Ash, Brock, and Misty were walking down the path to Ash's house in Pallet Town after an eventful day at Professor Oak's Laboratory. With the exception of Pikachu, Ash made sure to deposit all his Pokémon at the laboratory before heading back home. Now, the trio is looking forward to hanging out like the good ol' days seven years ago.
"Man, what an eventful couple of days." Ash sighed as he thought about what happened ever since he left Cerise Laboratory at Vermilion City. He wondered what Goh and Chloe were doing without him. Knowing them, Chloe probably forced Goh into another date.
"It sure has," Brock commented while scratching under his chin. "It sure seems weird. To think that you would reunite with Primeape, Pidgeot, and Butterfree under the span of two days. Not to mention that you got all those mega stones from various people, including myself."
"Maybe it's a sign that you'll win the World Coronation Series and finally fulfill your destiny of becoming a Pokémon master." Misty joked in a playful manner. Ash and Brock stared blankly at Misty for a moment before laughing along with her.
"I wouldn't take it that far, that seems a little far fetched to me," Ash replied. Pikachu was on top of Ash's head and noticed Ash's house in the distance.
"Oh, come on Ash. It's your time to become a Pokémon Master. We've known you since you were ten years old." Brock stated while placing a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"Yeah, we've seen you grow up from a rookie trainer to one that can potentially become one of the best trainers in the world!" Misty added supportedly. The tomboyish-natured teenage girl initially didn't believe that Ash would have made it far as a trainer when she first met him, but he proved her wrong eventually. Now, he has her full support on the subject.
"You two are right! I will just have to train hard for the World Coronation Series Tournament," Ash replied, grinning at his friends. "How can I lose when I got awesome friends to support me every step of the way."
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu pointed out. Ash and his two original traveling companions looked and noticed where they were heading. They were approaching a familiar-looking house.
"Good eye, buddy!" Ash complimented while sharing a quick high five with the mouse Pokémon. "C'mon you guys, race you to the front door!" With that, Ash rushed towards his house, with Brock and Misty following him.
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When Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu finally arrived at the front door of the house, they were greeted by Mr. Mime, who sensed their arrival.
"Mr. Mime!" Mimey said as it greeted the three friends. The barrier Pokémon stood to the side and gestured for them to step inside, which they gladly accepted.
"Hey Mimey, can you let mom know we are home?" Ash requested. Mimey nodded to Ash in response before walking towards the kitchen.
Pikachu hopped down onto the couch and stretched his body. Pikachu was feeling tired from a full day of playing with the rest of the Pokémon back at the laboratory. He remembered the game of tag that he participated in with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Oshawott, Gible, and Scraggy.
"Mr. Mime is still very helpful around the house, huh." Misty observed.
"Yeah, Mr. Mime has been a big help around the house for the past eight years. I can't believe so many years have passed since we all first met." Ash said.
Brock nodded and then responded, "I felt it was just yesterday when you two first stepped foot into my gym. Now, we are going to be making more memories, like attending each other's weddings."
"Haha... yeah... weddings..." Ash muttered quietly in a nervous manner. The mention of weddings made him wonder about his own wedding that would potentially take place in the future. He thought of every detail, such as the guests, the arrangements, the food, the tuxedo and wedding dress, the beautiful bride...
A slight tint of red blush had made itself at home on Ash's face. Why was he thinking about his future wedding when he doesn't even have a girlfriend... yet...
"Ash, is something wrong there?" Misty asked the raven-haired teenager, which caused Ash to look back at her. "You kind of zoned out for a moment there."
"Huh...? What do you mean?" Ash choked out. He looked at his two oldest traveling companions to see concerned looks on their faces. How long was he spacing out for, exactly? Before he could question his friends, he heard a familiar voice.
"So Mimey, are Ash and his friends home yet?" Delia asked the barrier Pokémon.
Ash, Misty, and Brock then glanced over to see Delia Ketchum walking into the living room. She was apparently hard at work in the kitchen, preparing a delicious dinner to celebrate her son's return home from Vermilion City.
"Hello, you three. I know you guys must have had an eventful day at Professor Oak's, so I prepared a big meal for us." Delia said as she finally noticed the group standing in the living room. "Come on, let's go to the dining room."
Delia led the group towards the dining room where the dining table full of Ash's favorite food was located. Ash and Pikachu were brimming with joy at the sight of all the food to the point where they were practically drooling.
"Okay everyone. Grab a seat and let's dig in." Delia insisted as she sat down on a chair. "There's a lot of food for everyone, so don't be shy."
"Thank you, mom." Ash said as he started getting himself a plate. There was an assortment of food that he couldn't wait to eat.
"Thanks so much, Mrs. Ketchum." Brock and Misty thanked her, as they grabbed a seat next to Ash. Misty sat on the chair to Ash's left, while Broc sat on the chair that was located on Ash's right side.
"It's not a problem at all. I enjoy cooking and one day Ash's future wife will be taking over my responsibilities." Delia said with an innocent smile. At that moment, Ash was drinking water and nearly spat it all out on Pikachu.
"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu squeaked aggressively at his trainer as if he was cussing his trainer out.
"My bad, Pikachu. I guess I got surprised..." Ash apologized with an embarrassed grin. Pikachu nodded and continued to eat his food.
"So Ash," Brock turned to his raven-haired friend to start up a conversation. "Misty and I have decided that we will be going to the World Coronation Series Tournament to support you." This perked up Ash's interest as he stopped eating to look at his longtime friends.
"Thanks, guys, you are the best. I was actually going to invite all my traveling companions and friends if possible to come, the ones that aren't already in the tournament anyways." Ash said.
"So which of your friends are going to be participating, Ash?" Delia asked her son with a sense of curiosity. "I know Gary is one of them."
"Well, as far as I know, I know that Gary, Paul, Barry, Iris, Trip, Clemont, Korrina, Sawyer, Alain, Gladion, Hau, and Bea are all eligible to compete. They are all skillful trainers in their own right since they made it to the top 999 in the rankings." Ash said. He then looked at his food, deep in his thoughts before continuing.
"That's not even considering the trainers I haven't seen in a while. Like maybe Ritchie, Harrison, Tyson, Tobias, and Virgil. The people who won or beat me in the Indigo, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova Leagues respectively during the times I competed. Then there are the champions and Elite Four that are guaranteed to be there from all across the regions. There is big competition, so that's why I need to train hard with all my Pokémon." Ash stated as he put more food in his mouth.
"If Tobias will be there, you need to come up with strategies to beat him." Brock warned. "You've only battled his Darkrai and Latios before in the Lily of the Valley Conference, but I read an article about him that says he has a team made up of Legendary and mythical Pokémon. He apparently even got access to mega evolution and can mega evolve both his Latios and Latias."
"That Tobias guy sure sounds like a tough competitor if he does end up participating in the World Coronation Tournament." Misty commented. Brock shook his head in disagreement.
"He may be tough and may be a ruthless trainer in battles, but Ash has the potential to beat him. He has already taken down Tobias's Darkrai with his Sceptile and Latios with Pikachu," Brock replied while taking a sip of water. "Ash is going to have to strategize and train hard in order to win."
"I will need to be on my A-Game when I see him there. He will show up, no doubt about that." Ash said with confidence in his voice as he looked up towards the ceiling. "There's no doubt that this tournament will be my hardest challenge yet-"
At that precise moment, Ash's stomach chose to let itself be heard by everyone at the table.
"Maybe I should feed my stomach first." Ash said with a hint of embarrassment as he continued to shove his mother's home cooking in his mouth that only Brock and Cilan dub, "the never-ending black hole of the distortion world."
"Pika-pikaCHU!" Pikachu squeaked out with his own little confidence. The mouse Pokémon knew that his trainer wanted redemption after their loss in Lily of the Valley Island He knew because he wanted it too.
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After a pleasant dinner, Brock helped Delia with the dishes, while Ash, Misty, and Mr. Mime cleared the table and vacuumed the house. The group then walked to the living room and sat around the fireplace. After settling down, Delia suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh honey, I have your package up in my room. Let me bring it down so you can open it." Delia said as she rushed up the stairs to receive it.
"I'm curious about what's inside, aren't you Ash?" Misty said to him as she gazed up the stairs. "Could it be more mega stones?"
"Mega stones aren't really common to the Alola region, Misty," Brock interjected. "From what I know, the Alolans have to import key stones and mega stones from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos."
"Why is that?" Misty asked in surprise. "I mean I know they are somewhat rare in every region, except Kalos and Hoenn, but what makes Alola not have any at all?"
"It's probably the geography of the region, since Alola is made up of several separate islands and not an entire region." Ash answered with uncertainty. "Besides that, I guess it is because none of the Alolan Pokémon are capable of mega evolution as far as we know. This also applies to Galar."
"That doesn't mean that new mega evolutions cannot be discovered," Brock added. "I mean people never knew that Mega Audino existed until a few years back. There may be more Unovan Pokémon that are capable of mega evolution beyond Audino."
"Yeah, but so far, only Audino are documented to be capable of mega evolving as far as Unovan Pokémon go." Ash responded.
"Wait, so how did you two get your mega stones and key stones?" Ash suddenly asked. He was actually wondering about that the first time he witnessed them mega evolving their Pokémon back during his class field trip from Alola. He had doubts that they went to somewhere like Kalos or Hoenn to get them.
"Well actually, Ash. I found my Steelixite at Mt. Moon. Onix are quite commonly found in the underground caverns of Mt. Moon, so it isn't out of the ordinary for Steelixite to be in Onix territory. As for our key stones, they were gifted to us by Professor Oak." Brock explained.
Ash's eyes widened. "Really? Professor Oak gave you those key stones you carry to this day?"
"Yeah," Misty replied. "According to him, they were found in the Victory Road near the Indigo Plateau. As for my Gyaradosite, it was gifted to me by my sisters as a birthday gift. What annoys me is that they still won't tell me where they got it from."
"That's what you call sibling love." Brock laughed.
"Okay. I found the package, Ash." Delia announced as she walked down the stairs. As she walked towards the group, she placed the package gently down in front of Ash. It was a big brown parcel neatly secured by a type of durable string that was tied around the box.
"Do you know what it is, Ash?" Brock asked as he raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It was quite odd that a package from Alola would be sent to Ash's house, especially since he was residing in Vermilion City at the time.
"I do, I asked Olivia to create something for me. You know how specialized she is on minerals, rocks, and jewelry-"
"My darling Olivia? Oh have I missed her heavenly presence!" Brock gushed with hearts in his eyes. "I would love to make-YEEEOOOOWWW!" Brock screamed in pain.
"Save it for another day... understand?" Misty said sternly as she tightened her grip on Brock's earlobe. Brock nodded quickly as she let go of her tight hold on his ear. A thought then came into her mind. "Aren't you dating Nurse Joy? You should be ashamed."
"Come on, Misty. I was just kidding around." Brock said in an effort to defend himself. "For old times sake, you know?"
"Well, it does remind me of how often you would flirt with women all the time..." Misty muttered and then let out a sigh.
While Brock and Misty were having their little exchange about Brock's flirting and old times, Ash was unusually silent. His eyes were staring at the package on the table in front of him, as if they were superglued to that particular spot.
"So, Ash. Aren't you going to open it?" Delia asked her son as she saw him staring at the box as if he was lost in thought. She was perplexed by the expression on his face. He seemed... nervous...?
"Okay, here goes nothing." Ash gulped as he brought out his multitool pocket knife from his belt compartment. Gently, Ash used it to cut through the tape and then slowly opened the flaps of the box to reveal packing peanuts and bubble wrap.
"Chu~!" Pikachu squeaked as he grabbed the bubble wrap with his mouth and started playing with it. The electric-type mouse found it entertaining to pop each bubble of the bubble wrap, either with his body or paws.
Ash took a deep breath and then carefully dug around the inside of the box until he felt two smaller box-like objects within the packing peanuts. He froze on the spot as he felt the objects touching his hand."It's finally here..."
The room was just filled with awkward silence for a few moments, until someone interrupted it.
"Don't hold us in suspense, Ash. Show us already." Misty demanded, but in a friendlier tone.
Ash took out two boxes. One of them looked to be a fancy-looking ring box with a red velvet soft leather material on the outside. The other box was not as fancy, but still appeared to hold something in it. Everyone, including Pikachu and Mr. Mime, huddled closer to have a better look.
Ash carefully opened one of the small boxes to reveal a ring. The ring appeared to be made out of pure silver with diamond parts in it. However, what really stood out was the key stone that was located on the head of the ring, surrounded by diamond.
Everyone else that was in the living room gasped in shock and surprise. The raven-haired teenager wasn't just sent any old ring. No, it was a ring that holds the power to enable mega evolution.
"Oh wow..." Misty gasped as her eyes were looking at the ring. "You got a key stone ring?"
Ash didn't respond as he simply inspected it, but then a grin soon crept on his face. It was a grin of satisfaction.
Ash then checked on the other box and opened it, to reveal what's inside. Inside, was an identical ring, but the difference was that there was no key stone as the centerpiece. This prompted Ash to take out his keystone and attach it to the silver diamond ring.
He inserted it into the head of the ring until he could hear a click sound, indicating that the key stone was secured in place.
"Perfect fit!" Ash thought to himself as he placed the ring on one of his fingers. The ring had fit nicely on his finger, as if it was always meant to be there. He then wondered if the ring would stand out too much with his current outfit. "Maybe I need a wardrobe change..."
"So, Ash. You've been silent for the past few minutes. Would you care to explain to us?" Delia asked her son.
"Well as I said earlier, I asked Olivia, the Akala Island Kahuna, to create these rings for me the last time I visited Alola. I provided her with the keystone material in order for her to create this ring into a mega ring of a sort." Ash initially explained. "The silver and diamond material was expensive, but I got a great deal out of my custom made rings as I provided her with the remaining key stone ore, since I had no further use for it beyond making a ring or two. You know how rare key stone are in the Alola region."
Everyone nodded their head in understanding after Ash's explanation. However, Misty was still confused regarding a certain detail. "But you have two rings. What for, and why with the expensive material?" Misty asked. It was very unlike Ash to spend money on expensive jewelry unless... The realization dawned on her as she gasped in shock.
"A-are... are you proposing to someone?" Misty asked. Brock and Delia looked at Ash in shock, waiting for an answer. Mr. Mime was just confused, while Pikachu stood by his trainer's side with a smile. He already knew everything about the purpose of the rings, since the electric mouse Pokémon was with him when he visited Olivia in Alola.
"Oh! My young man has grown up so much, I expect grandchildren and a wonderful daughter-in-law soon-" Delia squealed as she hugged her son tightly from behind.
Ash blushed a bit and yelled out. "No, I'm not proposing for anything! At least not yet..."
"Then what is the extra ring for?" Brock asked, a little confused. He had a good hunch on what it could be, but decided to try to get a confirmation.
"Well, it's a promise ring, first of all. It also doubles as a key stone, so the person who wears it can have it on them and mega evolve their Pokémon when a mega stone is present. Neat huh." Ash said as he admired the accessory for a bit longer before placing it back in the red velvet box.
"Does it have something to do with Serena?" Misty interrogated with a knowing smile.
Ash sighed as he explained the plan that he set up with help from a couple of his closest friends in Kalos and how he plans to put his plan into motion in the next two weeks.
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"So yeah, I plan on asking her out on the day of her final Showcase. I know she can win it and she won't suspect that I'll be there which will make it much more memorable when I ask her out." Ash finished explaining. This caused everyone to let out some tears.
"Who knew Ash could be so romantic." Misty said as she wiped a tear after hearing Ash's explanations.
"You said it, Misty. He is growing up into a fine young man." Brock blew his nose with a handkerchief in a dramatic way. He felt like a proud father who had raised his son well.
"Wait... Serena... that name sounds familiar..." Delia thought out loud as she tried her very best to remember any girls by that name. She knew that Ash traveled with someone named Serena when he was in Kalos, but is she the same girl Ash is talking about? She was about to put it aside for later, but then it all clicked. She smiled slyly. "Looks like I won our bet all those years ago, Grace..."
"Honey, you don't mean the little cute girl wearing the straw hat, do you? Back when you went to summer camp with Gary?" Delia asked her son. She already knew the answer from Ash's slight blushing on his face and Brock and Misty holding in their laughter.
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"Y-yes..." Ash sighed as he admitted defeat. "Ever since our journey in Kalos together, I always saw her differently than any other girl. She felt... special. Even when we first reunited and when I didn't remember her, I felt attracted to her, which prompted me to invite her to travel with me. Throughout my Kalos Journey, I felt a new wave of emotions and fondness towards her which I didn't understand until I talked with Clemont one day, while the two of us were alone. He said I was experiencing love. I didn't know why at the time, but I was in love with her. This only escalated over time and when I suddenly remembered all the details of our childhood together back in Professor Oak's summer camp."
"Then why didn't you ask her to be your girlfriend?" Brock questioned. "Why are you planning to now, when you could have done it when you were in Kalos with her."
"Well, Brock. Rejection would suck, so I just kept it in. I didn't know that she harbored an equally powerful love for me until she gave me a kiss on the lips before she left for Hoenn. After that, I realized that she gave me hints all along and I never realized it." Ash responded.
"I guess seeing you getting rejected by every girl you saw really made Ash fear rejection." Misty teased Brock, which caused Brock to faceplant on the floor. He and Ash seemed to always be the victim of Misty's endless teasing. And her wrath.
"Ash, when you returned back from Kalos during the night, you immediately asked me what does it mean when a girl kisses you on the lips before they leave. But you never told me it was the same Serena from summer camp who traveled with you and kissed you..." Delia said with a slight frown at her son.
"Heh...heh sorry mom. I guess I forgot to mention that detail..." Ash said with an embarrassed grin.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked as he pointed at the clock on the wall. Ash looked up at the time.
"Oh right. I scheduled a call with Clemont today. It should be around the afternoon in Kalos. Thanks for the reminder, buddy." Ash said as he excuses himself. Pikachu gave Ash a thumbs up and hopped onto his shoulder to go with Ash up to his room. They left Brock and Misty with Ash's mother in the living room, which may have been a great mistake on Ash's part.
As Ash was hustling up the stairs, he could vaguely hear his mother saying, "Who wants to see the photo album? Aw, they were so cute together~"
To be continued...