribly. You are more than welcome to accompany me."

"I'll accompany you and Misty! That is self-evident, since I would want to join you at the celebration." Brock stated to Ash and Misty.

Brock nodded, and Paul maintained a solemn expression. Ash realized that Paul assumed the question was only for Brock.

"Paul, I was wondering whether you'd like to come to Pallet Town with us for a while?" Ash inquired as politely as he could.

Ash's suspicion was confirmed when Paul seemed astonished at Ash's statements. "Really? I assumed you were talking to Brock."

"I kind of arrived to that decision myself, but I was also talking to you. We're excellent friends, and you've never been to my hometown, so I'd want to offer you an excuse to go. Furthermore, we would be delighted if you traveled with us again, even if only for a few days!" Ash concluded with a smile.

"Paul, Ash is correct. You're pleasant company. I believe you should join us!" Brock added, pleased to have the purple-haired man with them for the time being.

"You really should come with us, Paul!" Misty added, as she felt that if more people joined the party, it would be better.

"So...how can I refuse that? I suppose I'm in." Paul added a little smile to his own.

"Okay, fantastic! You made the proper decision, Paul; you'll enjoy Pallet Town. It's a little space, but with Professor Oak's lab and all of the pokemon, it's a fantastic location." Ash exclaimed, giddy with delight at the idea of seeing all of his pokemon again. He was also interested in seeing how everyone's training was doing.

Following his trials in Kalos, Ash became extremely serious about his training. He would have his pokemon undergo hours of endurance and strength training every day, as well as work on their techniques and attacks.
He got tired of just passing by. Ash eventually realized that until he began training like a champion, he'd never have a shot to become one. And wow, did this mindset work wonders for him.

It didn't seem fair to Ash to just command his pokemon and do nothing himself, so he began training with his pokemon whenever and wherever feasible.

This display of complete and absolute care for his pokemon allowed their bonds to develop even stronger than they previously were, which many didn't believe was even possible given how strong their relationships were. Despite all of the benefits, these training sessions were occasionally so severe that Ash and his pokemon would collapse in weariness at the conclusion.

Ash decided that he wanted to make it so that all of his pokemon, whether they were currently with him or not, would always be training hard and in the same way as if they were by his side, after almost immediately seeing tremendous gains in not only his Pokemon's physical abilities, but also his own.

So the following time Ash visited Pallet Town, he spent several days with each of his pokemon, putting them on particular training routines that they could complete on their own. He spent weeks organizing everything and making sure each pokemon understood what he expected from them, but they all knew it would be well worth it in the end.

Ash did express concern that some of his lazier pokemon, such as Snorlax, might not follow through on Ash's plan, but all of his concerns were dispelled when he returned the next time to find that all of his pokemon were in much better form. Oak attributed their willingness to carry out Ash's plan to their enormous respect and trust for him. That, combined with their great ambition to win and be the best, drove them to the limit.

"Okay, Ash, calm down. We have to trek to Viridian tomorrow, which should only take a few hours, and then it's a long hike to Pallet from there. For the time being, I believe we should simply rest." Brock brought it up again.
"I could really benefit from a nice night's sleep tonight." Ash agreed as everyone other nodded in accord.

By the time Ash finished speaking, the quartet had passed through the hotel's front doors and arrived at the stairs leading to their rooms.

As they approached the rooms, Paul broke away from the group to go to his own room. "I'm planning on retiring to bed early tonight. It had been a hard day, and the conflict had completely exhausted me. I guess I'll see you all before we leave tomorrow."

"OK, Paul, see you tomorrow." As everyone said their goodbyes to Paul, Ash spoke up. They kept an eye on him until he entered his room, which was just down the hall from them.

"Do you mind if I come in with you guys for a few minutes? With all of today's excitement, I don't think I'll be able to sleep till 8:30." Misty asked, sincerely wanting to spend time relaxing with her friends, especially Ash.

"Of course, Misty, come on in!" As Brock unlocked the door to the room, Ash stated. Brock stepped up to the little fridge, grabbed a water bottle, and offered the other two a drink, which they both accepted.

For the next two hours or so, the three buddies talked about what was on their minds. Misty had urged Ash and Brock to tell her more stories about their earlier experiences, and the two gladly obliged.

They told Misty about just how they met Jirachi and the rest of the narrative. To say Misty was taken aback is an understatement. "Okay, gentlemen, I hope to hear more about these exploits the next time we talk if it isn't too late. They are incredibly stunning; I can't believe you were able to witness it! Well...I suppose I can given all you've told me about your experiences and the fact that we've shared some of them."

"Sure thing, Mist-YYhh," Ash muttered, yawning and causing Misty to giggle.

"I agree with you, Ash; I'm exhausted as well. I believe it is past time for us all to retire. We must get up early tomorrow if we are to make good time." Brock stated.

Misty took this as her cue to depart and go to her room; Brock and Ash had decided to share a room so Misty could have her own. "Well, then, I'll see you guys in the morning!"

"Goodnight, Misty!" both Ash and Brock exclaimed. Misty simply smiled and walked out of the room.

Misty made her way across the hall to her own door. She groped in her pocket for the key card and face palmed as she realized what she was doing.

"How could I have forgotten something so crucial..." Misty said something to herself. She could go down to the front desk and get another card, but she didn't want to walk down 5 flights of stairs right now. As she struggled to figure out what to do next, she cursed the elevators for being broken.

"I'm sure the boys won't mind if I spend the night in their room."

Misty shrugged and returned to her friend's door. She knocked and waited anxiously for an answer.

Although she could not have been gone for more than a minute, Ash's tiredness when he answered the door made it appear as if he had just awoken. Misty noted that all of the lights were turned out save for a small bulb and one in the bathroom, where she believed Brock was.

"How are you, Misty?" Ash inquired, his voice trembling with tiredness. He was already clothed in his pajamas, which were a black shirt and white athletic shorts. It was incredible how quickly he and Brock had been ready for bed.

"Hello, Ash. I, uhh...forgot my key card in my room and am now locked out. I'm too exhausted to go downstairs and find a replacement, so I was hoping-"

"Do you want to sleep in our room?" Ash concluded with a knowing grin.

"Well...yeah." Misty massaged the back of her neck, embarrassed. Ash simply laughed and motioned for Misty to come in.

"Please come in. You may have my bed; just give me a pillow and I'll be OK on the floor." With a smile, Ash said.

"Oh, Ash, you've taken the bed. On the floor, I'll be alright." Misty attempted to respond, but was cut off by Ash raising his hand.

"What sort of man am I if I let you sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly comfortable bed right here?" Ash's tone was gentle and compassionate. Misty couldn't help but grin when she saw Ash's selflessness. It was only one of the many qualities she admired in him.

"Thank you, Ash. Really." Misty muttered, smiling. Ash simply grinned back and placed his sleeping bag on the floor at the foot of Misty's bed. Pikachu, who was sound asleep, chose to stay in the comfortable bed that would eventually house Misty for the night.

Ash was trying to sleep in the sleeping bag but he was not getting sleep no matter how much he tried. He tried counting numbers but still he got no sleep. Then he started saying the names of Pokemons by the Pokedex order, something which he had to memorize in the school in Alola but still he was not getting sleep.

As for Misty, she also was not getting sleep no matter how much she tried. Misty saw Ash was awake and said something that surprised Ash "Ash, come to the bed, you can get sleep there." Ash was thinking 'She is so kind to allow me to lie with her on the bed but still...'

Misty continued "I am just saying this like a good buddy who wishes well for you." Ash smiled on hearing that but he knew deep down, he would love to be with Misty, Dawn, May, and Serena but he did not know if the four would accept to be together with him.

For now, Ash got up from the sleeping bag and then went and lay next to Misty on the bed. Ash smiled and said to Misty, knowing that she was often blushing when she was with him, "You know, I love Dawn. She is my real soulmate." and then Misty smiled and said "Let us see if she would accept that. You can be with whomever you want, if you want, you can propose to me. I know you are just teasing me."

Ash teased Misty and said "Be with you? A girl who gets angry for no good reason?" and then Misty smiled and said "Be truthful, did I get angry with you recently?" and then Ash smiled and said "No, you were not angry at me recently. Both you and Dawn can be my soulmates."

This time Misty teased and said "Two girls with you? I do not know how you would manage that?" and then Ash said "I am a Monarch, I deserve to have many queens with me." Misty nodded and said "You need to spend quality time with each girl you are with. But I would accept you having other girls if you treat them well."

Ash then recognized that he was openly showing his love for polyamory and he blushed hard. He then realized that Misty was someone who accepted polyamory, he wondered if the other girls would also accept polyamory. Ash hoped a lot that they would accept polyamory.

Ash asked Misty to know for sure "Are you sure you would accept polyamory?" and then Misty smiled and answered "I would be fine with polyamory to an extent. I can get to be good friends with the other girls whom you love and share in our feelings for you."

Ash then decided to tease Misty again "I was traveling in Kalos with Serena who had a crush on me. A third girl whom you have to acceppt if Dawn also decided to be with me?" and then Misty said "I will be fine. Ash, you need to see what your heart tells you about whom you want to be with and be with them."

Ash was then thinking about the fact that he loved polyamory, Misty and Serena had crushes on him, he and Dawn had a deep friendship and he was close to May to whom he was a mentor. But for now, he knew only Misty was the one who would accept polyamory. He also needed to know if he truuly lved them or he just wanted them for their bodies and not their personality.

Ash knew that if he was witth a girl, he should accept all her aspects and love them for whom they are, not just their bodies but he was not completely sure if he loved Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena for their personalities as well. He did not want to be with a girl just because he liked how they looked and not for who they are.

As for Misty, she was thinking about how many girls she would have to accept. If Ash had some 15 girls who were in a harem, she was not sure if she would get quality time but she knew if the number was two, therr, or four she would be fine with being with them. She also would help them accept polyamory. Ash and Misty were thinking about polyamory and then they slept with a smile.

Ash's dream

Ash saw Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena looking at him with love. They were standing near the lighthouse that was near Cerulean City. Ash saw Misty smiling at him and looking at him with loving eyes while saying "Ash, you are my soulmate. Me and the other girls love you for who you are and we will spend our llives with you no matter what."

May was then the one who continued "We came to an agreement that to make you happy, we all would accept polyamory. We would be the four queens to you, the Monarch, Ash Ketchum. We all would help you in watever ways we can and will take part along with you in the various activities."

Dawn then took over from May "Ash, we both have a good friendship but we bot love each other as more than friends so our friendship will go to the next level wiich is deep love. I cannot wait to share you with your other three loves. We will do whatever good to make sure that you are happy even if it is harsh training with our Pokemons."

Serena then was the one who would conclude "So we all will be one big family where me, Misty, May, and Dawn will have a very close relationship with you and with each other. You are the Chosen One, the Aura Guardian, and the Monarch. You will get a harem of four beautiful women who will be with you and listen to what you say."

Ash smiled and said to the four "I also would love being with the four of you. Yes, Serena, we will be one big family. I am happy that you will do whatever it takes to be with me. I love you for a lot for your amazing personalities and also your nice bodies. Now, let us be togeher for as long as possible."

Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena smiled at Ash who was excited to be with Ash. Misty then kissed Ash on his lips and Ash loved the feeling of her plump lips, May then kissed Ash wih her plump lips and Ash liked the feeling, then Dawn kissed Ash with her plump lips and finally, Serena kissed Ash with her plump lips.

Ash looked at the four of them who looked at him with love. Ash then saw that the four of them hugged him and then Ash placed his arms around their waists while they placed their arms on his shoulders. Ash loved the feeling of them showing their love through hugging. Ash was then stroking the backs of the four girls and they were smiling as Ash did that.

---

Petalburg City, Hoenn Region

"May, please! Please!" Max pleaded with his sister."

NO, Max, I want to see Ash by myself. You can pay him another visit." May responded. Max had learned about May's plan to visit Pallet Town and had been pleading with her for nearly three hours. May, to be honest, was sick of it.
"But, May, I'd like to congratulate him on his huge win as well! It's not right!" Max

though he was an adult, he still acted like a child at times. Caroline had overheard the two arguing at this time. She'd been listening to them argue for what seemed like an eternity. She couldn't handle it any longer and was going to stroll between the two siblings in order to appease both and Max had finally come face to face. May used to use this strategy all the time when Max was only seven, but he was now fourteen and around her height. May was around 5'11" tall, and Max was getting close to 5'8".

May had a sense her looming intimidation wouldn't work anymore, but she didn't give up. Finally, their mother separated the two.

"Okay, you two, I'm done with this! Will you let Max go if he swears not to interfere with anything you and Ash do?" Caroline confronted her daughter.

"Hmph...I suppose so... But he must make a promise! And if he gets in the way, he has to go home." May argued till she gave in.

Caroline looked at Max to check whether he was in agreement with the terms. Max was beaming with delight. "That is acceptable to me. Thank you so much, May! Thank you very much!" Max rushed up to embrace his sister.
May couldn't stop smiling as she hugged her younger brother. They loved one other very much, no matter how very much they fought and disagreed. "No worries, Max. Just be certain that you keep your end of the bargain. After all, this is still my trip." Max broke from the hug with a nod of understanding.

"Well, it appears that my work here is finished." Caroline expressed her satisfaction. "You two should start packing and then go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day for you."Both siblings nodded and ran up the stairs to their own rooms. Even though their ship didn't leave until later in the morning, they wanted to be sufficiently rested for the day of travel ahead of them.

Max followed May into her bedroom as the two arrived at the second floor. May noticed her brother as they entered the room.

"Max, what are you doing following me?" May inquired, much more patient now that she had calmed down from her earlier outburst.

As he spoke, Max massaged the back of his head sheepishly "So...I've already started packing. I just believed I'd ultimately persuade you to let me come. It appears that I was correct. Hehe..."

May looked at her brother with a trace of rage, but brushed it off, knowing that another confrontation wasn't worth it just now. "And now that I don't have anything to do till I'm exhausted, I thought I'd help you pack, May."

May smiled and let Max put away the clothes she was about to hand him. She came to a halt, though, when she noticed something on her bedside table... her part of the terracotta ribbon. She usually carried it with her, but she had hung it in her room some few hours after Ash had won the Indigo League because she had changed into fresh clothing to relax in. She always carried it with her not just as a good luck charm, but also to feel close to Ash, her best friend.

She couldn't help but feel even more linked to the ribbon than she had before, which was saying a lot given how strongly she felt connected to the ribbon already. She stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out what had changed or if it had always been like this and she had simply not noticed it before. Despite her lack of confidence in her logic, she eventually decided to credit it to the fact that she was finally going to see Ash again after nearly 4 years...

She thought she was merely delighted and excited to meet her best friend after such a long time, and that the ribbon reflected all Ash was. But something didn't feel right. It still felt like there was more to it.

A whole deal more

May's melancholy look was broken by her brother "Are you going to just stare at that ribbon all night or are you going to help? After all, we're packing your belongings."

May flushed and hastily tucked the ribbon into her pocket before coming over to assist Max in getting ready for their full day of travel.

Max and May were both happy and enthusiastic about tomorrow, and they both doubted they'd get much sleep that night. It was Christmas Eve, and they felt like they were kids again. May especially doubted she'd ever looked forward to anything else in her life.

They were eager to see Ash.

---

Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region

"Dawn, your dinner is ready!" Johanna summoned her daughter. Dawn bolted from her bed and dashed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Mom! It smells fantastic!" Dawn explained vigorously. Johanna gave her daughter a friendly grin."Well, because you're going tomorrow, I made your favorite meal." Johanna delivered the tray in her best French chef

voice. "For dinner tonight, we're having fried chicken and mashed potatoes, with chocolate chip ice cream for dessert."

Dawn was salivating at this point. Even though she wasn't recognized for her eating skills like Ash and May, Dawn felt she could readily keep up with her two companions with this cuisine. She took a seat across from her mom and began to eat.

"This is fantastic, Mom!" Dawn remarked between bites, her table manners intact.

"I'm delighted you enjoy it, darling. So, are you looking forward to tomorrow? I still can't believe you obtained one of the last seats to Kanto for the ferry leaving tomorrow. I'm sure you're glad I made you wait a long to begin your voyage now, huh? If I hadn't, you would never have met Ash. " Johanna grinned brightly. It everything seemed like one giant game of chance.

Dawn agreed with a nod of her head. "Yes, mother, I am. I can't remember the last time I was this ecstatic. It's almost as if it's Christmas tomorrow. I can't wait to see him again after such a long time. I mean, I haven't even spoken to him in over a year and a half." Dawn appeared to feel a little depressed near the end of her statement.

Johanna appeared perplexed. "Why haven't you two talked?"

Dawn smiled sadly. "With both of us constantly on the move, it's difficult to know where he is so I can call him. If someone could just invent a cell phone, they could become a millionaire!" Dawn exclaimed loudly.

Johanna nodded her head in agreement and understanding. "At the very least, he never misses your birthday. Every year, whether you're here or not, there's always a card waiting for you."

Dawn smiled dreamily as she remembered Ash's generosity. "Ash is the finest, isn't he?"

Dawn intended her query to be quite innocent, but her mother flashed her a sneaky look. She scoffed as she realized she was too exhausted to deal with this.

"Oh, stop talking." Dawn realized how she must have sounded.

Despite the teasing nature of the last few words, Joanna had something she really wanted to speak to Dawn about, and now seemed like the right time.

"Dawn, you know how much I admire Ash. He's the best kind of person this world has to offer, based on what I've seen and heard from you. He would devote his life to save everyone he cares about, which is tremendous." Dawn followed her mother's comments, pleased to hear them but perplexed as to why she was saying them. Joanna recognized and handled her daughter's confusion. "I'm saying this to let you know that if you ever believe you might have feelings for him or want to be with him, I'm completely fine with it. I have no doubt in my mind that he will defend you and treat you with respect. If I'm being completely honest, I think he's great for you, Dawn."

Dawn started blushing midway through her mother's lengthy speech, but it only got worse near the finish. "Mom, I-I don't like Ash like that. To me, he's more like an... older brother!"

Dawn spoke, barely believing what she was saying. Her mother, too, knew not to believe her.

The way she talks about him, the way she acts around him. Johanna had no doubt that her daughter had strong feelings for the lad; she just hadn't acknowledged it yet and was visibly ashamed about it. Johanna sincerely thought that by visiting him, she would become more confident in her feelings.

Johanna, like Norman and Caroline, thought of Ash as a son. How could she not feel that way after all the occasions he had risked his life to rescue Dawn's and how beautifully he had treated her? She knew that if Dawn and Ash were together, her daughter would be happy all the time, something she wished more than anything else in the world.

Dawn excused her back up to her bedroom to continue packing after the duo finished their ice cream dessert and made some small chat. She also had to organize her journey from the dock in Viridian to the actual Pallet Town.

Kanto was an unknown place for her because her trip had yet to take her there.

She shrugged and went back to her dresser to finish packing. But, before she could, her gaze was drawn to a framed picture. It was a photograph of herself, Ash, and Brock shot just after she won her first contest in Sinnoh. She was really pleased of herself that day, and she knew Ash was even more so.

When she saw this, she let her mind go back to times when they had been all together, wandering about Sinnoh. She often regretted leaving Ash in the first place to attend Buneary's picture session, but she knew she couldn't have denied her pokemon the opportunity; sometimes life just separated people. But that didn't matter because they'd be together again soon. And she sincerely hoped they would never be separated again.

"I'll see you soon," Dawn said, rubbing her fingers over the photo.

---

Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region

"Misty. It's time for you to wake up, Misty." Ash gently nudged her.

Misty began to move slightly and eventually opened her eyes to see Ash's cheerful smile. She couldn't help but smile when she saw this. Even though she felt sleepy, she forced herself to sit up.

She noted the bathroom door was closed and the shower was running, indicating that Brock was in there at the time. Ash, on the other hand, appeared to have been awake for several hours.

Misty, on the other hand, was not surprised because Ash had been training his pokemon for hours before everyone else in order to be more effective with his time. Misty really can not believe how far he had come from Snorlax-like sleep to the focused training machine he was today.

"It's time for us to start preparing." Misty was informed by Ash. "Oh, and by the way, once I finished training, I received another key to your room. I hope you don't mind, but I took some of your clothes to wash for you. I decided to do yours and Brock's because I was already doing mine." Misty received the new access card to her room from Ash.

"Thank you so much, Ash. That was very thoughtful of you." As she accepted the key card, Misty managed to hide a little blush on her cheeks. One of the many qualities she admired in Ash was his thoughtfulness.

"It was my pleasure; now go shower and change since we're leaving in twenty minutes." He reminded Misty, who nodded as she got out of bed and headed across the hall to her own room.

Ash had already showered and dressed before everyone else was awake, so all he had to do now was think to himself. As he neared the end of yet another expedition, his thoughts returned to his earlier adventures with all of his old companions, as they often did. He hoped he'd done them all credit with what he'd said about them all the other day in his speech.

Except for his mother, his friends were the most important people in his life, and he wanted to make sure that anything he wrote about them was able to reflect exactly how fantastic they each was.

He then let his thoughts to stray to all of his female trip buddies. He had mistakenly ruined the most of their bikes during their initial meeting. He didn't regret it, though, because each of those wrecked bikes resulted in a long-lasting companionship that he would never forget.

"Hmm... I should surely try if I can track them down when I get home. I haven't spoken to May, Serena, or Dawn in a long time." Ash thought to himself. Him and Misty had been able to stay in more frequent communication as she was typically immobile as the Cerulean City Gym leader.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded his head in accord.

Ash continued to ruminate on his past exploits until both the bathroom door opened, revealing a fully clothed Brock, and the main door of their room opened, revealing a freshly dressed Misty.

"Are you ready to travel yet?" Ash inquired, his voice mockingly impatient.

Brock laughed, "Not everyone, Ash, gets up at 5 a.m. Sorry for needing to sleep like a regular person." Ash shook his head and laughed in response to his buddies' remark. His workout regimen was far from 'pleasant,' but it was tremendously beneficial in the long run.

"Well, we'd better get going; we've got a lot of walking to do if we want to get to Viridian and halfway to Pallet before tonight." Misty reminded her pals.

Both guys nodded and followed Misty out of their room, making certain that nothing was left behind. They started their long journey after meeting Paul in the lobby.

Not long into their journey, Misty inquired as to why they hadn't simply flown to Pallet town. Ash had a plethora of flying types at his disposal, and he even had his Charizard in his team at the time. However, Ash chose to walk, telling Brock that the journey is usually better than the destination, even if that destination is his birthplace, to which Brock agreed.

Misty had realized his point and was now pleasantly strolling down the trail.

11 hours later, Post Forest

"Can we please, please stop now, Ash? We've been on the road since 10 a.m., and my legs are shouting at me." Paul begged. Brock nodded silently.

Despite the fact that he had more travel experience than the most of them, this was still a LONG day. Misty, too, had want to halt. Her normally cheerful look had been replaced by one of complete tiredness.

Despite his excellent conditioning, even Ash appeared exhausted at this point. "Yeah, I think stopping for the night is a smart idea."

"Yeah, and we got a lot further than we anticipated we would today." We're just about three hours' walk from Pallet, in my opinion. I propose that we depart early tomorrow, about seven o'clock, and arrive at Ash's place early. What are your thoughts, guys?" Brock inquired. Misty, who was known to be a morning person, appeared pleased at the possibility of being at Pallet early. Ash quickly nodded his head.

"All right, let's set up camp." I need you to go collect some firewood, Ash and Pikachu. Can you get some water from that brook over there for the stew, Misty? Just...stay here with me, Paul." Brock gently instructed his companions. Everyone nodded in agreement and continued about their business.

Brock and Paul had already set up all four tents and were patiently awaiting both the firewood and the water in order to begin the extremely late dinner.

The dinner was immediately prepared. After a long day of traveling, Ash had four helpings, while Brock, Misty, and Paul all returned for seconds.

The quartet got ready for bed after dinner. After wishing the others a nice night's sleep, Brock retired to his tent for the night. Soon later, Paul followed Brock's lead. Ash went into his tent as well. Misty was about to enter her tent as well when she noticed Ash returning with his sleeping bag under his arm. Misty was intrigued by what Ash had been doing.

"Why are you taking your sleeping bag out here, Ash?" Misty inquired.

Ash responded with a loving smile. "I'll sleep outside tonight." Take a look at that sky. The stars are shining brightly right now."

Misty followed Ash's eyes upward. It was definitely a breathtaking sight to behold. Thousands of stars shine brightly in the dark night sky. This was the best thing of living near a little town like Pallet Town; there was nearly no pollution in the air and it appeared to be a cloudless night. It was almost as though Arceus was presenting the two companions with its most exquisite artwork.

Misty entered her tent, and Ash figured she was going to bed for the night. He was about to enter after laying down his sleeping bag when Misty returned, her sleeping bag in her arms. Ash couldn't help but smile; having company was always nice.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Misty inquired, jokingly.

"Sure thing." Ash spoke up. Misty then positioned her sleeping bag next to Ash's.

The two bags were just about a foot and a half apart, yet neither cared. The two climbed into their comfortable mattresses for the night and began gazing at the stars. Pikachu had fallen asleep inside Ash's sleeping bag by this point.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" Ash inquired, his eyes twinkling with wonder as he gazed up into the night sky.

"Yes, it is..." Looking between the heavens and Ash, Misty agreed.

"Do you know why I adore the stars?" Ash inquired. Misty moved her head. "It's because they keep you connected to people even when you're not with them."

"What exactly do you mean?" Misty couldn't quite comprehend what Ash was saying.

"Friends must often part ways because not everyone follows the same route in life." It's terrible, but just because someone isn't present doesn't mean they're no longer your friend. I've had to say goodbye to many of my best friends, and it's always difficult, but I find solace in looking at the sky. The stars remain the same...as they were during our time together, no matter where you go or where you are." Ash finished with a smile on his face, clearly emotional on this night.

Misty's jaw dropped open, tears welling up in her eyes, as Ash continued to gaze at the stars. She couldn't believe Ash had spoken something so...deep. Ash was many things, but he was not a poet. Misty could only assume that his buddies brought out the best in him. She looked at Ash more intently as she talked.

"Ash...t-that was just...so lovely." Misty spoke in surprise, astounded by what Ash had just spoken.

In response, Ash shrugged. "I'm simply expressing my feelings. Even if we were to part ways, Misty, I know we'd never lose the friendship we've built together, and that makes me very pleased... So, good night, Misty."
Misty's expression was plainly pained at the prospect of parting ways with Ash, even if she had no plans to do so anytime soon.

She did, however, find enormous comfort in thinking like Ash during this time. Their friendship, relationship, and everything they shared were eternal, and nothing could ever change it.

Misty quietly moved her sleeping bag till the sides of both hers and Ash's bags were touching, noticing Ash had already fallen asleep, evidently fatigued from the long day of traveling much as she was.

Misty then shut her eyes and fell asleep with a lovely, unmoving grin on her face.

The Next Morning

Brock awakened with a start as the alarm on his pokegear rang loudly. He sat up groggily from his slumber and groped for the device. He held it close to his eyes so he could see it in his sleep, and it read precisely 7 a.m.

Brock moaned as he stood up and began preparing for the day. He was generally a morning person, but after yesterday's twelve-hour hike, he was exhausted and needed more sleep than he could obtain in a tent and sleeping bag.

Brock emerged from the tent, fully clothed, with the intention of waking up his three buddies and then starting breakfast for everyone. When Brock stepped out of the tent, he brushed the last of the weariness from his eyes and took in his was a stunningly lovely day. Clouds kept the sun from setting too low in the sky, keeping the temperature comfortable. Brock spotted flocks of Pidgys, Pidgiottoes, and even a few Pidgeots. He then allowed his gaze to drift to his sleeping companions.

Brock's squinted eyes widened when he noticed Ash and Misty still sleeping. Sure, it was strange to see Ash sleeping later than everyone else these days, but that wasn't the strangest aspect by a big shot. Misty was resting with her head and one hand on Ash's chest, which was unusual.

Misty's love for Ash had been evident to Brock since the first time he saw her, but he didn't imagine she'd do this...

"Unless anything went wrong between them?"

Brock tried to make sense of what he was seeing in front of him.

Brock promptly dismissed that notion, believing Misty was far too hesitant to voice her feelings, at least for the time being.

Brock attributed the incident to Misty shifting about in her sleep unconsciously.

Paul left his tent at the same time, and he quickly noticed Ash and Misty's location. As he looked towards Brock, his eyes opened and he had to hide a giggle.

Brock understood precisely what was going through Paul's head at the time, and he wanted to do whatever he could to prevent him from doing what he knew he was about to do.

Brock gave Paul a harsh look that said, 'don't you dare.' Paul simply grinned maniacally back, which was not a good indication. Seeing that he couldn't persuade Paul to stop verbally, Brock took two steps toward the purple-haired man, trying to get to him before he could do anything. Despite his best efforts, he was not going to make there in time.

"Hey! Get up!" Paul roared, cupping his hands over his mouth to increase the volume.

It was just as Brock had predicted. Brock would have roused Misty up first, allowing her to escape the awkward situation, but Paul clearly had other ideas.

He wanted them both to understand their situation. Paul simply had to annoy Misty, which had become one of his favorite activities. All Brock and Paul could do now was watch as the two awoke from their slumber.

Ash was the first to open his eyes, not moving from where he was lying as he felt a weight on his chest, something warm. When he looked down, he saw Misty gently opening her eyes, her head and arm resting on his chest.

Misty finally opened her eyes fully and wondered for a little time where she was. She took her time looking about, trying to get her bearings. It wasn't long before the two locked gazes.

At first, neither of them realized what was going on, but after a few seconds, both of their eyes widened, Misty's even more than Ash's, and she slid away from him in an instant.

The sheer awkwardness of the scenario caused Paul to burst out laughing. Misty was blushing fiercely, as if she simply wanted to crawl up into a ball and hide, Ash thought. Seeing how humiliated she was, Ash stared at Paul, furious at him for laughing at Misty when she was plainly having a bad day.

"Why don't you just stop up and be useful for a change, Paul? Get some firewood for the fire." Ash spat, his voice filled with anger.

"Pika pika!" says one. Pikachu, who was now fully awake, added just as angrily as his trainer.

When Paul heard his friend's hostile tone, he stopped laughing and backtracked, realizing how upset Ash was over this.

"Please accept my apologies. I'll go find some wood." Even though Ash can tell Paul was earnest, it wasn't enough.

You can say and do whatever you want to Ash, but the second someone hurts someone he cares about, that person, friend or not, is in hot water in Ash's mind.

"You should not be apologizing to me." Misty was looking down and gripping her arm, biting her lip, clearly trying to fight back tears, when Ash motioned to her.

Seeing this crushed Ash's heart and enraged him even more. Paul intended to go comfort her as soon as he apologized.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Misty. To be honest, I am." Paul spoke clearly and completely. He didn't dislike Misty; he just wanted to play with her. He simply didn't know when to quit at times. Misty lowered her head and nodded gently, accepting his apologies. Paul then awkwardly passed by the lovely redhead to fetch firewood.

Misty had started sniffling, implying she was sobbing. With nothing else on his mind but helping one of the people he cared about the most, Ash dashed toward her.

"Misty?" Ash inquired in the most concerned tone he could muster. "Are you all right?"

She wasn't sure what caused it, but she imagined it was embarrased about what Paul would do and whether their relationship would be leaked to media. Whatever it was, she had to flee in that time for whatever reason. She ran as far and as quickly as she could away from everyone.

"Wait, Misty!" Ash tried to pursue her but was stopped by Brock.

"She requires time, Ash. Allow her to have it." Brock spoke calmly.

Ash appeared dubious at first, but eventually consented, respecting his older friend's judgment. Pikachu was still looking for her, but Ash told him that everything would be OK.

As Paul emerged from the trees with wood under both of his arms, the two men sat down.

"I'm not sure what the big deal is. As a result, she was sleeping on me. What does it matter? It's not like it's a big deal." Ash mused aloud.

Both Brock and Paul were tempted to tell Ash why Misty was so embarrassed, but they both understood it was something she had to accomplish alone. Both of them wished Ash would just acknowledge Misty's sentiments and have affections for her in return. They realized that if this scenario played out, everybody would be happier as a result.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take it any longer. I'm going to track her down. I can't stand by and do nothing knowing Misty is in anguish." With fire in his eyes, Ash spoke.

Brock was going to try to stop him, but when he saw the determination in his friend's eyes, he realized there was no way.

With that, Ash bolted in the direction Misty had fled, leaving Pikachu behind.

He desired to do it himself.

With Misty

She bolted. She ran for what seemed like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She eventually ended up in an open clearing. She wasn't sure why, but this broad space prompted her to sit down and unwind. She was in fantastic form, but sprinting for many minutes straight had left her out of breath.

'How could that be possible?! We crush on each other but that does not mean Paul shouuld know that! I was only comfortable with Brock knowing that!' Misty was sobbing now, her head racing.

She couldn't contain herself any longer; it seemed like she was experiencing a panic attack. The sound of a familiar voice was the only thing that jolted her out of it.

"Misty!" She heard a voice she recognized as Ash's calling for her. She didn't want to face him right now, but after a few moments, she felt it would be better to get it out of the way.

"Misty!" Ash yelled once more. Misty could sense the desperation and concern in his voice, and despite everything else she was experiencing, this made her melt, if only for a moment.

Knowing Ash would ultimately find her, Misty felt it was better to simply let him know where she was.

"I'm just over here." Misty spoke up, her voice breaking with each syllable. She didn't think Ash would have heard her, but when she noticed Ash's Swellow flying above the area, she knew he'd find her.

It wasn't long before Ash came blasting through the undergrowth at breakneck speed, as expected. Misty could sense how worried he was about her by how quickly he was rushing to find her. This warmed her heart while also making her uneasy.

"Thank you, Arceus, for leading me to you. Swellow, please return." As he remembered his Hoenn bird, Ash murmured. "Tell me what's wrong, Misty."

Ash walked over to Misty and sat down next to her on the log. She shifted away from the man slightly after he did so, still uneasy about what had happened, which frightened Ash even more. When Misty stared into Ash's sympathetic, concerned eyes, she tried to speak but couldn't find the words.

She kept trying to find words, but she was saved when Ash cut her off. "Misty, it's fine if you don't want to talk; all you have to do is listen. I want want you to be safe." In the most calming voice he could muster, Ash said.

Misty nodded and said, "If others tease us for our relationship, all we must do is ignore them. You and I are buddies who have crushes on each other. Yes, I also crush a lot on you but we need to figure out if we love each other for who we are. You need not worry, we will figure out soon and then if we both want to be in a relationship, we would be in one." Ash said, a little nervously, but smiling.

Misty smiled up at Ash, her eyes crimson from sobbing. He always appeared to know what to say. And him admitting that he appreciated having her lay with him had made Misty very happy. If she was being completely honest, that was the finest sleep she'd ever had.

She couldn't figure out why she was so terrified of what others may say or ask. This was Ash, the sweetest, most unselfish person she had ever met. He would support her in front of others no matter what they think. Misty was struck once more by how incredible she thought Ash was.

Ash smiled at her and drew her into a hug, whispered quietly in her ear as they embraced. "There is nothing good you can do or say to me that should make you feel embarrassed or uneasy from what others say. Misty, I will always be there for you, no matter what. That is a guarantee." Misty was so soothed by Ash's tone that she instinctively pulled Ash closer into the embrace, loving every second of it.

They stayed like way for nearly a minute before Ash broke the hug.

Ash snatched Misty's shoulders and stared into her ocean blue eyes. "Are you all right now?" Ash inquired, his grin never leaving his lips.

Misty returned the smile and vigorously nodded her head. Then Ash stood up and extended his hand to Misty. She eagerly accepted it, but when she stood up, her shoe became caught behind the front side of a rock.

She closed her eyes, expecting the anguish that would inevitably accompany the coming impact, but it never came. Instead, she found herself in Ash's arms once more, saved...much like when they were kids.

Misty had the same surprised expression on her face when she sensed herself and Ash in a hug-like position. She stepped back slightly and gazed up at his face. It had matured, but his eyes still gleamed as brightly as they had before, and he still had that goofy smile she remembered from all those years ago.

Misty was motioned to follow by Ash. Misty eventually validated what she had suspected for a long time as they were walking. This couldn't be some frivolous crush she had. And the phrase "feelings" just didn't do what she was feeling credit, and it hadn't for a long time. The only reason she hadn't embraced it earlier was because she was frightened of what would happen next. But she couldn't deny it any longer, not even to herself. Misty's attention was firmly fixed on what she'd known for a long time.

She adored Ash Ketchum more than anything else in the world.

Back at camp

By the time Brock and Paul returned from the jungle, breakfast was ready. Before they ate, Paul apologized to Misty again, and this time the redhead woman accepted his apologies. At least for the time being, she would find it difficult to be angry at anyone...

Ash recognized Paul's genuineness, and the two exchanged a head nod before beginning to eat their breakfast. Everyone ate their fair share, packed their belongings, and set out on the final stage of their adventure.
Misty was in a much better mood now that she had finally admitted to herself how strong her feelings for Ash were. Despite the fact that she'd known she was in love with Ash for a long time. Having said that, this was the first time she didn't feel embarrassed or terrified of admitting her feelings for the raven-haired man.

The entire journey was packed with old memories, anecdotes, and laughing. Misty and Paul got along fine on this portion of the journey as well. When they arrived at the top of the hill overlooking Pallet Town, it seemed like no time had gone at all.

It was a very lovely spot, brimming with small-town charm. Because the residences were close together and there weren't many of them, most assumed that everyone knew each other.

Ash's eyes sparkled when he saw his hometown "It's wonderful to be back home! Hurry over to my house!"

With that, Ash ran off at breakneck speed in the direction of town.

Paul attempted to summon Ash, but it was pointless. "Wait! Ash! We have no idea which house belongs to you!"

As Brock and Misty giggled, Paul moaned in defeat. "How amusing do you find this?"

"We've both been here a few times, Paul. We know where Ash lives." Brock stated. Even if he was being humble. Misty had only been here 6-7 times, but Brock had visited more over 30 times over the years.

"Don't be concerned about it. grumpy." Misty mocked Paul while hitting him across the shoulder.

Paul rubbed his shoulder after Misty's surprisingly harsh slap and jogged after Brock, trying to catch up with Ash. The gang caught up with him a few minutes later at the end of the block where his house was located.

"There you have it! I wanted to wait for you so Paul wouldn't feel strange entering into my house for the first time." Ash elaborated.

"Well, if you hadn't run away, you wouldn't have had to wait for us." Misty chastised sarcastically, a cheeky grin on her face.

Misty's words made Ash, her, and Brock laugh, and he massaged the back of his head in embarrassment.

Paul scoffed at what Ash had said, but he was pleased that he had waited. He was certain Ash had spoken to his mother about just how he acted in Sinnoh, and he wasn't sure what to anticipate from her. He never really treated Ash properly until about a year and a half ago.

The gang drove down the road and quickly came to a modest-looking home surrounded by a white fence that obviously stretched all the way around into the rear yard.

Ash took the initiative and walked up to his front door. He tried to open it, but it was locked. He knocked and sighed. They heard footsteps approaching the door, which shortly opened to reveal a small, pink pokemon.
"Mime, mime, mime! Mr. Mime, please!" Mr. Mime exclaimed as he hugged Ash.

Ash reciprocated the gesture with a laugh. "Hello, Mimey! It's fantastic to see you as well." When he saw the lad with purple hair, the pokemon recognized Brock, Misty, and Pikachu, but he became defensive.

This was noticed by Ash. "Don't worry, Mimey, that's Paul, a friend of ours who has come to visit." Mr. Mime still appeared tired, but a smile eventually appeared on his face as he accepted the new addition to the family. Ash went looking for his mother after everyone had rushed into the house.

"Hey, Mimey, do you know where your mother is?" The pokemon nodded and led the way out of the living area. They quickly found themselves in the kitchen, which had a door leading to the backyard. The door from the backyard opened as if on cue, revealing Ash's mother Delia, who was wearing a sun hat and gardening gloves.

Her expression changed from astonishment to pure excitement as she realized her son and his buddies had returned home. "Oh! My newborn boy has arrived! My little fighter!" Delia dashed up to give her son a bear hug.

Ash's mother called him numerous humiliating things like "little champion" because he was not only much taller than her, but also the tallest person in his traveling group. Regardless, he reciprocated the hug and was overjoyed to see his mother. She quickly let off of him and gazed up at her son's face.

Delia then looked around Ash, noticing Brock and Misty. She welcomed the two familiar faces into her home with a grin. Then she observed the purple-haired man standing in the background almost sheepishly. When Ash's mother spoke up, he was about to introduce the two.

"You have to be Paul! Ash has revealed so much about you to me." Even though her voice was gentle, he shuddered at the notion of her knowing how he had behaved in Sinnoh. "Don't be alarmed, honey; I don't bite. And, if you're concerned that I know how you treated Ash in Sinnoh, the truth is yes, I do."

At this point, Paul appeared completely defeated. That is, until the young mother kept talking.

"But Ash has told me about how you've evolved over the years and become one of his close friends, which makes me very glad, Paul. Welcome to our residence. Any of Ash's friends is a friend of the entire Ketchum family." Delia concluded with a huge grin. She even went so far as to hug him.

Paul was energized by her warm words and gestures, pleased that he was accepted and that there were no resentments. "Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum; it's a pleasure to meet you. And, may I say, your house is lovely."

"Thank you, Paul, and please refer to me as Delia." Ash's mother was polite. Paul accepted with a nod of his head.

"After all that traveling, you must be starving. Fortunately, you arrived just in time for lunch. While I make lunch, Ash, why don't you and Misty show Paul around? Do you think you could help me with the cooking, Brock?" Delia inquired sweetly, knowing full well of Brock's culinary abilities.

Brock smiled triumphantly at Mr. Mime, who was unhappy at Brock for scoring a point in their ongoing 'rivalry of duties.' "Of course, Delia, I would be delighted."

As Paul, Ash, and Misty exited the kitchen, Brock and Delia began preparing what would undoubtedly be a delectable lunch.

"Well, since I need to put this massive prize away, I might as well start in my room." Ash remarked this while seemingly grabbing the trophy from nowhere.

Paul's sweat dropped and he gave Ash a'really?' look.

When Ash noticed this, he laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Paul." Misty couldn't stop laughing at the two.

The group entered Ash's room, and he gave Paul the low-key tour. As the two guys began to depart, they noticed Misty had remained seated on the edge of Ash's bed.

"Are you coming, Misty?" Ash inquired, both men looking at her with interest.

Misty shook her head to show she was not coming. "No thank you, Ash. I've already been on the tour. If you don't mind, I'll just hang out here while you show Paul around." Ash shook his head and went on the trip with Paul.

Misty took a good look at Ash's bedroom now that Ash was gone. She'd seen it before, as this was normally the room she'd be given when she stayed here while Ash had the couch.

Misty recalls thinking on her first visit that his room seemed a little... juvenile for someone Ash's age at the time. However, she immediately understood how infrequently Ash stayed here, which was virtually never. Ash has never redecorated his room because he was always on a journey or doing something else.

Misty stood up and walked straight to Ash's room, where he kept all of his successes. Every badge he'd ever received was framed and hung on his wall. Trainer badges were only valid for the league in which they were earned, which meant Ash had to re-challenge every gym and earn the badges all over again if he wished to compete in a league again.

Above each region's badge set was a picture of him and his traveling buddies from the time he obtained them. She first met Brock and Misty in Kanto.

Misty then walked on to May and Max, two more people Ash spoke highly of. Misty recognized Dawn in this category when she looked at the Sinnoh photo. Ash mentioned Iris and Cilan on occasion, but not frequently. She eventually arrived in Kalos, where she met Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. Misty saw the Alola photo with Mallow, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, and Kiawe. Misty then saw Ash in Galar with Leon in a photo and a photo in Kanto with Goh and Chloe. Goh and Chloe apparently had to addend their examinations so they did not accompany Ash.

"He's accomplished quite a bit, hasn't he?" Delia inquires, making her presence known. The young mother was there, her arms folded, leaning against the doorframe.

Misty was taken aback by her abrupt appearance before turning to face Delia and nodding in agreement. "He certainly has. I assumed you were preparing lunch."

"I was, but Mimey got envious, and now Brock and him are having a cooking war. I didn't want to be caught up in the center of it." Delia was laughing as she spoke.

Misty giggled as she resumed her focus to the photographs, a sweet smile on her face as she glanced through them all.

"Has he made an impression on you?" Delia inquired, approaching the redhead woman and stopped only when they were side by side.

Misty didn't even pause to respond. "More than you could possibly imagine. He's had a huge impact on how I've spent my life since we met. When I'm around him, I'm always happier."

"Misty, I'm overjoyed to hear that. I'm delighted Ash has had such a wonderful effect on you, and I know you've inspired him as well." Delia continued as Misty cocked her head, unsure how she'd influenced him specifically. Delia clarified, seeing her perplexity, "You made a significant contribution to his maturation. Sure, all of the individuals he's traveled with deserve credit, but you got him to the finish line. Even though he's still as irresponsible as ever, I can honestly say that my little kid has grown up, and you've played a big part in that." Delia completed her speech with a tear in her eye and a proud smile on her face.

Misty felt immensely warm inside, knowing she'd had a significant impact on Ash, just as Delia had predicted.

Misty smiled softly as she spoke to the young mother. "Delia, you raised a wonderful son. I truly believe Ash is one-of-a-kind, and he only became so thanks to your coaching."

Delia smiled at Misty's warm comments and embraced her. Delia spoke up again once the two were released, this time with a teasing smile.

"So...did you tell him yet?"

Misty flushed hotly at Delia's direct question. Delia had hinted at her affections for Ash in the past, but it was the first time she'd been so forthright with her.

"Is it really that clear that I'm in love with him?" Misty's voice sounded sweetly timid. There was no point in denying it, especially because she was certain she was hopelessly in love with him.

Delia couldn't stop laughing. "Oh honey, I knew you had feelings for him the first time I saw you two together."

Misty was still ashamed, but she couldn't feel uncomfortable in Delia's company. "No...I-I haven't mustered the guts yet, but I hope to do so soon."

"I sincerely hope everything works out for you both, Misty." Delia smiled at her. "Even if he didn't realize it, Ash has always been a ladies' guy. I always imagined that May, Dawn, or perhaps Serena would have claimed him through the years, but they all had to part ways. Ash hasn't seen May or Dawn in years, if ever."

"Did any of the others ever harbor romantic feelings towards Ash?" Misty inquired.

She realized she souldn't be envious. Misty reasoned that since neither May nor Dawn had seen Ash in years, any past feelings couldn't possibly be genuine today...Right? "According to what I've heard, they obviously had romantic love for him. It was pretty easy to tell. It was obvious from the way they talked about him and acted when they were together." Delia recalled all of the hints she'd gotten from Serena, May, and Dawn.

"Do you mean they all liked him at some point?" Misty inquired.

Delia gave a nod. "But, hey, I could be wrong. It was difficult to envision them not having a crush on him based on how they all spoke about him and acted when they were around him."

Misty sighed before returning to her lovely smile. "I can't say I blame them. Not in the least. Ash is the most incredible person I've ever met. He is compassionate, selfless, and always puts others first. To tell you the truth, Delia, after everything we've been through this together realized that I'm...that I'm in love with him."

It was good to say the words to someone else. Despite the fact that Delia was Ash's mother, she knew that this chat would be limited to the two of them. After all, Misty couldn't help but consider Delia as a second mother based on their interactions.

Delia gasped in amazement at the discovery, making Misty concerned that someone had heard. Delia reduced her voice to a whisper after becoming aware of her volume. "Oh, Arceus, it is fantastic, Misty! I'm overjoyed for you! I sincerely hope things work out between you two. I believe you are the ideal match for my Ash. You have my approval and support!"

Misty smiled and nodded gratefully to her second mother. She was overjoyed to have Ash's mother's support. Knowing she had someone so significant in Ash's life on her side gave her a lot of hope that things would turn out the way she wanted them to. All she had to do now was figure out how to tell Ash she was madly, profoundly in love with him...

"So, hopefully your lunch is ready by now. We should go downstairs and greet everyone." Delia suggested it. Misty nodded in agreement, still savoring the feelings of earlier.

The two women went downstairs and into the kitchen, where they saw Ash and Paul speaking at a table covered in various types of food. Brock and Mr. Mime fought over who could clean the kitchen the best. But then they noticed someone else. a person with honey blonde hair Delia and Misty recognized her right away as Serena Yvonne.

"The girl in the photos."

Misty reminded herself of this. The honey blonde's image was still vivid in her mind because she'd just been looking at said pictures/ Plus, she remembered Ash explaining what she looked like before while giving her a story about his time in Kalos.

"It's fantastic to see you again, Serena!" "And so soon!" Delia exclaimed as she approached the young woman and hugged her. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"Well, I didn't think a mere phone congratulations would be suitable, so I took some time off from traveling in Hoenn to come congratulate Ash myself!" Serena replied with a smile to Ash. This was also an excellent opportunity to spend time with the person she believed to be her very best friend.

Ash returned the smile and nodded before turning to resume his talk with Paul. It was clear that she'd arrived a while ago and that they'd had some time to converse and reintroduce themselves.

"Is this Misty, the girl you've been telling me so much about?" Serena inquired, pointing to the honey blonde haired female.

"It certainly is! Misty here, Serena. Serena is my friend Misty. "I'm sure you've heard of her from one of my stories." The two were introduced by Ash.

Serena approached Misty and extended a hand while smiling, both of which were returned.

The three ladies joined the table, and Brock soon followed, regrettably abandoning the competition and leaving Mr. Mime as the winner. At least for this round...

"Everything looks fantastic!" Paul focused his remark at Delia, who raised her hands in defiance.

"Actually, I was thrown out of my own kitchen by a... 'fight' these two were having over here. I can't take credit for it." Delia remarked this while pointing to Mr. Mime and Brock, who were both scratching their heads.

"Well, then, congratulations to the chefs." Paul misdirected his compliments.

Lunch lasted approximately 40 minutes. It was filled with pleasant talks and many congratulations to Ash on his victory, which Paul didn't mind. Sure, he was disappointed that he had lost, but he had lost to a good buddy and a worthy opponent who he knew earned it.

Misty and Serena started talking during this period. With Misty's tomboyish personality and Serena's more dainty temperament, one would think they wouldn't get along, yet that was not the case here. They clicked almost immediately. The more they talked, the more they liked each other, and by the conclusion of the supper, it appeared as if they had known each other since infancy.

Lunch came to an end with Ash having eaten far more than the others, which was not surprising. Everyone praised Brock and Mimey once more for the delicious supper.

"So, Ash, when are you going to train today because you missed it this morning?" Brock inquired. Serena's face turned slightly flushed as she recalled the events of that morning.

"Well, Brock-O, I was thinking of taking the day off." Misty and Brock's lips plummeted to the floor as he spoke. Ash hadn't missed a training session in over two years, according to what they knew from traveling around the world with him for so long.

Ash continued, noticing Brock and Misty's expressions of incredulity. "What? Can a man take a one-day break? Even I and my pokemon require a break now and then, even if it is only once every couple of years."

"So, what are you going to do with the remainder of your day?" Serena inquired, curious as to what the day will hold.

"Well, I was planning on going to Professor Oak's lab and seeing all my pokemon, but I'm feeling quite weary right now, so I think I'll take a nap and head there later today or tomorrow."

"I have to confess, a nap sounds like a decent idea right now." Misty concurred. Everyone else appeared to agree as well. They agreed to work out the sleeping arrangements immediately away because they would need to do it anyway.

"Brock and Paul, you'll have to share the guest room." Sleeping shouldn't be a problem because there's a bunk bed in there. "Are you comfortable with sharing my room, Misty and Serena?" Ash inquired, hoping they wouldn't mind.

"Of course, why not?" Misty stated that she was completely fine with sharing a room.

"How about you, Ash?" Every time we stay here, you shouldn't have to sleep on the couch." Serena mentioned this, feeling slightly terrible for taking Ash's bed for the millionth time.

"Don't be concerned, Serena; I'll be OK on the couch. I just want you to feel at ease." Ash smiled at his traveling partner.

Misty and Serena blushed slightly as they thanked Ash for giving up his room and raced upstairs to put their belongings in said room. Paul and Brock did the same with the guest bedroom, leaving Ash to relax on the couch and drift off to sleep.

---

Somewhere Inside the Forest Separating Viridian and Pallet

"Damn you, Max, you had to go poke about in the bushes!" May reprimanded her brother while sprinting out of the forest.

"May, I apologize! All I wanted to do was get a better look at all of the Kakuna! How was I expected to know they'd all evolve at the same time?!" Max attempted to argue with his sister while sprinting in the opposite way.

"Don't worry, Max; just keep running!" May screamed as a Beedrill approached her head. If she hadn't picked up some speed, the stinger would have nicked her.

"The exit, according to my pokegear, should be right...around...there!" After looking up from his instrument, Max exclaimed, pointing to a breach in the dense undergrowth.

The two siblings made their way out of the jungle, believing they had escaped the Beedrill. That dream was abruptly shattered when 12 angry, albeit low level, Beedrill poured out of the forest.

"Max! You stated that they would not leave the jungle!" May yelled at her little brother.

"They shouldn't have done that! It must be due to their youth!" Max screamed and reached for a pokeball. "Magcargo! I require your assistance!" Max fired his fire slug.

May, following in her brother's footsteps, dispatched her most powerful pokemon. "Blaziken! Take the Center Stage!"

At the same time, the two siblings yelled to their pokemon, "Flamethrower!"

Both Pokemon's mouths emitted a searing torrent of fire. At least six Beedrill were hit by the flames and severely injured. Those six withdrew to heal their burns, but the other six, noticing the retreat, followed suit.

May and Max both exhaled in relief as the last of the Beedrill vanished into the jungle. If either of them had been stung, there was a probability that they would have died before reaching a hospital. Beedrill venom is commonly known to be fairly strong, with the ability to kill a human in under two hours. And with around two and a half hours remained on their journey, that would not have been ideal...

"Hehe... May, I'm sorry." Max apologized hesitantly in an attempt to avoid his sister's fury. Fortunately for him, she appeared to be too sleepy to hit him at the time.

"It's...fine, Max. Just...stop being such a jerk all the time." May said as she regained her breath. Max was about to react, but decided that it was better to be insulted than to be smacked by his sister, who undoubtedly packed a punch.

"We have a little more than two hours on Route One until we get at Pallet. If we keep travelling at this rate, I'd say we'll arrive around..." Max looked at his pokegear to see what time it was. "It's four o'clock."

May looked energized by the idea of being in Pallet Town so soon. Her desire to see Ash was at an all-time high, and the prospect of her wish becoming a reality thrilled her to no end. Max couldn't help but notice her overjoyed look, and he couldn't pass up the chance to torment his sister.

"Calm down, May; you'll be seeing your guy in no time." Max mocked, well aware that his sister had affections for his idol, even if she hadn't realized it yet.

May reddened, but quickly recovered and stared at Max.

"He's not my boyfriend, Max! Do I have to pound that into your head again?" May had had enough of the mocking.

May had made the mistake of telling her brother that she was conflicted about her feelings for the raven-haired trainer while they were traveling; she normally wouldn't have done so, but she'd felt at ease with her brother during the first leg of their journey and was simply having difficulty keeping her confusing thoughts to herself.

Max had not stopped talking about her feelings for Ash and him being her boyfriend. This didn't help matters when she was so conflicted about her emotions.

Max looked terrified as he remembered the last time he said something like that, which wasn't long before. "May, I'm sorry, but please-OWWW." Max was unable to continue due to a powerful punch from his sister into his arm.

Any and every hatred she had previously felt melted away after punching her brother, and she was replaced by a look of pure joy and excitement.

"Let us continue. I can hardly wait to get there!" May exclaimed gleefully, a complete 180 from her previous angry state.

Max did nothing except shake his head and murmur to himself. "Women..." He then went down Route One with his sister.

…

…

After almost two and a half hours, the siblings arrived at the familiar hill that perched high over Pallet Town.

May stood there, gazing at every house until she found the one she was looking for. Even from this distance, she could tell that the house looked exactly like she remembered it.

May was both thrilled and terrified by the thought of meeting Ash again. Sure, she talked to him on the phone at least twice a year, not including this year, and they always exchanged gifts for major occasions, but it had been nearly 4 years since they had seen each other in person.

Though, judging by the huge smile on her face, her delight far overshadowed her worry. May, on the other hand, couldn't deny that the butterflies in her tummy were stronger than ever, even before her first ever contest performance.

May wanted to find something here as well... her actual feelings for the raven-haired man who had had such an impact on her life. She had an idea, but she needed to know for sure, and here was the chance she needed to discover what these sentiments were and how deep they ran. As Max approached her side, the two exchanged a smile before beginning the final part of their journey to Ash's residence.

---

Ketchum Household

Misty sat in the living room in a chair she had taken from the kitchen and placed close to the couch, which was now occupied by Ash, who was asleep. Misty wasn't all that weary when everyone else chose to snooze, leaving her with nothing to do.

She felt a little embarrassed by the thought, but she knew it was because of the position she had slept in the night before. She had never felt more at ease than when she was sleeping nestled up to Ash. And knowing Ash appreciated the contact made her even more excited and awake. Misty then noticed Serena was awake.

Serena was distracted from her thoughts when she heard a faint knock on the front door. She debated answering it because everyone else was sleeping and Delia was in the backyard with Mr. Mime. It was only a few moments later that she realized it couldn't hurt, so she rose from her chair and strolled silently to the door.

She carefully opened it and drank in the sight of two familiar faces. Serena couldn't place why the two people in front of her looked so familiar, despite the fact that she felt she'd seen them before.

One was a youngster in his early teens, she guessed. He had brown hair and was dressed in a green polo shirt and khaki shorts. His most distinguishing feature was undoubtedly the huge glasses on his face.

The other figure was a girl her own age, she guessed. She was about an inch taller than he was. She had brown hair that fell over her face in a downward V, and she wore a largely white bandana with a red pokeball symbol on the side. Although it was an unusual hairdo, Serena thought it was lovely, at least on her; she wasn't totally confident she could pull it off.

The woman was dressed in a red blouse and matching skirt, with a pair of tight black bicycle shorts underneath. She examined her from head to toe and recognized her as a stunning young lady.

"Oh... I'm sorry. We must have gone to the wrong place," the child said, explaining that he didn't recognize the person who answered the door.

The woman turned to face her brother. "No, Max, I'm absolutely positive that this is Ash's residence."

"Well, she's right, this is Ash Ketchum's house!" Serena exclaimed to the two.

"See, I warned you!" May exclaimed to her brother before turning back to face the blonde woman in front of her. "My name is May, and this is my brother Max," May explained softly.

Serena nodded and motioned for the two to enter, but also for them to be quiet, as most of the household was still asleep. Serena noted that Ash was no longer asleep on the couch when the three of them entered the living room.

"I don't know where Ash went; he was asleep on the couch shortly before I opened the door," Serena said, perplexed.

As she finished speaking, the door to the bathroom opened, and out strolled a tired-looking Ash.

As he entered the living room, he rubbed his eyes. When he reached the room's entry, he stopped rubbing and looked around. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw two of his best friends standing in front of him, whom he hadn't seen in years.

"May? Max?" Ash inquired, not believing they were present. The two siblings were both overjoyed to meet Ash.

Instead of answering verbally, May dashed towards Ash and enveloped him in a bear embrace. They lingered like this for more than a minute, just delighted to be back in one other's company. Serena was irritated by this, but she let it go because they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

May was bawling into Ash's chest during this moment; simply seeing him in person made her cry tears of pleasure.

May whispered against Ash's chest, "I missed you so lot." She'd always knew she'd missed being with Ash, but she hadn't realized how much until now.

May was once again filled with remorse for ever leaving Ash's side to go to Johto. May couldn't understand why she'd taken that decision in the first place. May's tears were spotted by Ash, who began caressing her back.

"I missed you too, May," Ash said softly. "But it's okay now. We're here, together. I'm right here." May's tears gradually stopped flowing, and she unwillingly broke away from the embrace, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Dang Ketchum, you got tall," May murmured, sniffling slightly. Ash laughed and nodded in agreement. Max then attacked him once more. The hug was considerably shorter and less emotional this time.

"I just had to do it," Max explained. "It's wonderful to see you again, Ash."

"You, too, Max," Ash replied. "Oh, I see you met Serena."

"Yeah. From the photographs you've showed me, I thought she was attractive, but wow. She's simply gorgeous!" May exclaimed, her red eyes the only trace of her ever crying.

Serena grinned at the compliment. "Oh, stop it, May. If anyone should be giving out compliments here, it should be me. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen." May returned Serena's remarks with a smile and thanked her for them. Both ladies could see they were going to be excellent friends right away.

While all of this was going on, Ash was enjoying the sight of May. She, like him, had matured, and Ash loved how stunning she appeared. He had no idea that May had already done the same thing to him, coming to the same conclusion. Ash felt compelled to contribute his two cents to the discussion.

"Well, I guess..." Ash began as he walked between the two girls, a hand on both of their shoulders. "...that you two are both breathtakingly attractive."

Both females flushed bright red at Ash's compliment.

"T-thanks, Ash," Serena said as she walked away.

May was startled at how difficult it was to get two simple words out of her mouth.

Ash removed both females from the side hug after they both talked.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Ash said, his voice full of eagerness. He wasn't upset to see them, on the contrary, but he was curious as to what had prompted the two siblings to come see him.

"Well, we were watching your battle in Petalburgh and we just felt that we had to come congratulate you in person!" Max cried, getting thrilled all over again as the image of Ash winning the Pokemon League flashed through his mind.

"Yeah, Ash! You have no clue how pleased I am for you," May replied softly.

Ash smiled and thanked his companions. Ash realized then that he hadn't been able to check around to see what had transpired in May's most recent grand festival.

"Thank you! Speaking of major battles, how did your last Grand Festival go, May?" Ash inquired, hoping for the best.

"Well, Ash," May began with a mournful tone, fooling Ash into expecting the worst. She wanted to have some fun with him. Her voice quickly changed to one of eagerness. "I finally won a great festival!"

"No way, May, that's amazing," Ash said, pulling May into another hug. "I'm very proud of you, May, and I can't wait to see the festival now!"

May was overjoyed when Ash told her he was proud of her. This caused May to blush once more, which fortunately went unnoticed. She'd always wanted to impress him for some reason. She guessed it was because he had basically taught her everything she knew about pokemon. Ash, in her eyes, was a big reason she was where she was now.

"Thank you, Ash. I'm just really thrilled we both have a big win under our belts today, and you're correct when you said we're both one step closer to our dreams," May replied, loving the moment.

Of course, May had been overjoyed when she had won a Grand Festival a few days ago, but she couldn't deny that something had been missing, something that had diminished the joy and thrill of it all. And now that she was here, she realized that the reason she hadn't been able to completely relish the victory was because Ash wasn't there to share it with her.

Ash was always there to congratulate her and to cheer her up when she was down. May realized that Ash was one of, if not the, most important people in her life, and that without him present for one of the most crucial times of her life, the occasion just wasn't as large.

But now that she was back with him, May was even more excited about her win and Ash's tremendous success. All of these thoughts were gradually breaking through her jumbled thoughts and sentiments, revealing what she genuinely felt for the raven-haired man she owed so much to.

Misty, Paul, and Brock had all made their way down the stairs as May finished speaking, astonished to see the two siblings. When the old pals reunited, there was a lot of excitement.

Paul, who had never met them before, was also introduced to the couple, and while he wasn't much of a people person, he could imagine himself loving May on a par with Serena. Max, on the other hand, was skeptical that they would get along because the younger youngster did nothing but bombard him with questions as soon as they were introduced.

Max expressed his admiration for him and his pokemon. What truly got him was when he explained why he lost his last encounter with Ash. Overall, his initial impression of Max was that he was somewhat irritating. He hoped that after they spent some more time together and the shock of meeting someone who could be called semi-famous in the combat world wore off, he would tone it down a bit. After all, Ash was far more famous than Paul, and Max didn't always act this way around him. At the very least, he hoped...

After everyone had been introduced, Ash proceeded to get his mother from the backyard so she could say hello to May and Max. She was overjoyed to see them after such a long time and invited them to stay with the rest of the guests.

The only issue that occurred as a result of this was that the simple Ketchum household wasn't exactly equipped to host this many people. They all figured out sleeping arrangements with some creative thinking and compromise. Max would sleep on the cot in Brock and Paul's room, while May would sleep on the other couch in the family room.

After all of this was said and done, and everyone's adventures were winding down, it was far past 6:30pm, and supper was about to be served. Ash and May couldn't stop drooling as they smelled Delia's scrumptious cuisine emanating from the kitchen. The two exchanged a friendly smile. Until now, neither of them had been able to meet another individual who could equal their appetites. It was only one of many things they shared.

Everyone engaged in more talk once dinner was served. May described her travels to Sinnoh and Hoenn, the latter being the place where she had won the grand festival. Brock remarked on how wonderful it was that both Ash and May's first major wins happened in their respective home regions, which made the two smile. It was incredibly amazing that their second trip through their home region was what earned them their first huge victory.

"Hey Ash, I forgot to ask you this earlier, but where is Pikachu?" Max inquired. He'd noticed Pikachu's disappearance earlier, but like everyone else, they were too preoccupied with what was going on around them with everyone else to question.

"Oh, he's up in Professor Oak's lab, he wanted to visit all of his pals, but he should be back soon," Ash said to the younger boy, causing the other newcomers to realize they'd neglected to ask about it as well.

"So, Ash, are we just going to Professor Oak's tomorrow because it's already dark?" Serena inquired.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking; I say we depart around 9 tomorrow morning; I'll make sure to get everyone up, so no need to set an alarm," Ash replied, explaining his plan.

May scoffed at Ash's final remark, making most people to glance at her with suspicion. "Of course, Ash Ketchum is going to get up before everyone else."

Both she and Max were laughing, but they soon realized that no one else was laughing with them. May spoke up when she noticed this. "What?"

"Well, for the past few years, Ash has been getting up at the crack of dawn to practice alongside his pokemon, and he is almost always awake before everyone else," Brock said to May and Max, who were both stunned.

When May and Max heard this, their jaws dropped to the floor. When they were traveling with Ash, he was always the one who preferred to sleep. She was aware that the same might be said for May. They guessed Ash had changed, at least slightly, and for the better.

"All well," May responded, considering herself 'told.' May's reaction made everyone giggle.

Around this time, everyone had finished their lunch and was simply sitting around chatting ow.

"How about we go into the family room and chat some more?" Ash said. Everyone agreed and proceeded to the living room, leaving Mr. Mime to joyfully do the dishes.

Brock was tempted to stay behind, but he was eager to see his buddies. Before leaving the kitchen, he gave Mr. Mime a look that said, 'this is far from done.'

---

Route One

"Ugghh... thank Arceus, we're out of that dumb forest, huh Piplup?" Dawn grumbled, exhausted from the long trip through the dense forest. The forest between Pallet Town and Viridian was substantially smaller than Viridian Forest, yet it was still not what one would call'small.'

"Piplup pip!" agreed the blue penguin pokemon, waving his hand about. As they continued walking, Dawn laughed at her starter. Dawn was eager to get to Ash's house tonight, even though the sun had already begun to sink over the horizon.

Dawn had never missed somebody as much as she had missed Ash. She'd never desired to see anyone more than she desired to see him. The fact that he was only a couple of hours away kept her going.

Dawn had accepted that she had a crush on Ash; she had never felt this strongly about anyone before. And, while she was now at ease saying that her crush on the raven-haired man from their time traveling together had never faded, she was still perplexed by it all. It seemed like...something more, but she wasn't sure. She was hoping to clear everything up while she was visiting Ash.

She walked for the rest of the way, pondering these things, until she realized she was in Pallet Town. She was astounded by how quickly time had passed because she was thinking about her sentiments. She'd become completely distracted. Though she understood why she'd spaced out for so long since these thoughts were really important to her and had the ability to significantly alter her life.

"Wow, time definitely flies when you're thinking about things, right Piplup?" Dawn wondered.

Piplup simply shook his head and collapsed, tired. Dawn was so deep in concentration that she mistakenly ignored Piplup's requests to be carried the rest of the way. Dawn laughed as she snatched the falling Piplup into her arms. She then started her trek, only to be interrupted by a familiar sound.

"Pikaka!" Pikachu charged at Dawn and leaped into her arms, unwittingly knocking Piplup out of them.

Dawn burst out smiling, clearly ecstatic to see the yellow rodent. "Hey Pikachu! Are you coming from the lab back to Ash's house?" Dawn inquired, recognizing the lab from the direction Pikachu was coming from. Pikachu responded by nodding his head. "Does Ash come with you?"

Dawn felt a surge of optimism, excitement, and worry as she realized Ash was only a few feet away, sprinting after Pikachu. She couldn't help but feel a little let down when Pikachu shook his head and pointed to his residence, telling her that's where he was. She didn't let these feelings last more than a few seconds, as she remembered Ash was still quite close and she'd be seeing him again in just a few minutes.

Piplup was rising from the ground, rage coursing through his veins, until he noticed who had knocked him out of his trainer's grasp. When he realized it was Pikachu, he felt a surge of energy and his wrath dissipated.

Dawn positioned Pikachu next to Piplup so the two could greet each other. The two exchanged a cold handshake and then started to walk toward the Ketchum mansion, with Dawn by their side.

The closer she got, the more ecstatic she became. She couldn't believe the butterflies she was experiencing just from seeing Ash again.

As she made her final approach to the house, she paused to enjoy its lovely modesty. While taking in the sights, she spotted a brilliant light streaming through a window, revealing a silhouetted figure. She took a closer look and observed the wild and unruly hair that was barely covered by a hat. When she realized who this person was, she dashed to the door and knocked.

---

Ketchum Residence

Everyone had gathered in the family room, and the chatter had resumed. The majority of the attendees were sat on the room's two long couches. Ash, on the other hand, had given Max his position on the couch and was now seated on the floor in front of a wide window.

"Anyway, once I lost that contest, I just-" May's sentence was interrupted short by the sound of knocking. This surprised everyone because no one expected company this late in the day.

Despite his uncertainty, Ash stood from his squat and strode toward the entrance. The person behind the door knocked impatiently again, indicating that he was taking too long.

"Coming," Ash said loudly enough to be heard through the door.

It was only a matter of seconds before he approached the door and flung it open. Ash's mouth dropped when he saw who was behind the closed door. Dawn Berlitz, another of his dearest pals, was standing in the doorway. What were the odds that two pals he hadn't seen in years would come up on the same day?

Ash and Dawn were both speechless. As Ash and Dawn stared at one other, Pikachu leapt out of Dawn's clutches and went into the house. Dawn couldn't stop herself from taking in Ash's appearance. She was so stunned that words couldn't escape her lips, and she felt a flush run up her cheeks. She couldn't help but admire him. What she didn't realize was that Ash was in a same situation, with similar ideas racing through his mind.

Ash was absolutely silent after being stunned by Dawn's unannounced presence as well as her stunning appearance. Dawn was no better, as she couldn't force herself to speak or act since she was too excited to see Ash again, not to mention how lovely he looked.

Ash eventually snapped out of his mood, being the first of the two to do so, and raced forward to embrace Dawn. This appeared to wake the bluenette up, as she put her head on Ash's chest and hugged him back.

Dawn had feelings comparable to those of May earlier in the day. She, too, had shed a few tears from her lovely face, but she had said nothing. The hug conveyed everything that needed to be said.

"Hey Ash, who is it?" Brock asked, puzzled as to why it was taking.

When Ash and Dawn heard this, they separated and smiled lovingly at each other. Ash then signaled for Dawn and Piplup to stay outside for a few seconds longer.

Ash returned his gaze to the gathering, a lopsided grin on his face. "You won't believe who's here, you guys."

Before anyone could guess, the lovely bluenette went through the entrance and waved to the crowd.

At first glimpse, she was taken aback. She'd heard Brock's voice and assumed Ash was here with him and maybe one other person. She rapidly discovered, however, that this was not the case. She recognized May right away and assumed the boy seated next to her was her brother Max.

Then she noticed Paul. Dawn scoffed at him; despite hearing he'd changed, Dawn still didn't like him. She'd have to see how he'd changed to believe it, and then she might be able to endure him.

When she saw the red hair, she knew it must to belong to Misty, whom Ash occasionally mentioned. The lovely blonde woman was the only person she couldn't place.

"Dawn!" screamed May, Brock, and Delia as they raced up to her and hugged her after she'd set Piplup on the ground.

"Hey guys! It's lovely to see you!" Dawn shouted, delighted by the unexpected reunion.

She was happy to see her old friends, yet she couldn't help but be sad. She hoped that this visit would be just her and Ash. May, she had no idea, was experiencing the same emotions. She, on the other hand, brushed it off and resolved to make the best of the situation. After all, these were her best friends, so it wasn't all that horrible, just different from what she'd expected.

Dawn approached the blonde girl after several rounds of greetings and introductions. "Hello, my name is Dawn, and I don't believe we've met before."

Serena was typically excited to meet new people, but seeing how beautiful all of Ash's previous traveling companions were, plus the fact that they were all here right now, made her feel a little insecure. She set her feelings aside for the time being, though, and introduced herself.

"Hello, Dawn! My name is Serena, and it's a pleasure to meet you." Serena smiled, pushing past her jealousy and insecurities.

"Dawn, not that I'm not glad about it, but what are you doing here?" Ash questioned, a large, almost disbelieving smile on his face, similar to the one he had when May and Max first arrived.

Dawn's smile was still on her face. It had only grown larger since she had laid eyes on Ash. "Well, I was watching your match, and when you won, I just had to come here and congratulate you in person; a phone call didn't seem to do your achievement justice, so...here I am."

"Thanks Dawn, I'm really glad you're here." Ash added. Dawn blushed slightly at his soft tone, which Serena picked up on. She decided, however, that for the time being, she should just brush it off. Even with this notion running through her head, she couldn't help but feel defensive of Ash.

"Ash sure did well, didn't he?" Serena said hurriedly, trying to get her own attention. Fortunately, she did it in such a way that it blended into the flow of the talk that everyone in the room, including Paul, agreed.

Buneary had escaped her pokeball at this point and dashed over to Pikachu, who was currently speaking with May's Glaceon.

Pikachu paled at the sight of her, but smiled warmly and let Buneary hug him because they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Despite everything, and despite Buneary's obsession with him, Pikachu liked her and was glad to see her again. At least for the time being.

Glaceon, on the other hand, was not pleased. But, in order to avoid beginning anything in front of Pikachu, she put it aside for the time being.

After apologizing for the shortage of seats, Ash returned to his location on the floor and offered Dawn a spot next to him. The chats went on until late at night, when individuals began to leave one by one to go to bed. Delia was the first to arrive, followed by Brock, Paul, and Max. Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena were the only ones left in the living room.

Because they were all so engrossed in each other's presence, these three didn't seem to notice that the others had left. Laughter was exchanged, and all five got along wonderfully. It all came to a stop for the night when both Dawn and Serena let out a huge yawn at about the same time, causing both of them to giggle.

"Dawn, we need to figure out where you're going to sleep," Ash said, attempting to think of a solution.

"She can sleep in your room with me and Misty, Ash," Serena suggested sweetly. "I believe I spotted another cot in the hall closet."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that stuff! Are you okay with that Dawn? Sorry, we weren't expecting this many people," Ash clapped his fingers.

"It's alright, Ash. I think we should all go to bed. I really want to have a nice day tomorrow, and we can't do that unless we're all well rested!" Dawn laughed.

Everyone agreed with a nod. As Dawn and Serena made their way upstairs, the group said 'good nights.'

May sauntered off to the hall bathroom to get ready for bed, and Ash did the same shortly after. Ash returned to the living room, where he noticed May seated on the couch she'd be using for the night, starring at him.

"May?" Ash inquired as he waved his hand in front of her face. She appeared to be engrossed in her own little universe at the time. Ash couldn't stop laughing at her. "Are you in there, May?"

May emerged from her trance-like state and grinned, a large blush on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry about that; I was just...thinking."

May wasn't telling the truth, but Ash couldn't tell. May had actually been staring at Ash. He'd stepped out of the bathroom wearing a tight black shirt that showed off his toned figure. May couldn't help but stare as she enjoyed how good her best friend looked.

Ash grinned at May, then turned out the lights and sat on the couch opposite hers. May slipped her necklace from beneath her shirt after approximately 15 minutes, when she was quite certain Ash was sleeping.

She admired the necklace's most stunning feature. The portion that was supposed to attract everyone's attention. Half of the terracotta ribbon was hers. She'd kept it on her since she and Ash split up, and had just recently turned it into a necklace before arriving to Pallet. She noticed how the gold center still gleamed like the day they initially won it, and how the ribbon was still in excellent condition after all these years.

"Do you still have your share of the ribbon?" May was startled when she heard Ash speak because she assumed he was sleeping.

May looked a little ashamed, as if Ash was mocking her for still having it after all this time. "Y-Yeah..." she replied shyly.

For a brief period, Ash remained silent while rummaging inside his pocket for something. He sat up and turned on the lamp next to the couch once he located it. "That's fine, since you know I always have mine."

May looked across to Ash, who was holding his half of the ribbon in his palm and gazed at it quietly, relieved. She felt a surge of delight knowing that Ash, like herself, carried the ribbon with him at all times.

"What was I thinking? Ash isn't like Drew; even if he didn't still have the ribbon, he'd never make fun of me for having it," May reflected, smiling. She was pleased that Ash had kept the old ribbon. She wasn't sure why, but she experienced her heart flutter as she thought this.

"This thing has been my good luck charm ever since we won it; I genuinely can't remember a time when I wasn't wearing it," Ash added, smiling as he glanced at the ribbon in his palm.

"I know what you mean; I've had this thing since we split up, and I've had it on me at all times afterwards." May smiled back.

As he had been that night under the stars with Serena, Ash was feeling unusually deep tonight. This prompted him to say what he did next. "Two halves, split by fate... brought back together by the great tie they share," Ash said, staring May in the eyes.

May had no clue Ash could be so perceptive. It warmed her heart to learn of their friendship, knowing how strong it was. May merely glanced at Ash, a sweet smile on his face, an amazing feeling of joy washing over her. May had no regrets about coming here. In fact, it was one of the best moves she'd made in a long time.

Ash concluded his speech, switched off the lamp on the table next to his couch, and lay down to try to sleep.

"Goodnight, May," Ash said quietly.

"Goodnight, Ash..." May murmured, reflecting on herself and Ash and what he truly meant to her.

What exactly were her powerful and profound feelings for him?

---

The Next Morning

Ash got up in the morning from the couch. Ash then went and saw Misty leave the bathroom and she smiled at him. Misty then said "I will be waiting for you to get yourself ready for training. I would like to train with you." and then Ash smiled and said "Yes, I will get ready for training. Ash then went in the bathroom to get ready.

Misty meanwhile was waiting for Ash sitting on the couch and she saw Pikachu who jumped and sat on her shoulder. Misty saw Ash come out of the bathroom and then say "Pikachu sure likes you a lot!" and Misty replied "Pikachu does like me." Misty then got up from the couch.

Ash and Misty walked and reached the door. Ash then opened the door and then Ash and Misty left the house. Misty then closed the door and then Ash and Misty walked in the path and reached the gate. Ash and Misty soon left through the gate and walked in the path that led to Professor Oak's Lab.

Ash and Misty were busy admiring each other as they walked and Pikachu jumped from Misty's shoulder, ran, and laughed while saying "Pikapi Pikachupi Pika!" and then Ash and Misty blushed while Ash said "We are not exactly in a romantic relationship. We just explore our relations with each other more."

Pikachu again laughed and Misty said "Ash is right. We both might have crushes on each other but that does not mean we are in a romantic relationship." Pikachu then said "Pika!" and then ran. Ash said to Misty "Let us run after Pikachu! That will be good training." and then Misty nodded.

Ash and Misty then ran behind Pikachu and Misty smiled and said "Pikachu sure is fast! The Monarch's Pikachu will be though. I am amazed by how you trained Pikachu." and Ash smiled and said "I have trained Pikachu a lot to be fast to make sure that Pikachu can rapidly dodge moves."

Ash and Misty continued to run while admiring each other. Ash thought Misty looked beautiful in her training clothes and Misty thought Ash looked handsome in his training clothes. Ash and Misty continued to run for some time and the a passer bys commented that "Look, the Pallet Town Monarch and his partner, Misty, are running!"

Ash then said while running "Misty is not my partner!" Ash and Misty soon reached the Lab gate and then Ash opened the gate. Ash and Misty then entered the Lab and ran on the hill following Pikachu. Ash commented "Let's have a small break and then we can train our Pokemons!" and Misty nodded and said "I agree to that, Ash!"

Ash and Misty were sweating while they came to the Pokemons of Ash which were sleeping. Ash said to Pikachu "Wake them up." and then Pikachu went to the pokemons and woke them up. They immediately then came for training with Ash. Ash and Misty then smiled at the Pokemons and Ash released the Pokemons he had.

Ash then said "Misty, you can release your Pokemons!" and then Misty released her Pokemons. Misty saw her Skeledirge approach Ash's Charizard and Infernape, Eelektross approach Pikachu, Toedscruel approach Torterra and Sceptile, Crabrawler aproach Hawlucha and Lucario, and Gyarados and Corsola approach Kingler and Dracovish.

Misty then said to her Pokemons "Today, you can train with Ash's Pokemons!" and then Ash and Misty sat for a little while. Ash then asked Misty "How did you get a diverse Pokemon team when you want to train to be a Water Pokemon Master?" and Misty replied "I saw that I needed some Pokemons with diverse types even if my goal is to be a Water Pokemon Master as they will help to defend against any weak points that my team has. Could I tell you how I got Skeledirge?" and then Ash replied "Sure, you can!" Misty then said "I got it when I was attending school for some time before graduating. I attended school to master a few concepts."

Flashback

Misty was in Cabo Poco, a small town where she went. Misty then saw a girl with black hair who ran to her and said "You are Misty who is one of the strongest gym leaders of Kanto! I am Nemona who will introduce you to the school. I would like to battle you." and then Misty saw an old man approach both of them.

Misty then saw the old man say "Nemona, you are a Champion, why do you want to battle her?" and then Nemona said "I need to see the various battling styles of different regions, Misty, he is Clavell, the director of Naranja Academy and Uva Academy." Misty said "Hi Nemona and Hi Clavell, so you are the Champion, Nemona, I would surely love battling you!"

Clavell then said "If it is a battle that you want to have, you can battle!" Nemona and Misty went to opposite sides of each other and then had their Pokemons ready. Clavell then asked "Nemona, what type of battle would you prefer?" and then Nemona said "I would prefer 1 vs 1." Misty nodded and said "If that is what she wants, I also would want that."

Clavell then said "You both agree t 1, that will be the battle you would have. Both trainers should release their Pokemons in a countdown. Alright, three, two, one, release your Pokemons!" and then Nemona released Dudunsparce while Misty released Gyarados.

Misty then said "Gyarados, Mega Evolve!" and then Gyarados Mega Evolved to Mega Gyarados. Misty then asked Nemona "Why did you not go for type advantage?" and then Nemona answered "I wnat an interesting battle, so I did not go for type advantage." Misty nodded on hearing the answer.

Misty then said "Gyarados, Crunch!" and then Nemona said "Hyper Drill, Dudunsparce!" Gyarados then went to use Crunch and then Dudunsparce used Hyper Drill on another part of Gyarados's body. Gyarados then immediately coiled itself and then Dudunsparce was stuck.

Misty then said "Crunch!" and then Gyarados used Crunch on Dudunsparce who could not escape the attack and was losing health. Nemona smiled and said "Coil!" Misty knew the move would raise the stats of Dudunsparce and then said "Throw away Dudunsparce and then use Hurricane!"

Dudunsparce was then thrown away by Gyarados who then used Hurricane and Dudunsparce was in the middle of the Hurricane with no way to escape. Nemona said "Coil!" and then Misty said "Gyarados, move the Hurricane to throw Dudunsparce in the air!"

Gyarados then moved the Hurricane and then Dudunsparce was being thrown around in the air and was losing health while using Coil to incrrease its attack. Nemona knew that she had to do something quick. "Hyper Drill!" Dudunsparce then pushed itself rapidly and used Hyper Drill on Gyarados and Gyarados lost quite some health.

Gyarados then coiled itself and was using Crunch rapidly on Dudunsparce and Dudunsparce was losing health as the attack continued. This time, the grip was much tighter and Dudunsparce could not escape the attack and was continuing to lose health as time went.

Nemona knew that she had to do something and said "Dragon Rush!" Dudunsparce was then using Dragon Rush while Gyarados was using Crunch and both Pokemons continued their attacks for some time. Misty then said "Slam Dudunsparce on the ground many times and use Crunch!"

Gyarados was then slamming Dudunsparce on the ground many times while using Crunch on Dudunsparce while Dudunsparce was not slammed and Dudunsparce was continuing to lose health for some time. Nemona knew that Misty was having an advantage right now.

Nemona then said "When possible, escape Gyarados and use Drill Run!" Dudunsparce was trying to escape Gyarados for some time and was slowly able to loosen the grip and then finally escaped. Dudunsparce then used Drill Run on Gyarados and Gyarados lost quite some health.

Nemona seized the opportunity and said "Hyper Drill!" and Dudunsparce was using Hyper Drill rapidly and Gyarados continued to lose health. Misty knew that she had to something soon. "Hurricane!" Gyarados then used Hurricane and Dudunsparce was trapped in the Hurricane.

Misty then said "Hit Dudunsparce with Hurricane but make sure that Dudunsparce cannot escape!" Gyarados then made the Hurricane to hit Dudunsparce and Dudunsparec was losing health and cannot find a way to leave the hurricane so Dudunsparce was effectively trapped.

Nemona then attempted a final resort "Use Rrill Run on the sand to escape!" Dudunsparce then used Drill Run on the sand to make a tunnel." Misty knew that she had to react fast. Misty then said "You seem to have a made a good strategy but I have a counter. Gyarados, move the Hurricane to destroy any tunnel that Dudunsparce makes."

Gyarados was then moving the Hurricane which was destroying any tunnel that Dudunsparce attempted to make. The Hurricane continued to make Dudunsparce to lose health for some time and then Dudunsparce lost quite some health and fainted.

Misty and Nemona then returned Gyarados and Dudunsparce to the Pokeball. Misty said "You were amazing, Gyarados!" and Nemona said "Dudunsparce, we lost but you were still amazing!" Clavell then said "This makes Mity, the Cerulean City Gym Leader the winner!" Misty smiled on hearing that. Nemona then said "We need to battle again, Misty!" and Misty nodded and said "Sure, we would battle again some day!"

Clavell then said "You two, I have three starter Pokemons in which I would give one to you, Misty. It would be your first day in Naranja Aademy and every new student is supposed to get a starter Pokemon." Clavell then released three Pokemons, which Clavell introduced "This is Sprigatito, the Grass Cat Pokemon, Fuecoco, the Fire Croc Pokemon, and Quaxly, the Duckling Pokemon. Misty, choose one of the three."

Misty was excted that she could finally be able to train a starter Pokemons. Misty was thinking of choosing between Quaxly and Fuecoco. Misty soon made her choice whe she saw Fuecoco was unique in being a croc Pokemon that was a fire type and she felt reminded of Ash's Totodile which she once wanted.

Misty then said "Fuecoco, come to my team!" and Fuecoco jumped to Misty and Misty hugged Fuecoco. Clavell smiled on seeing Misty happy with a starter Pokemon. Nemona then asked "I also would like a starter Pokemon as I have not yet had one." and Clavell smiled and said "Sure, choose between the two!"

Nemona then said "Sprigatito, I am choosing you." Nemona then saw Sprigatito jump to her and she held Sprigatito in her arms. Clavell then said "I am taking Quaxly with me. Farewell!" and Misty siad "Goodbye!" and Nemona said "Bye Director!" Misty then heard Nemona say "Come and follow me!"

Misty then followed Nemona for some time and saw the nice scenery of the sea and the beaches near Cabo Poco. Misty and Nemona walked for some time before Misty and Nemona reached Poco Path. Misty and Nemona walked in Poco Path for some time together. Misty and Nemona heard a loud sound.

Nemona said "We need to find out the source of the sound." and then Misty nodded and said "I will help you to find the source of the sound." Misty and Nemona then parted and walked for some time on the path and soon Misty reached a cliff. Misty then went near the cliff and the cliff broke.

Misty was alarmed and then she saw a red Pokemon jump and save her from falling by holding her and then reaching the ground safely. Misty saw that the Pokemon looked weak and identified it "Thank you for saving me. It means a lot to me."

Misty then took some sandwiches from her bag and then was feeding Koraidon the sandwiches and Koraidon smiled. Misty then petted the head of Koraidon who smiled on being petted. Misty then saw a path that would lead them up which was through a cave.

Misty then got up and saw Koraidon walking. Misty then decided to follow Koraidon as that was the path that could lead her from the beach below the cliff to reach the lighthouse where Nemona could be. Misty then walked and followed Koraidon for some time.

Misty then saw Nemona who said loudly "Misty, I need you to come up, who is that Pokemon? It looks like a wierd form of Cyclizar." and Misty shouted "I have no idea myself but it has a lot of potential!" Misty then continued to follow Koraidon for some time while looking at the many powerful Pokemons.

Misty continued to walk for some time and then Misty came across some Houndooms which wanted to attack her and she saw Koraidon come to her defence. Koraidon was able to defeat the Houndooms with ease and then Koraidon showed Misty to sit on it. Misty said in surprise "You want me to ride you? Sure, I would do that."

Misty then em=barked on Koraidon which then flew and Misty gripped Koraidon hard and then Misty reached Nemona. Nemona then said "It looks like you came across a very strong Pokemon who can also fly! Your first day for school and you have such a Pokemon! I would like to battle that Pokemon of yours!"

Misty nodded and said while smiling "Sure, but first, I did not catch that Pokemon. You can battle it if it is fine but to me it needs help." Nemona nodded in understnding and said "I will wait then till it recovers before I will battle that Pokemon. Now, we need to go to the lighthouse."

Misty and Nemona walked together on the cliff while enjoying the cool breeze coming from the sea and noticed many Paldean Pokemons present like Smoliv, Wattrel. Misty and Nemona soon reached the lighthouse and then they saw an older boy who appeard frustrated.

The older boy said "Why, that little..." and Misty said in a furious tone "Do not call that Pokemon like that!" The older boy then asked "What're you doing out here?!" and Nemona answered "We have come to the lighthouse as we wanted to visit." The boy then said to the two "I'm not talking to you two. You can shove off." Misty said on hearing that "You are so rude to us and to that Pokemon too! You must stop being so rude!"

Nemona then said "You are Arven, the son of Professor Sada!" Arven then said on hearing that in an annoyed tone "Doesn't matter who my mom is! The real issue here is what in the world this Pokémon is doing out here! And what is with this form it's in?!" Misty then answered "I do not know." Arven then said while still being annoyed "Well, yeah. As it should be. But it can't fight while it's like this. The form Koraidon takes in battle... That's its true form."

Misty then tried to go to the lab and then Arven said "You can't go in the lab. It's locked. I don't remember ever seeing you around. But given the uniform...you go to the academy too, do you?" Misty nodded and said "Today is my first day to go to the academy." Arven then said "Koraidon isn't the sort of Pokémon that any old trainer can hope to command. It's special."

Misty then said "You say I cannot have Koraidon? Why? Give a valid reason!" Arevn then said in surprise "You think you're up to ordering Koraidon around? Then how 'bout I test your worthiness?" Nemona then said "She defeated me, she could easily defeat you!"

Arven then said on hearing that "I guess I wasn't ever going to stand a chance using some Pokémon I'd only just caught... But if you really think you can take Koraidon off my hands for me...you'll need this. It's the Poké Ball that brute's been kept in." Misty then took the Pokeball from Arven. Arven then said "Anyway, that thing's your problem now, not mine. Good luck." Misty then saiid on hearing that "Koraidon is not a problem!"

Misty and Nemona then saw Arven run off and then Nemona said "Do not worry, he is like that!" and Misty nodded and said "He released that Pokemon and gave that Pokeball to me. That is so bad!" and Nemona said "He appeeared strangely agitated.. Usually he is not like that." Misty then replied "He should still not be mean to Koraidon!"

Nemona then said "I agree! Walk to Los Platos and then to Mesagoza where there is the academy. I am leaving!" Misty smiled and said "Sure, I will come!" Misty then smiled and said to Koraidon "You need rest! And for some reason I can have seven Pokemons which is surprising!" Misty then petted Koraidon on its back and Koraidon smiled and then Misty returned Koradion to the Pokeball.

Misty then walked in South Province Area 1 in Paldea for some time while enjoying the weather which was sunny with a clear sky that looked beautiful. Misty continued to walk for quite some time and noticed the day passing. Misty soon reached Los Platos where she saw many buildings.

Misty also saw a Pokemon Center that looked like a petrol station and then saw Nemona call her and say "Misty, come here!" Misty smiled and said "I will come!" Misty then ran rapidly and reached the Pokemon Center and then Nemona said to her "Pokemon Centers in Paldea look quite different from other regions. When you see a building like this, you are seeing a Pokemon Center."

Misty smiled and said "Thank You for introducing the Pokemon Center." and Nemona smiled and said "No problem! Come soon to Mesagoza." and Misty then said "I will!" Nemona then said "I am leaving then, goodbye!" and Misty said "Goodbye!" and saw Nemona leave rapidly.

Misty then walked rapidly in Los Platos for some time and she liked the place which had many small homes and shops. Misty soon reached the exit of Los Platos and then walked and left Los Platos. Misty saw a river and a bridge and then a large city which she identified as Mesagoza.

Misty then walked rapidly for some time while enjoying the weather which was sunny with a clear sky that looked beautiful and then time passed and Misty soon reached the bridge Misty then crossed the bridge and the Misty reached Mesagoza where she saw Naranja Academy and Uva Acadey.

Present

Ash and Misty then did exercises with Misty following Ash in doing exercises. Ash and Misty were doing exercises for sme time and Misty was able to keep up with Ash and Ash was surprised in a pleasant way on finding that but he knew that would be the case as he learned from Misty that her training plan is as strict as his plan. Time passed and Ash and Misty were drenched by sweat.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when Ash and Misty returned home, bathed in perspiration from a rigorous training session with the pokemons. He went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, only to find almost the entire house seated around the table, waiting for breakfast. Brock wore his characteristic apron as he and Mr. Mime made what would undoubtedly be an incredibly excellent breakfast. Despite their competitiveness, which could be frustrating at times, Delia was relieved to get a break from cooking.

Everyone turned to stare at Ash and Misty, who were still breathing slightly faster than usual. Everyone could not help but notice how soaked they were. His shirt was clinging to his powerful figure, causing most of the girls around him to blush slightly for a few moments before regaining control. Misty's dress was also clinging to her slim strong figure.

"Jeez Ash and Misty, did you go swimming or something?" Dawn said, oblivious to his training.

"No Dawn, this would be sweat; we were just practicing with our pokemon; now come here and give me a hug," Ash said with an evil grin.

Ash approached Dawn with his arms spread wide.

Dawn yelled, laughed, and jolted as the two began chasing each other around the table. Dawn was giggling, and Ash was smiling broadly. Ash finally let Dawn be.

"OK, I see I'm not needed here," Ash remarked, pouting and pretending melancholy.

May, who was giggling at the two's antics, said, "Oh shut up you two and go take a shower."

Ash poked May and Misty placed her hand on May's shoulder before exiting the kitchen and heading upstairs to the bathroom to shower.

"I really believed they went swimming with their clothes on, or that they got hit with a water pulse," Dawn recalled, still giggling.

"I don't blame you; I had no idea things became so intense when I heard Ash trained with his pokemon," Max added. If Ash was sweating from his training, it had to be extremely rigorous and severe.

"Trust me, it is. I tried it for a while, but I just couldn't keep up. He does it day after day at the crack of dawn every morning. The first morning I tried to train with him, we started with an 8 mile run, and Ash said he was going easy on me!" Serena exclaimed, awestruck by how hard Ash worked every day. He truly deserved all of the prosperity that had come his way.

"I trained with him for a while as well. While his Pokemon and endurance are nothing to sneeze at, it's their strength that really impressed me. Ash and his pokemon do so much strength training it's insane. And when it comes to move training...just let's say I can see why I lost our last battle." Paul said, genuinely impressed with his friend's determination to be the best.

"Wow," everyone said at once, including Delia. His training appeared to be extremely challenging, but it clearly helped him become a better trainer and get into incredible form. It made sense to everyone because, until Paul, Ash hadn't lost a single pokemon in combat in the Indigo league.

After their chat had calmed down and breakfast had been served, Ash returned wearing his normal black T-shirt under a short-sleeved scarlet jacket with white sleeves and collar. He wore basic dark blue pants with his poke balls slung about his waist. His hat, a larger version of the one he had worn on his Hoenn voyage, perched neatly on top of his head, doing its best to keep his unruly raven colored hair in check. Misty also wore her normal dress which were a yellow upper dress and a blue lower pants.

Everyone greeted Ash's return, but he seemed to ignore everyone as he took the unoccupied seat between Max and Misty. His gaze had been drawn to the mound of food in the center of the table even as he approached it.

He started loading his plate with all he could as soon as he sat down. Eggs, meat, cheese, and pancakes were among the many items on his seemingly endless plate. Everyone understood they needed to get some themselves or Ash would consume everything.

May's dish rivaled Ash's as the two devoured the food like wild animals. Most people had nearly forgotten Ash and May ate so...aggressively. But hey, they liked food, so who were they to pass judgment?

With their mouths full of food, Ash and May issued a silent challenge to each other. The two then began eating even quicker, cleaning their plates almost simultaneously.

"Done!" both Ash and May said at the same time. Both giggled and shyly touched the back of their heads. He and his friend had accidentally turned eating into a competition, as they had done before. However, there had yet to be a clear winner to this day.

"I guess it's another tie," May admitted, slightly embarrassed by how she'd eaten in front of everyone. She wouldn't typically be embarrassed by this, but because she'd only recently met some of these folks, she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Because everyone here had seen Ash eat, she realized that this wasn't unusual for them.

Furthermore, as long as Ash didn't care, she'd be completely happy and delighted.

"We'll settle this one day, Maple!" Ash said, eliciting laughter from everyone at the table.

With Ash and May going back for seconds and the rest of the group returning to their meals, Max felt it was a good opportunity to ask Ash a question that had been on his mind since he'd arrived.

"Hey Ash?" Max inquired. Ash looked up, his mouth full of food. "Remember that battle you promised me when we split up?"

Ash swallowed and paused in his eating. "Of course I do, Max! In fact, I was going to bring it up as soon as breakfast was done. What do you say we have that battle after we see my pokemon at Professor Oak's lab?"

"Yeah, but you better be ready, Ash, because you're going down!" Max exclaimed enthusiastically. This was his ultimate ideal match. The only thing that could have made this duel better was if it had taken place in a tournament.

"We'll see about that, Max; we're just looking forward to a good battle!" Ash stated with a broad grin. Even though everyone knew it, his attitude and the way he spoke clearly demonstrated how much he enjoyed fighting.

Pikachu agreed with his trainer, "Pika Pikachu!"

Everyone at the table smiled as they stared at Max. Everyone knew he didn't stand a chance against Ash based on experience alone, but it was amazing to see how excited he was to face his had finished their breakfast within 20 minutes, including Ash and May after their fourth helping.

"How do you guys stay in such terrific shape while you eat so much all the time?" Serena wondered, envious of their ability.

"Do you know how hard I train, Serena?" Ash wondered. "Honestly, I don't think I'm getting enough calories compared to what I burn off during training as it is. He needed a lot more calories than a regular person because of how tough his training was and how frequently he performed it. He could eat everything he wanted and still maintain his current level of fitness.

Misty nodded to Ash, accepting his rationale before turning to face May. "And what's your excuse?"

May laughed sheepishly, "Hehe...I guess I'm simply lucky."

Serena and Dawn both sighed in reaction to May's remark. They were amazed because they couldn't eat like she did without worrying about their weight. May observed their gloomy expressions.

"Hey, but don't think I don't work out because I do!" May remarked. "Plus, we're all traveling trainers and coordinators, so we walk a lot." Both girls smiled slightly, even though they knew May was probably just making them feel better. She obviously had a rapid metabolism, just like Ash.

"Come on boys, let's get to Professor Oak's lab so Ash and I can have our battle!" Max cried, eager to get this fight started.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Ash, despite being four years older, sounded just as thrilled as Max. Everyone smiled as they discovered Ash hadn't changed much and chased them down. His enthusiasm for Pokemon was palpable, and it was inspiring to witness someone so devoted to something.

Everyone, save Delia, who didn't want to go because she had things to do around the house and garden, met up with Ash and Max immediately outside his front door.

"Hehe... Sorry, I guess we got a touch carried away there," Ash said, little ashamed by his foolish actions. He'd obviously matured over the years, but he still had some of his idiosyncrasies, which all of his friends enjoyed.

"Don't worry, I'm thrilled for the battle as well. Let's get started," Brock said as he began walking into the lab, with everyone else following.

Ash's house was about a ten-minute walk from Professor Oak's lab. More chat ensued as the gang proceeded along the path. The walk was serene, and the weather was perfect. Everyone was exceptionally happy at the time, and they doubted that anything could disrupt that.

However, approximately five minutes into their walk, Ash turned around and placed a finger to his lips, bringing everyone to a halt into stillness.

"What's wrong, Ash?" May asked quietly after a few moments of stillness.

Ash took one last look around him. "Sorry, I thought I heard something unusual; I must be hearing things; let's just keep walking."

Everyone agreed and resumed going. This didn't last long, as the earth beneath them disintegrated only five steps into their newly begun journey.

Everyone plunged into the extremely broad hole, and no one was spared. Everyone groaned in pain, attempting to recover from the various postures they had found themselves in. As he stood up, Ash was the first to recover.

He had a fair notion who had done this right away.

"Is everyone okay?" Ash said, noticing something was missing as he looked around. "Wait, where's Pikachu?"

He suddenly heard hysterical laughter coming from above. Everyone had glanced up to the top of the hole and seen Jessie and James; everyone also knew Meowth had to be nearby.

"Team Rocket," Ash yelled angrily between clenched teeth.

"HAHAHA. That's right, twerp. And guess who finally got Pikachu!" Jessie said. Meowth had made himself known at this time, holding what Ash imagined was an electric proof capsule containing Pikachu.

"What, no more motto?" Dawn scoffed, mocking them.

The rocket three recognized how many individuals had fallen into their trap after hearing the dark haired girl speak. They were astonished to see most of Ash's current and prior traveling buddies.

"Well, look at that. All of the old twerps and twerpettes back together again. How sweet. And, if you must know, we outgrew the motto; we are much too good for it now," Jessie said egotistically.

At this point, Ash's rage was at an all-time high. He was tired of Team Rocket chasing him around and attempting to steal Pikachu. It had been over a decade. He just wanted to be done with them once and for all.

Ash quickly reached for a pokeball and tossed it well above the hole. "Charizard, I have chosen you!"

In a crimson flash, the pokemon appeared high above the hole. Team Rocket gulped in horror at his tremendous roar, but they refused to back down. They both released their own Pokemon, Jessie's Seviper and James' Malamar, to take on the much larger than typical Charizard.

At the same time, Ash had introduced one of his newest team members. "I need you, Alakazam, to transport us all out of this pit."

"Ala Alakazam," Ash's pokemon stated as he nodded. Everyone was out of the hole and faced Team Rocket in less than a second. Ash's Charizard dispatched the rocket's two pokemon and was returned to Ash. He then dispatched his trusted Lucario, with a strategy already in planned.

"Lucario, run over to them and catch Pikachu!" Ash said, confident that this simple strategy would work well.

He did it within a half-second of hearing the command. Lucario dashed over, snatched the container from Meowth's grasp, and returned to Ash with the yellow rodent in the blink of an eye. Ash immediately twisted the container's lid off, releasing Pikachu. Pikachu established a combat position next to Lucario after the two exchanged a smile and a nod of the head.

Everyone was astonished by Lucario's quickness, but this wasn't the time for compliments... After all, they had to deal with nasty guys. Ash thanked Lucario and returned him once his work was over.

Brock roared at the three evildoers, "When will you understand that you will never win!" It surprised him and everyone else that these three were still attempting to capture Pikachu after years and years of failure.

"Yeah, you three are nothing but a bunch of jerks!" May exclaimed angrily, angered at them for attempting to steal Pikachu. She'd almost forgotten how much she despised the rocket trio while they were gone. Having said that, the memories of her irritation with them came flooding back in this moment.

Both James and Meowth appeared terrified at the idea of being blasted off by Pikachu, who now packs a powerful punch. Jessie, on the other hand, appeared to be fearless. In reality, she was displaying nothing but rage.

"Umm, Jess? Maybe we should go before we are blasted off again," James said in Jessie's ear. Meowth bobbed his head in accord, hearing despite James' hushed tone of speech.

"No," Jessie said coldly through gritted teeth, her gaze fixed on the people in front of them. The group responsible for their numerous failures

Jessie's tone of voice astonished and terrified both James and Meowth. They'd never seen her before like this...

"What do you mean, no, Jess? Let's just go out of here," Meowth began, but was stopped off.

"NO! I'm tired of losing! We won't lose this time!" Jessie cried as she reached behind her back.

Everyone, including her teammates, was taken aback by what she took out. "J-Jessie...Why do you have a gun?" James wondered, scared of what Jessie may do.

"So girlie, you think we're just a bunch of screw ups, huh?" Jessie said, ignoring her partner's query and speaking to the group in front of her, the gun pointing straight at May.

She then switched her gaze to Ash. "How about this, twerp: you hand over your Pikachu or I shoot."

May's shoulder was reflexively wrapped in Ash's arm. Everyone was scared. Dawn and Misty were in tears, and Paul's face was filled with terror and shock. But no one was more terrified than May at this moment.

She was trembling, afraid of what was happening. Her eyes were wide open, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt a little safer as Ash wrapped his arm around her, but it didn't totally take away her worry. That wouldn't happen unless the gun was removed.

Ash and Jessie were the only two with impassive expressions.

"You. Will. Not. Hurt. Her," Ash replied calmly.

Jessie smirked, seeing Ash's remarks as a sort of challenge. "Oh yeah? Just keep an eye on me."

As if time had stopped, Ash sensed Jessie's finger curling over the trigger, at which point Ash hugged May and wrapped his arms around her entire body, protecting her from harm.

'Bang'

'Bang'

As they watched the scenario develop, numerous people yelled in panic at the sound of gunfire. Jessie could barely fire two shots before being caught and detained by James and Meowth.

"What have you done!" yelled Meowth. "We're not murderers!" Jessie struggled against James' grip, but he was too powerful for her.

"This is a new Team Rocket! We must do whatever has to be done," Jessie exclaimed angrily after she had stopped suffering so hard.

After the bullets were fired, Ash held on to May for a few seconds longer. Seeing this, everyone felt relieved that she had missed it. They couldn't believe their good fortune. She'd been so near, it was difficult to think she'd missed.
But as quickly as they felt relieved, it was gone as they witnessed Ash slip down May's body, landing face first in the dirt. This highlighted the apparent...

Jessie hadn't missed.

"Ash!" Brock said as he ran up to his closest friend. Paul and Max rushed over not long after, terrified expressions on both of their faces. Pikachu, who was astonished, ultimately went over to Ash, tears welling up in his eyes.

As soon as Brock reached his downed comrade, he moved to examine the wounds. He instantly observed that one bullet had hit him in the right shoulder and the other...looked to be perilously near to where his heart was on the opposite side of his body.

Brock then looked for a pulse and was relieved to discover one, even if it was faint and would almost surely become weaker the longer he went without assistance.

Ash was rapidly losing blood. There had to be a solution. Max stood behind the two men, terrified, as he and Paul began applying pressure to the wounds.

Misty was sitting on her knees, balling her eyes out. Dawn and Serena were clutching each other, each crying more than they had ever cried before, in dread and sorrow. They were both too terrified to run to Ash's rescue or even look in his way. The very thought of looking over at Ash and seeing him... They were afraid to the brink of hysteria. They were at a loss for what to do. As they continued to sob, panic washed over them both.

May was trapped in the position she'd been in before Ash covered her. She had a blank expression on her face as she stared straight ahead. She couldn't understand what was going on. Panic seeped slowly but steadily throughout her body. She finally altered her gaze as it focused on Ash's position. Her trance was broken when she saw him face down in a pool of his own blood.

It wasn't long before the first tear flowed from her eye, quickly followed by many more as she comprehended what had just transpired.

Ash had volunteered to take a bullet for her.