Another three months later, the last remnants of summer were gradually fading away and hints of autumn were seeping through into Pallet. Ash and Serena had continued to develop their relationship and were currently in a very good place. Except, there was still the small matter of actually sleeping together and not just the kind where they spend the night in each other's bed. But ever since that steamy night in June, they had slept in the same room together every single night. They took it in turns at first, alternating between each room each night, but now they just stayed in Ash's room most of the time. And that was exactly where they woke up today on a slightly chilly Monday morning.

Ash stirred in his sleep and tossed side to side, flopping his arm over Serena's midriff. She groaned a little, but then sleepily smiled and grabbed Ash's hand, half-awake. Then a loud beeping shook them both up. Serena ignored it and rolled over towards the wall. 7am read the alarm clock on Ash's bedside, as he leapt up and slammed the off button. He yawned loudly and scratched his armpits like a Slaking. Then he rubbed his bleary eyes and swung his legs out of bed. He sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, giving himself time to wake up and adjust his eyes to the light. He was exceptionally tired today for some reason, but today was a very important day and he couldn't be late for it. He lifted himself off the bed and accidentally farted as he got up. Serena turned around and scowled at him, wafting the smell away.

'Oh, Ash! That's disgusting!' He sniggered.

'Sorry, Rena! Couldn't stop it. Better out than in though, right!'

Serena rolled her eyes and cracked a little smile, shaking her head at him. Being with the man of her dreams was definitely one of the best things (if not the best thing) to happen to Serena, but that also came with certain domesticity factors. Both Positive and negative. Yet farting was nothing compared to other common relationship problems most couples experienced. But they had reached a point where they were comfortable doing pretty much anything around each other.

'I guess so…' said Serena, absentmindedly. Then she suddenly remembered something. 'Oh! Sorry! I almost forgot! It's your first day today isn't it?!'

Ash nodded and rushed around his room, looking for clothes to wear for the day.

'Yup. Gotta be in at 9 sharp… Can't wait to get started! I'm raring to go!' Serena smiled and admired his positive mental attitude, that he never seemed to lose and made her fall for him in the first place.

'I'm so proud of you, you know. You're really growing up.'

'Thanks, Rena. Had to get a job sometime, didn't I! And Professor Oak really needs the staff!'

'Yeah. You're gonna be amazing, babe. No one cares more about Pokemon than you.'

'Oh, well… I guess it just always came naturally to me and all my journeys just put me in situations where I had to take care of them. And hey! All of that's gonna give me the skills I need to do this!'

'Of course. You still choose to take care of them though and always did your best for them. Anyone who knows you, knows this is the perfect job for you.' Ash smiled.

'Yeah, I guess it is… Anyway! I gotta go get ready!'

'Oh, okay.' Serena yawned. 'I'm gonna go back to bed for a bit, so come give me a kiss goodbye.' Ash smiled and went over to kiss her on the cheek.

'Good luck, babe.'

'Thank you, Rena. See you later.'

Serena waved her man goodbye, as Ash walked out and closed the door behind him. The Kanto Queen still hadn't quite figured out what was next for her, but that was normal for her at this point. It took her long enough to figure out she wanted to perform in showcases in the first place. And look how that worked out for her in the end. Whatever she decided on eventually anyway, would definitely be something worthwhile that would make her happy. Serena never did anything she knew she wouldn't enjoy. Rhyhorn Racing being a prime example of this.

Yet Serena still felt a little guilty, watching Ash leave for his first day of work. She would have to earn a living someday too. She sighed and scanned the room with lazy eyes. Then her gaze stopped on Ash's top shelf. His league trophy was still shining bright up there, but now it was complemented nicely with Serena's tiara placed on top. Both were sights to behold, that many a trainer and performer would kill to have. But it had been a year and six months respectively since they had won them and the effect was starting to wear off a little now. They couldn't live off their legacies forever. And they had no intention of being celebrities, even though they sort of already were. All Ash and Serena wanted now was a quiet, normal life together. Serena flopped her head down into the pillow and groaned. Growing up was hard. And achieving your dreams wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But perhaps there were further dreams to achieve. Dreams, this young and already successful couple weren't even aware of yet. Life wasn't over just because they had completed their teenage dreams. Serena pondered on it as she fell back to sleep, trying to find the right answers…

Some time later, Ash was fully dressed and ready to go. Delia had packed him a lunchbox and handed it to him on the way out.

'Have a good day, Ashy! I just know you're going to be amazing!' Delia squished his cheeks and Ash grimaced.

'Mum! Stop treating me like a baby! I'm a grown up now!'

'Right, yes. Sorry, honey. I'm just so proud of you!'

'Thanks, mum. Gotta go now.'

'Okay. Give me a hug first.' Ash sighed and reached over to hug her.

'See ya, mum. Look after Rena for me, yeah?' he said, as he hugged her quickly and moved towards the front door.

'Of course! Take care!' Ash was already on his way now. 'I want to hear all about it when you get back!' she shouted after him.

Ash turned back and nodded and said goodbye. He made his way up the pathway to the lab, where Professor Oak was standing and waiting, expecting his arrival.

'Ah! Ash! My dear boy! I'm so glad you decided to take the job! Now, let me take you over to the Daycare Center and show you your first job for the day. We have a particularly poorly Vulpix that needs looking after. Bless it. I'm sure you'll know how to best care for it though.'

They walked over to the center, while the Professor explained more about the ins and outs of the job. As they entered, they saw a young woman about Ash's age and a man facing away from them, in a white lab coat, bent over and examining the poorly Vulpix. He turned around when he heard Professor Oak clear his throat. Ash grinned and immediately went over to him.

'Brock! What are you doing here?' They bumped fists.

'Well, sometimes I'm called out to look after sick Pokemon! And this little poor Vulpix is running a pretty nasty high fever and needs proper medical care. So Professor Oak called me to help.'

'Alright, gotcha. So what do you need me to do, Brocko?'

'Your job today will be to assist Brock in anything he needs to make Vulpix better again,' intervened Professor Oak. 'You'll also have to make sure the other Pokemon are well fed and watered. And you must attend to any of their other needs too, of course. Think you can do that, Ash?'

'Umm... Yeah! Sure!'

'Don't worry, Ash. I'll guide you through it all. It'll be just like old times,' reassured Brock.

'And you will have the lovely Sophie here to help. It's her first day too,' said Professor Oak, motioning towards the young lady, who stood shyly behind them. Ash waved at her welcomingly.

'Hi! I'm-'

'Ash! Ash Ketchum, right?' finished Sophie.

'Er, yeah… How did you know?'

'Oh, well duh! You're only one of the most famous guys in Pallet after you won the league last year! I watched the whole tournament! Used to be a trainer myself actually, but I gave it up. Much better suited to looking after Pokemon. And I was never gonna be as good as you! But it's an absolute pleasure to be working with a Pokemon Master!'

Sophie's eyes sparkled with admiration, but Ash just laughed nervously and coyly played it down.

'Oh, well I just got lucky! But thanks. And yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Sophie.' Sophie shook his hand and blushed a little.

'Right, well. I shall leave you all to do it. Please report back to me at the end of the day how each of the Pokemon are. Good luck!' said Professor Oak.

Professor Oak left and then with the introductions out of the way, they got straight to work. Brock spent the morning attending to the sick Vulpix, whilst Ash and Sophie assisted any way they could, while also keeping a caring eye on all the other Pokemon. The morning flew by and then before he knew it, lunchtime had arrived. Unsurprisingly, Ash was looking forward to this part of the day the most and wasted no time in emptying the contents of his lunchbox. Except, something pressing was on his mind now, so he wasn't half as keen as he usually would be to tuck into lunch. Ash, Brock and Sophie were sitting in the lunch room together, but Ash made sure he was sat right next to Brock.

'Hey, Brocko?' said Ash, in a slightly annoying elongated voice.

'Hmm?' mumbled Brock, with a mouthful of sandwich.

'Can we have one of our "man to man" talks, please?' Brock swallowed his food and raised an eyebrow.

'Is it gonna be about Serena again?' Ash scratched the back of his head. Was it really that predictable now?

'Er, maybe…'

Brock laughed. Ever since Ash and Serena got together, Ash never stopped talking about her and their relationship with Brock. Ash needed advice and lots of it. And Brock was the best teacher for it. He'd perhaps known more than anyone else how difficult it was to find the one. But now he had, he was a bit of a love guru.

'So, what's on your mind this time then? Everything okay?'

'Yeah! We're good! Really good in fact!'

'But…'

'Well…' Ash looked over at Sophie and then back at Brock. He didn't want her hearing this next part, so whispered it in Brock's ear. 'We still haven't done it yet and Serena really wants to…' Brock scoffed.

'I told you, Ash. Just relax and let it happen naturally. If you overthink it too much, then you're not gonna enjoy it. Sex is the ultimate form of intimacy. The final evolution in an intimate relationship, if you will. You just need to allow yourself to cross that threshold.'

Sophie's eyes widened a little. Ash and Brock looked over at her and smiled awkwardly. Sophie had no real idea what they were talking about and just continued to eat her lunch, with a confused look on her face. Ash and Brock looked back at each other and talked a little quieter.

'Well that's the thing, Brock. I think I am ready - or at least I will be soon…'

'So, what's this talk really about then?' Ash took a deep breath.

'Okay. So, it's Serena's birthday next month and I want to do something really special for her to show how much I appreciate her. But you know me, Brock. I don't really understand romance like you do. I want to do something really romantic, but I haven't got a clue!' Brock sighed and put his sandwich down.

'Ash, I love you like a brother. But you can't keep asking me how to woo your girlfriend. I know you're a late bloomer, but you've really got to think for yourself now man! It's gotta come from you! From the heart! I can't tell you what to do. Only you'll know, because you know Serena best! But the one thing I will say?' Ash listened closely and looked like a nodding dog.

'You gotta go big! Do something you know she'll love. Something that means something to her. Something she'll never forget!'

Ash was astounded at how simple Brock made it all out to be. Yet, he still wanted it to be perfect and went into deep thought about it. Brock chuckled at his romantic naivety.

'Don't think about it too much though, lover boy. It'll come naturally. Trust me.'

'Hmmm…'

Ash took a big bite out his sandwich and chewed on it vigorously. After a few more mouthfuls, something suddenly lit up in his brain.

'Ahhh… Yes! Yes!' he suddenly exclaimed.

'What? What is it?' asked Brock.

Ash just tapped the side of his nose and tipped his hat down in a sort of triumphant way.

'That's for me to know, my friend! But thanks, Brock. I owe you one!' Brock looked a little relieved, but ultimately happy that Ash had finally figured it out. He was learning. Brock got back to his sandwich and finished eating the last of it.

'Don't mention it. Now! Time to get back to work!'

Ash and Brock got straight back to where they left off before lunch. Sophie soon followed, but was curious about what they were talking about. She didn't catch much, but she got the gist that Ash was talking about some kind of girl. Whoever she was anyway, she was a very lucky girl, thought Sophie. Ash was a real catch and she couldn't believe she was actually going to be working with such a big celebrity. Well - big in Pallet town at least. She watched as Ash walked out and was still absolutely starstruck by him.

The afternoon dragged on for what felt like forever, but eventually everyone collectively managed to nurse the sick Vulpix back to full health. The other Pokemon were looked after too and Professor Oak was pleased with the report. Then the clock finally struck 5pm. Hometime. Ash waved goodbye to Brock and Sophie and whistled the whole way home, twirling his house keys happily. Not only did his first day of work go swimmingly and all the Pokemon were healthy and happy, but he has also come up with the perfect idea for Serena's birthday. (With a little helpful nudge from Brock). He smiled to himself and strode up to the front door. Then he turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. Serena and Delia were in the kitchen making dinner (with Mr. Mime reluctantly taking the day off), when Ash announced he was home.

Serena dropped everything she was doing and rushed out to greet him. She tackled him into a hug and kissed him like she had seen him for a week.

'Oh, Ash! I missed you!' Ash kissed her back and smiled.

'Aww, I missed you too, Rena. Being apart from you for a day was actually a very strange feeling!'

'Aww, I bet! But I'm here now. How was your first day, handsome?'

'Oh! It was brilliant, Rena! We looked after a sick Vulpix and made it all better! It felt so good to help!'

'Oh, that's so lovely! Well done, babe!'

'Thanks, babe! And you'll never believe this, but Brock was there too!'

'Oh, really? What was he doing there?'

'Well! It turns out he gets called out to the Daycare Center sometimes to look after sick Pokemon! I'm just glad he was there on my first day. He's really such a good friend.'

'Yeah, he is. And Olivia is lovely too... And oh! That reminds me! She keeps asking to go on a double date! Would you be able to do next weekend?'

'Er, okay! Yeah, sure!'

'Splendid! We're going to an all-you-can-eat buffet, so I'm sure you'll love it!'

'Mmmm, that sounds almost as good as kissing you,' he replied, nearly salivating at the mouth.

Ash kissed her again and wrapped his arms around her. They both giggled. Serena was just as delicious as any of Ash's favourite things to eat and for a second, they almost forgot they weren't alone, as Delia came out with plates of hot food.

'Dinner time, lovebirds!' she chimed.

Ash and Serena reluctantly let go of each other and sat down to eat. Delia and Serena had made a scrumptious-looking pasta bake. Ash tucked right in and paid compliments to the chefs almost immediately.

'So. How was your day, Rena?' asked Ash, with a mouthful of pasta. Serena just about understood what he was saying and laughed a little.

'Not too bad. I just helped your mum around the house and obviously helped cook dinner too. Thanks for asking!'

'That's right. Serena's been a big help today,' added Delia. 'Thank you.'

'No problem, Delia!'

Ash smiled at them both. He was happy to see the two most important people in his life had had a good day together and got along so well in general. Delia had taken Serena under her wing, like she was the daughter she never had. She could see how happy she made Ash too, so was more than happy to have her around. But as Ash shovelled in the last forkful of pasta, he saw Serena had gone a little quiet. Serena was finished too and got up to take her plate out. Ash jogged over to her and put an arm around her, as they put their plates in the kitchen sink. Ash offered to wash up and Serena appreciated it, letting him do it as she leaned against the kitchen table and watched him.

'Everything okay, babe?' asked Ash, looking back at her and starting to scrub the plates.

'Hmm? Yeah. Just thinking…'

'About what?'

'Oh, you know. The future...'

'Oh, I see... Well, today is the start of us moving up in the world, Rena! Now that I've got a job, we can really start planning things. The sky's the limit as they say!'

'Exactly. I just wish I was making progress with you,' she mumbled quietly. Ash stopped scrubbing and turned to Serena.

'Aw, no! Don't worry, babe. There's no set timer for these things. Look how long it took me to take the job!'

'I know, Ash. I just don't want you holding all the burden in the relationship…'

Serena looked away from him. Ash shook his head and charged over to grab Serena's hands.

'Hey, no. Look at me, Rena!' Serena turned back and Ash saw her eyes had gotten a bit puffy.

'Listen to me. You will find your calling in life! I promise! You're forgetting that it was only six months ago that you became Kanto Queen! It's bound to take a while for you to figure out what's next. And look at me! It took me a whole year after I won the league to finally get where I am today! I know it's scary, but life finds a way to show you the right path in the end! And I've been down more than I can count! Trust me, Rena.' Serena nodded and sniffled.

'Yeah, I guess you're right. I suppose maybe I am being a little harsh on myself.'

'You are, babe. But everything's going to work out just fine. I promise.'

'I hope so. I just wish I was as sure as you and I could catch some of that infectious positivity of yours.' Ash smiled.

'It will come to you! And if not, I'll just do another good luck spell like I did at the Summer Camp! That should do the trick! Remember? Pain, pain go away? Now this time, give the amazing Serena all my positivity and love in the world! HEY PRESTO!'

Ash acted as if he was some kind of wizard and pretended to conjure up a complicated magic spell. Serena laughed at how silly he looked.

'Hey! There's my favourite sound in the whole world!' Serena blushed.

'Well, of course I remember the spell! How could I ever forget? It's the reason I wanted to find you again… And you know, funnily enough I think it actually worked! I barely felt any pain at all after you helped me up.' Ash was delighted to hear it and cupped Serena's face in his hands.

'And I'll always be here to pick you up whenever you need me.' He kissed her. 'Now, promise me you'll be kinder to yourself from now on?'

'Okay, fine.' Serena rolled her eyes playfully.

'Alright, now give me a hug.'

Serena let herself fall into his arms and then all her worries poofed away and returned to the deepest crevices of her mind.

'Everything alright in here, you two?' asked Delia, as she brought her plate out.

'Yeah. It's just been a long day, mum. But today is the start of a new beginning. And we're gonna be just fine. Aren't we, Rena?'

She nodded happily and had a more determined look on her face now. If there was anyone who could psyche her up and dig her out of her own hole of insecurity, it was Ash. Always Ash. Serena made a vow to herself that she wasn't going to give up. She was going to keep looking for her dream job. No matter how long it took. The words "Never give up until the end," resonated through her, as a certain someone once said, once upon a time ago.

And with that, all was well for the rest of the evening. Ash and Serena were cuddled up on the living room couch, while Delia had fallen asleep next to them. Ash looked up at the clock and saw Serena looked sleepy, so he decided it was time to wind down. He wrapped a blanket around his mum and then held his hand out for Serena to hold. They went to Ash's room as they had done every night for the past month now. Serena got into bed first, while Ash wasn't quite ready to call it a night yet.

He sat at the edge of the bed and got his phone out and started to search for something. Serena yawned and tilted her head in a quizzical manner.

'Whatcha doing, babe?'

'Oh, I'm just looking up something for work.'

'Oh, okay. Well come to bed when you're ready.'

They stayed up a little longer, before Serena's eyelids started to get very heavy. Doing chores all day had really taken it out of her. Ash clearly wasn't tired yet though and was still on his phone. Serena pouted and wondered why Ash was so glued to his phone and not to her. She was feeling needy in her sleepiness and wanted to fall asleep with him, but she was too tired to protest.

'I'm gonna go to sleep now, Ash. Don't stay up too late, okay? You have work again tomorrow.' Ash turned around and smiled.

'I know. Don't worry, Rena. I'll be with you in five minutes. Sleep well.' He leaned towards her and kissed her goodnight. Serena closed her eyes and smiled back.

'Okay, you better be. Night.'

Serena entered a deep slumber, while Ash continued to scroll and tapped a few buttons on his phone. His face beamed in the phone light, ecstatic at what he was seeing on his screen. Ash looked over at Serena and rubbed her leg lovingly. Then he tapped a few more buttons and looked even happier when a confirmation e-mail came through seconds later. He opened it and read in big bold letters:

PURCHASE: TWO STANDARD TICKETS TO KALOS
FLIGHT BOOKED WITH: KANTO AIRLINES
DAY/TIME: FRIDAY 16TH OF OCTOBER, 18:00 PM
SUM TOTAL: $200 POKEDOLLARS

All booked on the day before Serena's birthday. Ash swiped the e-mail away and put his phone on charge. It was Ash's turn now to admire how cute Serena looked asleep, as he turned the bedside lamp off and snuggled up next to her. He slept with a smug expression on his face. Ash had it all planned out now and he was sure Serena was going to love it.