Author's Note:
Okay, i know what all of you are thinking, "Why the sudden update? Isn't this book already finished?".
Well to be honest, i made this epilogue chapter to tie up some loose ends, the first story is sort of a request i got on another platform. (I cross-post my fanfics, probably should mention that) while the other story is to answer a question that all of you may or may not be interested in.
Anyways, enjoy!
EPILOGUE 1 OF 2: TELLING DELIA
(Taking place after Goh's second-to-last Trial Mission)
Pallet Town, where dreams and adventures are said to begin, but that's what everyone says about any of their hometowns wherever they may come from. Everyone has their own starting point after all.
We turn to see a familiar raven-haired trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulder walking down the countryside towards a familiar blue house with a red roof surrounded by a white picket fence and a small patch of baby breath flowers could be seen from across the house.
All of you are probably familiar with who was walking down the path judging by the simple description.
It was of course Ash Ketchum, 16 year old pokemon trainer who dreams of becoming a Pokemon Master. And what was he doing back in Pallet Town? Ash felt like paying his mom a visit along with other things.
[Flashback, Cerise Laboratory Entrance]
The sun was about to set over Vermilion and Ash was about to mount himself onto Dragonite, before Ash, his starter and Dragonite could take off, the front door opened and emerged from it was his friend/research partner Goh.
"Hey Ash, Professor Cerise said you'd be gone for the night, where are you headed anyway?", he asked while he held a glass of water.
"I felt like going to Pallet Town and paying my mom a visit, kinda felt like telling her what i've been up to recently", he explained as he turned towards his friend.
"Aside from the usual research assignments and you training for the Masters Tournament, i can tell there's more", he pointed out as he took a sip from his glass.
"Well yeah, she is concerned if i have jet-lag from all the recent flights we take whenever we need to do research somewhere else, and she wants to see my Pokemon too, Dracovish especially", Ash chuckled imagining his mom's reaction to Dracovish chomping on his head which did remind him of Gible.
"No not that, i meant other things like you know...", Goh started, but didn't get the answer he was looking for from Ash.
"Right, gotta tell her i'm competing in the Masters Tournament now"
"That too, but most importantly...", Goh started as he finished his water.
Then the raven-haired teen finally realized what Goh meant, Ash chuckled, embarrassed as he answered, "Yeah... that, and to think i confessed to her about a week ago"
"I was really shocked you were that bold to kiss her on stage too", Goh chuckled while adding with "Anyways, i think you should be off now, wouldn't want to delay you"
"Right", Ash nodded as he mounted himself onto Dragonite while he held Pikachu close to his chest. And with that, Dragonite took off with Ash and Pikachu as they made their way to Pallet Town.
"I'll see you in the morning Goh!"
Ash called out to him, which was the last thing he heard as he and Pikachu rode on Dragonite into the sky for his hometown.
Ash Goh was waving goodbye to the three, he felt someone touch his shoulder. Goh turned to his side to see Chloe, his childhood friend.
"Hey Goh, you got a moment to talk?"
[6:00 PM, Ketchum Residence]
Ash now stood in front of the door of his childhood home with Pikachu on his right shoulder, and as he knocked on the door, it was then opened revealing a woman of 35 years of age. Delia Ketchum, mother to Ash Ketchum.
"Hi mom", he greeted her.
"Ash, Pikachu, what a surprise!", Delia then proceeded to let her son inside and not a second sooner, pulled her son and his starter into a hug.
"Mom... can't... breathe...", Ash gasped out along with Pikachu.
"Sorry", she then released the two from the hug then asked, "So what are you two doing back here?"
"I just felt like doing some catching up with you, you deserve to know what i've been up to lately"
"Well you can tell me everything, sit down, you and Pikachu seem to be hungry"
And as on cue, Ash's stomach proceeds to rumble.
"Pika pika...", which translates to "Right on cue"
Fastforwarding to dinner with the three, Ash was in the middle of telling his mom that he'll be competing in the Masters Tournament in the future, along with how Goh is almost close to becoming a chaser for Project Mew.
"So he just needs to do one more mission and he officially becomes a chaser?", she questions.
"Yeah, just another step up Goh's own ladder towards his dream, same with Chloe"
"Chloe found herself a dream already?"
"Not yet, but she is still figuring out what her Eevee wants to evolve into, she actually ran into one of my friends a couple of weeks ago"
"You three were in Hoenn right? Was it May? You haven't seen her in the last few years after all"
"It was actually Serena, remember when i talked about her once?", Ash asked his mother.
The two of them were left in an awkward silence for a bit while Pikachu drank away at the ketchup bottle in his hands, completely ignorant to the current awkward atmosphere.
"Oh, that conversation...", Delia just realized.
If you're wondering what that conversation was. Well for context, it happened a day Ash got back from Kalos, and as Ash was retelling his journey throughout the region and got to the farewell part. That's when Ash started slowly realising what love was.
And it wasn't until Alola that Ash's crash course on the basics of love was completed and that he passed with a score of 97.19%.
Delia then looked to her son again, and judging by his silence, she could tell he wanted to tell her something.
"Ash, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Hmm? What makes you say that?", he asks as he looks up from what he was eating.
"Ash i'm your mother....", she started, "Also i can tell there's something important you want to tell me"
"Am i that easy to read?", Ash asked which earned a nod from both his mom and his partner.
"Whatever you have to say Ash, don't hesitate, i won't judge you", she reassured her son.
Ash took a deep breath, "Okay, but don't be alarmed when i say this. But mom, i'm currently dating someone, plus you've met them in the past"
Ash then awaited for a response from his mother, while Pikachu finished up his ketchup bottle noticing the silence between the two. And it took about a minute or two for Delia to process the words that came out of her son's mouth.
"Could you say that again? i didn't catch that"
Delia thought she was dreaming when Ash said this, last she checked Ash was still new to the concept of love and thought he was still blind when it came to the topic, fast-forward to two years later and here she was having dinner with him and announcing to her that he was dating someone.
She had a few guesses, there was Misty, but she seemed more like a sister to her son, same with May and Iris. So it narrowed down to either Dawn or Serena.
"Mom, i'm dating someone, that's the truth"
It took about a moment for Delia to process the information once again, but once she finally did, her first instinct was that she stood up, walk towards her son and pulled him into a hug, which left him confused.
"Mom, are you okay?", Ash asks confused by the sudden hug.
As for Delia's reaction, she was doing her best to fight back the tears that would eventually pour out.
"My little boy is finally growing up", Delia said sniffling.
"Mom, i'm only sixteen, it's not like i'm moving out yet" Ash said he tried to push his mom away, hoping to get out of the second bone-crushing hug he was already in.
"Sorry", Delia said as she released her son from the hug and momentarily wiped away her tears of joy. Now that she was emotionally stable again, she began to barrage her son with a lot of questions as she held him by the shoulders.
"Ash, who did you meet? Who confessed first? Are they good to you? Are you good to them? Tell me everything"
Ash, now embarrassed by the barrage of questions from his mother, proceeded to remove her hands from his shoulders and say.
"Mom, i'll tell you everything, but can it wait after dinner?"
Delia agreed to those terms, and after they were done with dinner, the mother and son alongside Pikachu sat on the living room couch and Ash began to recall all the details about Serena, some of the details when he confessed to Goh & Chloe back on the ferry, and of course the events of Blooming Heart's Debut.
Delia's reaction to all of this, she could cry again out of joy, but also after hearing all of this and knowing his and Serena's relationship is a long-distance one for the time being, she looked at her son sternly while gripping his shoulders, saying.
"Ash, promise that you'll cherish Serena and that you'll keep her safe", seeing the seriousness in his mother's eyes. He nodded in response saying "I promise" to her.
Satisfied with his answer, she eased up and relaxed with her son and Pikachu on the couch all three of them saying nothing but enjoying each others company and the silence. After they stayed like that for about a moment or two, Delia was the first to say something to break the silence once again.
"So, have you ever thought what your own wedding would be like?", she said in a teasing manner which made Ash stiffen up from hearing it and give off an embarrassed blush.
"MOM!"
EPILOGUE 2 OF 2: HER ASPIRING RESEARCHER
'Until we meet again, Ash'
Serena continued to look into the setting sky seeing Ash's flight to Vermilion take off. It really was an eventful day for sure, not only was it the day she and Lisia debuted to the world as "Blooming Heart", which is the name of their idol duo, but it was the day she waited for a long time. Ash Ketchum, a friend from her past showed up out of nowhere alongside a few familiar faces (and Goh) and confessed to her both during and after her second performance.
As of this time, Serena, Lisia & May are currently at the airport, while the idol and experienced coordinator continued to sit down while waiting for Serena to snap out of her train of thought, Lisia got up, walked up to her idol partner and said.
"So, thinking about your wedding now?", Lisia teased.
"Huh?", that question got Serena off guard for a moment and before she could give an answer, the idol spoke up again.
"No no, i can see it now; "Monarch and Queen: A Chapter to Tomorrow", has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
As soon as Lisia said that, May began to laugh as she looked up from who she was originally messaging.
"Lisia, that has got to be your corniest one yet", May said holding back her laughter, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.
"Really May, that's my best one yet...", Lisia says as she slumps down a bit, her visor cap covering half of her face.
Serena chuckled to herself while saying, "It's not bad, i kinda like it, but you know who would really like it..."
"Serena, who would even enjoy my corniness? Besides my fans of course, but they just say it to be nice"
"Well, we can think of one person, someone you've scouted in the past...", May smirked as she said this, which gained the attention of the other two.
"...winner of last year's Hoenn League and is the son of a professor", Serena continued.
"He's an aspiring researcher, you've crossed paths with him a few times, and he accidentally called you "Lissy" at one point", May teased.
Even though half of Lisia's face was still covered by her visor, the two could tell she was blushing of embarrassment underneath.
"Guys, i don't like him that way, he's just a good friend!", Lisia yelled at the two, she was now looking to both Serena and May who were on the left and right respectively and that blush of embarrassment was still visible on her face.
"Don't lie to us, even though Serena has never met him, you're crush on Brendan is as clear as day"
Brendan, son of Hoenn's professor, Professor Birch. And what is the history that the teal-haired idol has with him? Well May and Serena basically answered your questions.
"I did notice a photo of him and you in your room once", Serena commented which.
That photo was also taken on the same day Lisia scouted Brendan, it was 4 years ago and she found him once he arrived in Slateport. His debut impressed the idol so much she wanted to capture the moment. It wasn't until Lisia met Brendan again the sixth or seventh time around she may have developed a crush on him. And that was 3 years ago.
"What? Is it wrong to hold onto a memento of one of your proudest moments as a teacher?", Lisia defended herself hoping both May and Serena would believe her, but that failed.
"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that", May told her.
Meanwhile on the other side of the airport, a flight from Johto just landed and a trainer who wore shorts, a red and black shirt and a white hat disembarked from the plane and found himself in the airport. He unclipped a Pokeball from his belt and looked to it saying.
'Hey Sceptile, we're home...'
Author's Note:
Yeah, i originally wanted to end it hinting at "ContestKingShipping", so that's a loose end i finally got around to tying up. The best thing i can tell everyone: there's a real lack of fanfics surrounding that ship and i may provide my contribution to that in the future.
Also yes, this is the final chapter for this book.