Chapter 3: Ash & Serena, a couple at last
A little time later after the double confession and tender moment it is now approaching noon time in pallet town and the sun is shining down bright on a beautiful spring day. The newfound couple of Ash and Serena walk together around the town side by side and arm in arm as Serena clings to Ash closely resting the side of her head against his shoulder. As they continue on the path they immediately catch the attention of some of the other locals. A middle man man and woman observe as the couple walk by and greet them.
"hey, Ash! good morning to ya!" says the man waving
"hello! morning!" says Ash waving back
"oh? and who might that lovely young lady walking with you be? you two seem awful close, haha!" says the man
"ah, Ash, you didn't tell me you were dating~ hoho!~ is that your girlfriend there?" asks the woman
"oh, uh, about that..." says Ash awkwardly
"yup that's right~ we just started dating today~ hee hee~" says Serena smiling
"well isn't that something, hoho. you got quite the catch there, Ash" the man says smiling
"aww, you two are adorable together~" says the woman
"thank you ma'am~" says Serena nodding
"ehehe, well we gotta go. later then" says Ash as he starts walking again with Serena following close behind as the man and woman wave
"would you look at those two. isn't young love the best?" the woman says to the man
"indeed" nods the man
Ash and Serena continue walking past some houses and headed for professor Oak's lab.
"people from your town are so nice, Ash~ even they think we're a perfect match together~" says Serena with a giggle
"yeah guess so haha. but are you sure you wanna be that open about us being a couple?" says Ash looking at her
"of course! why not? in fact, I want the world to know that we're together now and that we're lovers! I would even shout it from the mountaintops!" says Serena
"ahaha, come on. wouldn't that be a bit too much?" says Ash chuckling
"but it's true, I would" says Serena making a pouty face
"hahaha. oh yeah, I meant to ask. how long are you planning on staying here in kanto? I wanna spend as much time with you as possible while you're here" says Ash
"oh, well I don't have any kalos queen duties or anything, nor have any scheduled pokemon performances for the next few weeks. so I'm completely free, and I'm gonna spend plenty of quality time with my loving boyfriend~" says Serena
"ahh, well er- t-that's good" says Ash blushing slightly
"oh! now that I'm thinking of it Ash, since we're dating now there's sooo many things I wanna do with you. and I wanna do as much of it as possible so there's no time to lose!"
"oh? sounds like you've got some stuff planned, haha. what did you have in mind?"
"well, for one, I'd like to go on... well... dates with you.." she says blushing
"dates?" says Ash
"yes! all kinds of different dates! dinner dates, movie dates, beach dates, theme parks dates. we could go on cruises, go to arcades, go sightseeing, catch pokemon together, explore islands together, travel to different regions together, ooooooooooh so many things we could do!~ I can't wait!~~"
"oh wow, that's a lot of suggestions Serena. you've been thinking about this for a while huh? haha"
"say, Ash?..." Serena says suddenly getting a serious look on her face and stops walking
"yeah? what's up Serena?" says Ash looking at her curiously
"there's one thing that I think we need to do.. one very important thing..."
"and.. what's that?"
"Ash... we need to... get married!"
"W-Wha?! M-Married?!"
"Yes! I wanna be with you for the rest of my life! I can't see myself ever loving anyone else! so, it's only natural since we're soulmates that we get engaged!~ plus, I wanna take your last name and be called Mrs Ash Ketchum~ Serena Ketchum~ I love it already, hee hee!~"
"whoa whoa whoa, h-h-h-hold on a second Serena!"
"let's do it, Ash! let's get married! and then, we can have kids together too! I wanna have your children!"
"Serena, s-s-seriously, slow down! I like your enthusiasm and all but I think its way too soon for all of that! let's tone it down a notch, ok?"
"but, but Ash, I'm serious!"
"I know, I know, but it's too soon for that stuff, don't you think? we should enjoy ourselves and take things slow and steady, ok?"
"hmmmmmmm, hmph. fine" says a pouty face Serena
A short while later the couple arrived at Professor Oak's lab and walked in the front door. Upon entering they quickly see Professor Oak who is sitting at a desk reading research materials then stops when he spots them.
"ahh, it's Ash. welcome~" says Oak
"hey professor, sorry to stop by if you're busy but I just wanted to visit the pokemon here if you don't mind" says Ash
"oh of course my boy, sure thing. you're welcome here anytime. oh? I see you brought someone with you here today. you are Serena, correct?" says Oak looking at Serena
"Mm-hmm, that's right~ how are you doing, professor? been a long time" says Serena
"indeed. you're free to join Ash in visiting the pokemon as well" says Oak standing up from his seat
"yes, I'd love to see them~" says Serena clapping her hands together
"good, good~ ok, follow me you two" says Oak
He leads them to the back of the lab outside where Ash's pokemon are all gathered out of their pokeballs. Serena goes over and greets all the pokemon as all of them gather around her and Ash happily. Minutes later Ash is standing by himself nearby a tree watching Serena and the pokemon play, then suddenly the astral form Mewtwo appears behind him.
"Hello again Ash. You appear to be enjoying yourself"
"Ah! you again?!" says Ash as he quickly snaps around to face it
"what are you doing here?! the others will flip if they see you!"
"Not to worry Ash Ketchum. Person or pokemon, no one else can see or hear me but you. So then, you appear to be doing well since reuniting with your 1st soulmate Serena"
"Yeah I am. what of it?"
"Now you have experienced your first taste of joy and love having found your soulmate. But I feel I need to remind you that there are other soulmates out there. Other girls who await their hearts being acknowledged by you. Until that is realized your quest will continue"
"Wait, wait a minute. so you mean, I have to find these other "soulmates" of mine and do with them what I did with Serena?"
"Essentially, yes. 13 soulmates remain Ash Ketchum. I suggest you get moving to find them"
"Hold on, I don't even have the first clue as to where to look! where exactly do you want me to go? where do I find them?"
"All will be revealed in time, Ash Ketchum. As fate wills it my voice will guide you along on your journey to find them. For your next soulmate's whereabouts I will point you in the right direction, a clue if you will. head north from here, to Viridian City. you will have a fateful encounter there. that is all I have to say for now. till we meet again"
The astral Mewtwo then vanishes quickly once again before Ash can say anything else.
"H-hey wai-! Agh! Goddamn it!" Ash says to himself a little agitated
"so... I have to find these other soulmates now? geez this destiny business sounds like a real chore. then again, it does give me a chance to go on an adventure again... wait, what will Serena think? hmm..."
Minutes later Ash and Serena have left the lab and are now walking home having a conversation.
"huh? you're going on a journey?" Serena says
"yeah that's right. something came up and I'm needed to seek a few people out. hopefully it shouldn't take too long" says Ash
"well then, count me in. I'm traveling with you, Ash!" says Serena
"w-what? you wanna go with me? y-you don't have to" says Ash
"no, I absolutely want to go with you! as your future wife its my job to follw you and take care of you wherever you go! besides you know you'd miss me and be lost without me" says Serena
"w-well uh, ok. if you insist" Ash says nervously
"then it's settled! when do we leave?"
"once I get a few things from home and let mom know, then we head out"
"ok, let's go, darling~"
"d-darling?"
Shortly after at the Ketchum home Ash and Serena explain things to Delia and Ash changes into a new look trainer outfit. Ash and Serena then stand at the door about to leave as Delia sees them off.
"have a safe journey Ash and be sure to keep in touch if you need anything else ok?" says Delia
"yeah ok mom, I will" says Ash
"and you look after Ash for me, won't you dear Serena?" says Delia looking at her
"you can count on me, Ms Ketchum~" says Serena
"Pikachu, you look after mom and the house while I'm gone, ok?" says Ash bending down looking at Pikachu
"Pika chuuu!~"
"ok, we're leaving now. bye mom, bye pikachu!" says Ash as he and Serena walk out the front door waving back
"bye bye!~" says Serena
"safe travels, you two!~ look after each other!~" says Delia waving while standing in the doorway
Elsewhere, at the same time just north of Viridian City, a familiar red headed maiden stood on a hill overlooking the city peeking into the distance.
"wow... it's been forever since I've been here. place brings back memories.. I wonder... if I will get to see him again.."
End of Chapter 3~
Next time: The 2nd soulmate