A/N: Hey, everyone! Yeah, I know, this is an unexpected surprise from me. I honestly didn't expect this story myself until the idea just suddenly popped into my head last year and wouldn't let go.

I know I'm quite late to the bat at this (almost ten months, in fact), but Ash Ketchum has finally departed from the anime, after 26 years of being the main character and an idol of many people's childhoods. Now, he's been replaced by Liko, who made her debut on April 14, 2023. Ever since her character design was released (and before more details about "Pokémon Horizons" came out), I saw rumors running rampant about her being Ash's daughter with one of his female traveling companions. Of course, Serena was the top contender of Liko's mother, and I didn't blame those theorists for obvious reasons. I mean, Liko looks EXACTLY how I'd envision an older Selene in "The Way We Will Be". Dawn came a distant second, but I honestly understood that theory as well, given the blue highlights in Liko's hair.

Now, it's been confirmed, a long, long time ago, that Liko is NOT Ash's daughter, especially since her home region is Paldea and given the identity of her real father. However, that theory could never really leave my mind, so I decided to write a quickie about it. As for my...unique choice of the main shipping in this story, well, I like both Serena and Dawn. The moments that each of them shared with Ash in "Pokémon Horizons" were quite precious to me as a shipper. I honestly wouldn't have minded if either of them turned out to be Liko's mother in an alternate timeline where the Liko-is-Ash's-daughter theory was true. So, I decided to take the ultimate compromise and make them BOTH Liko's mother.

After all, in the words of the girl in that Old El Paso commercial, why not have both? I'd be making Ash one very lucky son of a gun anyway. XD XD XD

Alright, enough rambling! On with the little one-shot. ENJOY!

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"Pops! Mom! Mama! I'm leaving!"

At the sound of the voice that they cherished for years, Ash, Serena, and Dawn Ketchum approached the doorway in unison. There, they found their daughter standing directly outside, still putting one of her aqua shoes on. She wore a uniform that she painstakingly picked for herself, consisting of an aqua blue coat with a white dress shirt, navy-blue shorts, a mustard-yellow knapsack, and a peculiar green jewel for a necklace. Her raven-black hair, highlighted blue on the inside, was fastened on the front with a green hairclip that took on a shape very familiar to Ash.

"Are you sure, sweetie?" Dawn asked hopefully. "Did you pack everything you need?"

"Yes, Mama," the girl replied with a roll of her sapphire-blue eyes.

"Snacks, water, spare clothes, emergency Potions?" queried a nervous Serena.

The girl sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Mom."

"Ohhhhh, but Viridian is so, so, so far away!" Dawn warned. "You should pack more!"

"But Mama-" began the girl.

"No, no, look at her bag, Dawn!" Serena interrupted in concern. "It's stuffed to the brim! She should be carrying less!"

"Mom, I-" began the girl.

"Are you sure, hon?" asked Dawn. "That bag is so small to begin with! I told you we should've gotten a bigger one at the store!"

"Come on, Mama-"

"But we don't wanna tire her out on her first day as a Trainer, babe!" Serena advised. "We should take a couple of things out!"

"Ugh! Mom-"

"We want our little girl to have the most wonderful memories of her first day as a Pokémon Trainer, Serena! We should be getting her a bigger bag!"

"But if she feels overwhelmed with all the stuff she has to carry around, she's not gonna have any wonderful memories to cherish at all, Dawn!"

"Will the two of you quiet down for just one minute?!"

"PIKA!"

Ash's and Pikachu's sudden outbursts stunned the two women into silence. However, the roguish-looking but eternally youthful man wasn't angry at them, and neither was the yellow Mouse Pokémon perched upon his right shoulder. Instead, the man had already redirected his gaze back to his daughter, the one that he lovingly shared with the loves of his life. He approached her as she had her face down in embarrassment and frustration; with a tip of his index finger, he craned the girl's face back up for her. After giving her a once-over, Ash approvingly smiled down at her.

"I think you're all set and ready to go, Liko," he said.

"Thanks, Pop," the girl replied with a relieved sigh and a grateful smile. "At least you've got a good eye and ear for things." She gave both of her mothers a flat look of disappointment. "Unlike a certain couple of mothers..."

"We're sorry!" Serena and Dawn bawled at the same time while overexaggerated tears flowed from their eyes.

"So," Ash said, his bright smile not letting up for even a second, "have you made a decision already?"

"Huh?" But Liko remembered what her father was talking about after a moment, and she shook her head with a deep breath. "No, not really. Picking a starter Pokémon out of twenty-seven is just a looooot of pressure on its own."

Ash's smile softened, but it never lost its fondness for even one second. "It's alright. You have all the time in the world to pick your starter. But! I think it'll be easier than you think. After all..." He lifted a finger and used it to rub his Pikachu's chin, earning him a coo of contentment. "From the moment I laid my eyes on Pikachu, everything fell into place, and I knew that it was meant to be."

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Oh..." The flat look of disappointment suddenly returned on Liko's face. "Because Mom and Mama told me that the reason you got Pikachu as your starter was because you overslept and missed Professor Oak's starter selection."

Ash laughed off her remark, but the sweat-drop and the apprehension in his voice told Liko everything about what her father thought.

"W-Well," he said, "they weren't there when it happened, so they don't remember the story correctly."

"Dad."

Ash felt his blood run cold at the sound of Liko's voice. "Ah, crap. The D-word. It's been a while since she used it, though. I can't tell if it's because she's mad at me or she desperately needs advice from me...which I'm always bad at giving."

In a moment of desperation, the raven-haired man looked over his shoulder at the doorway. To his dismay, he saw nothing but empty space. He could also feel a certain emptiness on his shoulder, an emptiness that hadn't been there mere moments ago.

"Traitors," he grumbled.

"Dad!" Liko cried, her voice more forceful than last time.

"I'm here!" Ash flitted his gaze back to his daughter, speaking in a voice that was higher-pitched than he expected. "I'm here! Whaddaya need, sweetie?!"

At first, the girl looked upset with him, causing his heart to beat faster in concern. He desperately wanted to resort to the unthinkable and attempt to read his preadolescent daughter. However, he was stunned when Liko's expression changed into one of immense unease and apprehension.

"I'm serious, Daddy."

"Daddy?! My goodness, she is worried."

"My starter Pokémon is gonna be the first Pokémon that I'll ever have. The first Pokémon that I'll ever train. No matter what happens, the two of us are always gonna be together." Liko cast her gaze downward; her pupils became vacant. "My path will be chosen from the starter that I choose. But...what if the path that I choose is one that I wind up not liking?! I still don't know what I wanna be when I set off on my journey! What if I never find happiness on my journey?! What if I never find my true calling?! What if-?!"

"Hey, hey!"

Ash gently took his daughter's shoulders, causing her to slowly look up at him. Through the shimmering intensity of her doubts and concerns, he could see a sheen of admiration in her eyes. Her blue eyes, so much like her mothers'. Ash had never felt so lucky to have a child like Liko, someone who he could watch with pride as she carved out her own future.

"You'll find it," he said resolutely. "You'll find it, no matter how long it takes. It doesn't matter if you've decided on what to do on day one like your mama, or if it takes you months to find your true passion like your mom, or if it takes you forever to achieve your dreams like I did. You'll find your true calling. I promise you that."

"But..." Liko's eyes shone brighter with worry. "How? How will I know, Daddy?"

"You just will."

Ash took Liko's hand with one of his own and put it over his heart. Then, he took his other hand and placed it directly over her own heart. As soon as he did, he felt his heart and soul connect with Liko's in a gentle, harmonious union. And he knew that Liko felt it as well, especially with how her eyes widened by a centimeter of awe at the close contact.

"As long as you feel it in there..." He gently tapped his daughter's heart in emphasis. "You'll know."

"But...Daddy..."

Ash felt the fear and uncertainty surge from Liko's aura and invade his own like an aggressive disease. But this didn't daunt him, and he held those feelings back with ease.

"I don't want to take forever to achieve whatever my dreams are like you did," Liko continued. "I...I don't...I don't know if I'll be able to deal with it-"

"You can, Liko," Ash interrupted fondly, "and you WILL. You're my daughter, Liko. I know you better than that. And I know, from deep in my heart, that you'll find your way in the end. Because you're you, and no one else. And besides..."

By this point, his aura overwhelmed the negative feelings coming from Liko. The girl's eyes widened slightly again, for she was immediately enraptured by the strength of her father's love.

"Every day is an adventure. A journey. Even if it's spent knowing nothing about what your future will be like. Like I always say, yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the 'present'."

Liko's visage immediately fell flat at those words. "Kung Fu Pancham? Really, Pops?"

"Hey, it's a line that I always live by!" Ash gave his daughter a brief but lively chuckle before settling down. "Ohhh, don't give me that look, Liko. It's your favorite movie, so you know better than anyone else to live by those words!"

Liko looked away, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "It was my favorite movie when I was five, Pops..." she grumbled.

"Says the girl who still keeps a movie poster of it hanging in her bedroom!"

"POPS!"

"Right, right!" Ash patted her shoulders and let go of them. "It's perfectly okay to be unsure, Liko. Even scared. But you'll never know what could be until you take that first step. If you don't take it, then you won't go on your journey. Don't tell me and your moms that we worked hard to get all the supplies you needed, just for you to get cold feet at the last second!"

Liko looked over her father's shoulder, and he followed her gaze. Together, they saw her two mothers standing at the doorway again. Serena was weeping and exaggeratedly blowing her nose into a handkerchief, while Dawn was smiling and nodding with immense pride.

"Trying to guilt-trip me, aren't you?" the girl asked in a deadpan tone.

"I dunno," Ash replied with a passive shrug of his shoulders. "You tell me. Do you want to take that first step and go on the journey you've always dreamed of? Or do you wanna stay home for a lil' while longer?" He smiled warmly at her. "Whatever you decide to do, your moms and I won't judge you. Not one bit."

Liko's blue eyes met Ash's auburn ones once again. At first, he could see nothing but more uncertainty in her pupils. For a moment, he mentally prepared himself to start making Liko's bed again, a burdensome task that he nevertheless took with gladness for his wives' sakes.

Then, the girl took a deep breath, and happiness and confidence finally shone through the sapphire-blue.

"No, Daddy," she replied. "I wanna take that first step. I..." She swallowed. "I think- No. I know I'm ready now."

Ash smiled back at her and patted her on the top of her cowlick-adorned head.

"That's my girl," he said.

At first, Liko was annoyed by the gesture, even though she didn't budge. Then, after a moment of discomfort, she finally settled down and relaxed to her father's touch, even cooing like a contented baby Pokémon. Ash cracked a slightly wider smile and continued patting his daughter on the head. In that moment, all he could see was the little girl who would waddle over to him with her Sprigatito plush toy whenever she needed his guidance or his protection or his attention. Or anything, really.

Eventually, the tender moment of father-daughter bonding was cut short by a familiar voice ringing through the air.

"YO, LIKOOOOO!"

Ash had to stifle a laugh when he felt Liko's skin crawl while her entire body stiffened up as straight as a board. He looked up and saw a boy Liko's age running up to the Ketchum house. He had brown skin, dark-brown hair with a puffy magenta tuft out front, and magenta eyes; and he wore a dark-brown hoodie with short white sleeves, a red undershirt with a printed R-Unown insignia underneath, light-brown shorts, and a dark-brown, white-brimmed cap that blended in with his hair.

"Oh, look over there, Liko," Ash whispered teasingly. "It's your boyfriend."

The girl's face became florid again. "He's NOT my boyfriend, Pops!" she snapped in a hushed yet harsh whisper.

"Ohhhhh, we'll see about that, sweetie." Before Liko could give him a snippy retort, Ash greeted aloud, "Hey, Roy! You ready for your journey?!"

"HA! You betcha, Uncle Ash!" Roy replied with a pumped fist. "I'm definitely gonna catch as many Pokémon as I can! I'm gonna even surpass the number of Pokémon that Dad caught! I'm gonna catch 'em all!"

"You're gonna catch all one thousand-plus species of Pokémon?" Liko asked sarcastically. "Wow, I admire your work ethic, Roy. You truly are an inspiration to us all."

Roy just shot his undeterred smile at her. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment, Liko!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Anyway, are you ready? Those starters aren't gonna wait all day for us! Who knows if Professor Oak will even have any left for us?! Come on!" The boy grabbed Liko's wrist and started half-dragging her away, much to her embarrassed surprise. "Let's go!"

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Liko tore herself free from Roy's grasp. "Just...a couple more minutes, Roy." She finally met his eyes with a bashful look. "Please...?"

"Hm?" After blinking in confusion, Roy then gave her a sympathetic smile. "Ohhhhh, okay. Well, then!" He gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't take too long! I'm gonna get a head-start on those other Trainers! I'll try to save one starter for you if needs be, Liko!"

Blubbering and stammering in confusion, Liko opened her mouth in an attempt to stop Roy, but it was too late. The cap-wearing boy had already rushed out of the Ketchum property and was now stampeding down the sidewalk. He left a comically large cloud of dust in his wake and forced pedestrians to part for him like he was a wild, untamed Tauros. Ash and Liko watched him go together, the former in amusement and the latter in embarrassment.

"I gotta ask Goh what he's feeding his son these days..." Ash said, more to himself than to Liko. Then, he stared at his daughter again. "Well, I think you should get going, Li- Whoa!"

Liko had her arms wrapped around his torso as tightly as a hungry Arbok. For a second, Ash was stunned, but that immediate reaction gave way to paternal love, and he reciprocated the hug. At that cue, Pikachu scurried back up his shoulder, while Serena and Dawn approached them and joined them in their warm, familial embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you all," Liko said in a stiff voice that only communicated her closeness to tears. "I'm...I'm gonna-"

"Shhhhh..." Serena gently stroked her daughter's hair. "You don't have to say anything, sweetie."

"It's gonna be alright, honey," Dawn added encouragingly while tightening her hug by just an ounce. "Just know that it's a whole wide world out there, and you're about to see it."

"Yeah," replied Ash. "In all of its glory. You can't miss it."

Liko let out a deep exhale and spent the next couple of minutes in silence. Ash, Serena, and Dawn knew, deep in their hearts, that she was taking the time to take in this moment. This last, intimate moment with her family. Allowing it to imprint itself deep into her brain. Just like they were. After all, they were going to be physically apart for Arceus knows how long, but never their hearts.

"...Alrighty, then." With another elongated breath, Liko reluctantly parted from her parents. "Gotta get going. Roy's waiting for me, after all."

"Yeah." Ash smiled again. "Go show the world what you're made of, Liko!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu squeaked.

But Dawn was now wearing a mischievous smirk. "Yeah, honey! You don't wanna keep your boyfriend wait- OOF!"

"Daaaaawwwwwn..." Serena said ominously while she rubbed her knuckles.

The blue-haired woman just moaned feebly. However, her words had already sunk into Liko's brain, for her face reddened again and her voice was now echoing to the high heavens.

"ROY'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

Ash only laughed. Then, once Liko started along the adjacent path, he started waving at her, as did Pikachu, Serena, and Dawn. Liko looked over her shoulder as she walked, waving as well while struggling to hold back tears. Like before, Serena was loudly blowing her nose into her handkerchief, while Dawn joined her in her tears of joy this time.

But Ash didn't cry at all. Instead, he kept on waving with a wide, proud smile, which didn't go unnoticed by either of his wives.

"You're not gonna bawl your eyes out, Ash?" Dawn asked between hiccups.

"This'll be the last time we see our baby in a looooong time!" Serena added in a slight wail.

"I know..." he replied longingly. He witnessed Liko disappear over the hill, her waving arm and her nervous but excited smile nothing more than fresh, permanent, but intangible memories now. "But she'll be fine. I know she will."

"Yeah?"

"How, Ash?"

"Because..." Ash smiled tenderly at his two wives. "She's our daughter. How else?"

The yellow Mouse Pokémon nodded beside him. "Pika-CHU!"


A/N: And that marks the end of this little one-shot! No, I'm not gonna reveal who Liko's biological mother is in this AU, or how Ash, Serena, and Dawn were able to get into this three-way arrangement in the first place. That's up to you all to figure out!

I know it's kind of overdue and outdated given that "Pokémon Horizons" has been airing for almost a year now. But I thought I'd try and take a quick change of pace from my usual schedule of writing the newest chapter of "The Way We Will Be" and brainstorming for future projects. Plus, this has been an on-and-off project over the past ten months, and I saw this material just sitting in my inbox wondering if it'll ever be used, so I decided to pick it back up, finish it up, and polish it all. And voila!

This'll very likely be the only time where I dabble with a three-way shipping without it being smut of some kind. Every time I experiment with such an idea outside of this one-shot, my mental ideas wind up going on tangents that involve not-so-innocent material not suited for general audiences. XP XP XP

Anyway, as to my plans for the future. First off, the newest chapter of "The Way We Will Be" is on the way. I promise you that, everyone. However, I've been under the weather lately, both physically and mentally, and it has definitely affected the pace of my writing. Thus, I'll be taking a brief sabbatical from writing before resuming my work. Dealing with a whole set of responsibilities that comes with a full-time job truly is something, I tell you. No wonder my favorite fanfiction writers of days past eventually retired from this site. It won't be long till I join them. But not yet.

Secondly (and finally), I have at least two brand-new projects slated for release sometime this year. I'm not gonna reveal any further details on them, other than one of them is "Pokémon", as expected, while the other is for a fandom that I haven't written for yet. Juggling between those projects does require the conclusion of one of my ongoing fics, though, and I do intend "The Way We Will Be" to be the one. So, I'll definitely be working hard to wrap everything up in that story by summer at the very least. We'll see what happens next... ;)

Well, hope you enjoyed this one-shot! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!