I Wanna Be The Very Best

Chapter 68: Amour Reunion

After his victory against Bea earlier in the night, Ash quickly dashes his way to his room at the pokemon centre.

As soon as he makes it to his room, he takes out his Rotom phone and calls his mom via a video call.

You see, Ash is having a little bit of a panic right now. Straight after his battle, he was trying to check on how Serena was through their aura connection. However, things didn't really go as he'd like considering he was unable to establish any form of connection.

Usually, this just means that Serena is asleep, but considering what happened with Hunter J earlier makes Ash feel a little panicked.

Pikachu sits on his trainer's shoulder, trying to calm him down as the phone rings. After a few seconds, the phone stops ringing as a familiar face appears on the screen.

Ash instantly places a concerned look on his face as he yells "Mom! Is Serena okay!"

Upon hearing her son shout so loud, Delia places a less than impressed look on her face as she raises her finger to her lips and whisper shouts "Shhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Ash sweat drops a little as his mother's reaction as he nervously scratches the back of his head. Delia lets off a small tut at her son's lack of thought as she points the camera down to show why he needs to quiet. As she does, Ash breaths a sigh of relief as he sees his Girlfriend. Serena lays fast asleep with her head on Delia's lap, lightly snoring as the Kantonian native gently smooths her short honey blonde hair.

Ash smiles a little as he exclaims in a grateful tone "Thanks for taking care of her mom."

Delia shakes her head a little and replies "It's no problem son, the poisoning in her body has gone so she's just left with the dreariness of the gas. A few hours sleep and she should be as good as new."

Ash smiles a little brighter as he remarks "That's such a relief. I was so worried about her and thought that she was going to be so much worse. Sorry for getting Greninja to wake you up like that by the way. You were the first person I thought to help so I just acted without thinking."

Delia smiles at her son as she replies in a dismissive tone "Its okay Ash, I'm used to being woken up in the middle of the night anyway."

Ash raises an eyebrow in concern and confusion as he questions "Really? Why's that?"

Delia lets off a quiet giggle before she explains "It's something that you get used to when you become a mother. You see as a baby you'd wake me up all the time crying. Then when you got older, you'd wake up sometimes with bad dreams or with illness. Overtime, you get used to the slight feeling of exhaustion."

Ash takes in his mother's point and scratches his head nervously as he apologises "Sorry about that."

Delia shakes her head and exclaims "You don't need to apologise, I would do it all again in a heartbeat for you Ash. I'm so proud of the young man you've become."

Ash beams a genuine smile at his first supporter as he replies "Thanks mom, and I'm grateful to have you too."

The two smile at each other for a second as their appreciation for one and other shines through. The unspoken bond between a mother and her son is on full display, and it always will be no matter how old Ash gets.

After a few seconds, Ash takes a sigh before he exclaims "Well, I guess now that Serena is asleep you can go back to bed too."

Delia lets off a small giggle as she replies "Oh I will, but I need to wait for this little cutie to go to bed too."

The older woman turns her camera to the right, to show baby Pikachu sat next to her. The young electric type sits with her dummy in her mouth, watching a kids cartoon on the tv while cuddling into her Eevee plushie that Serena gave her to borrow.

Ash's Pikachu let's a small smile drift onto his face as he watches his daughter sit peacefully while watching her favourite program.

Delia turns the camera towards herself again as she explains "She woke up a few hours ago and was in quite the panic once she saw how ill Serena looked. Luckily, I managed to settle her down pretty quick."

Ash raises his eyebrow a little as he questions "How did you manage that? Sometimes me and Serena take an hour to get her to stop crying. Even with Pikachu and Sylveon's help."

Delia smirks a little as he answers in a proud tone "I used one of the oldest tricks in the book. I put a bit of ketchup on her dummy."

Ash chuckles a little to himself as he hears about his mother's secret fix. Well I guess you can't beat experience. He turns his head to the side and questions to his first Pokémon "Do you want to speak to her for a bit."

Pikachu nods frantically as he lets off an excited Pika pika!!"

Upon hearing her above father's voice, baby Pikachu springs towards the camera as she takes her dummy out of her mouth. She perches herself on Delia's shoulder as she beams a smile and replies in her native tone "Daddy!"

Ash's Pikachu smiles at his daughter and replies "Hey princess, you okay."

The young Pikachu smiles as she exclaims "I'm okay thanks. Did you see me perform yesterday?"

Pikachu chuckles a little at his daughter's upbeat attitude and replies "I did, and you were a little star on that stage. Congratulations!"

The baby beams a smile and shouts "Thanks daddy! Mommy said I'm getting even better at performing everyday!"

Pikachu smiles greatly at his child and replies "You sure are sweetie, your getting such a big girl. So, you behaving for Delia?"

The baby nods frantically before she exclaims with excitement in her tone "Nanny Delia is the best! She gives me so much more ketchup than Serena does!"

Pikachu's mouth slightly waters with jealousy as he replies "Make sure you save me some!"

The baby smirks and remarks with a hint of sass in her voice "Only if you agree to play tag with me when you get home tomorrow. I want to show you how much faster I've gotten!"

Pikachu chuckles a little before he replies "Of course we can, but only if you go to bed a good girl when Delia says."

The baby nods and shouts "I will daddy! Love you!"

Pikachu beans a bright smile upon being told I love you by his child as he replies "I love you too princess."

With that, baby Pikachu takes her dummy and places it back in her mouth. With the promise of a game of her tag looming , she cuddles into her Eevee plushie and quickly drifts off to sleep.

Ash smiles a little as he exclaims "Well, that solves that problem."

Delia nods and replies "It does, thanks Pikachu."

Pikachu smiles at Delia's praise and lets off a quiet happy "Pika pika."

Delia stretches out a little as she yawns and announces "We'll in that case, I'll be going to bed too. I'll see you back in Kanto Ash. Love you son."

Ash smiles at his mother's words as he replies "I love you too mom."

With that, Ash hangs up his Rotom phone as the feeling of excitement runs through his veins at the thought of getting to see Serena tomorrow.

With the knowledge that the sooner he sleeps, the sooner he gets to see Serena again. Ash does his nightly routine before he climbs into bed, drifting off to sleep as he dreams of the smile Serena is going to give him tomorrow when they meet again.
______________________________

The next day, Ash is up bright and early as he prepares for the day to come. Today is the day he finally gets to reunite with Serena after a month apart.

While the day of travelling ahead isn't exactly the most exciting thing, knowing that at the end of it is the prize of seeing Serena's angelic face makes the journey to come feel so worth it.

With that in mind, Ash practically springs out of bed as he gets himself ready for the day. He does his usual morning routine and packs up his bags, ready to leave for Kanto.

He soon leaves his room with Pikachu on his shoulder as he steps outside the pokemon centre. As he does, he soon spots Hop waiting for him just outside as he sits on a bench.

The Galarian native gets off the bench and approaches Ash with a small smile as he exclaims "The offer still stands you know. There is plenty more we could get up to in Galar."

Ash smiles at the younger trainer and shakes his head as he replies "Thanks Hop. But as much as I love traveling and exploring, there is someone I love more."

Hop can't help but smile at Ash's dedication to Serena. He shakes his head a little as he exclaims "My brother could learn something from you, having dedication for one girl like that."

Ash shrugs his shoulders a little as he responds "I'm sure there's plenty of things he can teach me too."

Hop nods and smirks a little as he exclaims with a slight tease in his tone "Like how to go undefeated in preseason?"

Ash let's off a small chuckle, letting the joke pass over his head in a mature manner. He places an intrigued look on his face as he questions "Speaking of which, when do you start your pre season battles?"

Hop places a competitive smirk on his face and informs "In 3 days time, I'm taking on Nessa the water type gym leader."

Ash competitively grins as he replies "That sounds like a good battle to me. I'll be sure to keep an eye on how you get on."

Hop nods in agreement with his friend and exclaims with enthusiasm in his tone "Thanks Ash, and I'll be keeping a close eye on your indigo league battles. By the time the Galar league rolls around, I want you to be a two time champion!"

Ash smirks a little as he instantly mentally accepts that challenge. He holds his hand out in front of him, offering Hop a handshake. Hop smirks back as he takes Ash's hand, accepting the handshake as they agree to the promise.

After they break, Ash gives the younger Galarian boy a small smile as he exclaims "Take care of yourself Hop."

Hop nods in agreement and replies "You too Ash."

The two trainers both give each other one last nod, as they both head in separate directions.

Ash walks down the path for a few seconds before he turns towards his first Pokémon and exclaims "Come on Pikachu, let's race to the airport!"

Pikachu smiles at the idea as he leaps off Ash's shoulder and dashes off into the lead. Ash childishly laughs before he runs off after Pikachu as the two race toward the airport with excitement plastered in their grins.
______________________________

A few hours later, Serena sits at a desk in Ash's room with a small sketch book in front of her as she scribbles with a pencil. Music plays in the background as Serena comfortably gets herself settled back into her 2nd home.

It's about midday now and it's been quite the journey to get back to Pallet town. Serena and Delia set off early in the morning to the airport where they caught a flight back to the Kanto region.

Thankfully, the night's sleep Serena had has completely healed any of the leftover effects from the poisonous gas she suffered from yesterday. She's completely healed and is bright as ever, brewing with excitement for the reunion to come with her boyfriend.

Her and Delia landed back in Kanto a few hours ago, where Serena arranged a car through her Kalos queen privileges to take them back to Pallet town.

Since arriving home, Serena has packed her stuff away and tidied up their room as she waits for Ash's return. Honestly speaking, she can't wait to see him!

She can't wait to give him a big hug and a sloppy wet kiss before catching up with everything that's happened recently. After that, well let's just say she'd like to have a little more fun if Delia goes to bed early enough.

The Kalos queen shakes her thoughts away from her desire to see her boyfriend as she refocuses on her current task. Just as that moment, her Rotom phone rings in her skirt pocket. Serena takes the phone out of her pocket and beams a smile at it as she sees the call she's been waiting for. She swipes across to answer it and exclaims "Hi Chloe."

Chloe's face appears on the other end as she smiles nervously at the Kalos queen and replies "Hi Ms Yvonne, thank you for giving me the time to call you."

Serena shakes her head a little at Chloe's politeness as she exclaims through a small giggle "I'm the one who wanted to call you silly. I'm just glad the school gave me your number."

Chloe giggles a little as she replies "Yeah I forgot, and sorry I missed your call earlier while I was in class."

Serena smiles reassuringly at the young red head girl as she questions "That's okay Chloe, so how was school?"

Chloe frowns a little as she exclaims in a tired tone "It was pretty boring to be honest with you. All we did was learn about status effects. I can't wait to finish the school year so we can go to Galar together."

Serena smiles at Chloe's eagerness and exclaims "I'm excited too, but remember what the professor said. If you don't pass your exams then your not allowed to go."

Chloe smiles as she remarks in a confident tone "I will Ms Yvonne don't worry. So, why did you want to call me anyway?"

Serena lets off a small sigh as she thinks about the reason. She places an apologetic look on her face as she explains "I just wanted to call to apologise for not giving you a proper goodbye. I was so busy yesterday and my flight this morning was so early that I never got the chance to say goodbye to you in person."

Chloe let's a reassuring smile drift onto her face as she replies "Don't worry about that Ms Yvonne. I understand that you have a busy schedule and I appreciate any, and all time you make for me. For a young girl like me just starting out on her journey, to be able to speak to the best performer in the world like this is so amazing."

Serena can't help but smile at Chloe's attitude towards the situation as she exclaims in an appreciative tone "Thanks Chloe, and by the way you can just call me Serena now that we're out of school."

Chloe feels her young heart beat a little quicker at the Kalos queen's approval as she replies "Okay, thank you Serena."

The two smile at each other in a sisterly manner for a second as they both feel a slight warmth in their hearts. After a few seconds, Chloe decides to move the conversation forward as she questions "Who's room are you in?"

Serena bubbles a little as she explains "I'm in mine and Ash's room at his mom's house. It's pretty cute right."

Chloe smiles as she exclaims in a conflicted tone "Yeah it is, although I must admit. I kind of thought you and Ash would have your own house."

Serena feels a slight heat rise onto her cheeks as she thinks about buying a house with Ash. Well secretly, she already knows that wants to build their dream home together one to raise a family in. She just needs to wait for the right time.

She shakes off that thought as she replies with a small smile on her face "Well, me and Ash are always traveling so we don't really need a house to ourselves yet. We usually stay at one of our mom's. I know we've got the money to buy but we're only 18 so there's no real need for us to rush it. We'll get one when the time is right."

Chloe smiles a little as she exclaims "I guess that makes sense, so what have you been working on?"

Serena smiles as she holds her sketch book up to the camera to show a variety of different sketches of clothing. She places the book back down on her desk as she explains "I have been trying to learn the basics of fashion design. I've always been interested in fashion and I'm learning more about design as a hobby. You see one day, I'd love to look at partnering with more clothing brands and see if I could design a signature line. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have my own brand"

Chloe smiles at Serena's work ethic, feeling inspired by it to go and work just as hard as her. She shakes her head a little as she remark's through a small giggle "You never stop do you? You literally got home like a few hours ago and your already working again."

Serena shakes her head and replies "No, I really do try to keep moving forward. Now that I'm the Kalos queen, and the number one ranked performer in the world. I need other stuff to look into now that I'm not chasing those dreams. Don't get me wrong, most of my time is still taken up with performance training and now performing all over the world. But still, I have more space now to look into some of my other passions."

Chloe can't help but admire Serena's mentality as she takes on the Kalos queen's advice. As she smiles at her mentor, she hears a voice ring out around her house "Chloe we're leaving soon!"

Chloe looks behind her and shouts "I'll be 5 minutes dad."

She looks back towards the camera and takes a small sigh as she exclaims "I'm sorry Serena but I need to go. But first, I've got a question to ask you."

Serena smiles at the young girl reassuringly and replies "Sure, what is it?"

Chloe raises an eyebrow as she questions "So, what are the rules with your phone number. Am I allowed to save it and like, call you. Or is that not allowed? Like does saving the Kalos queen's number without permission explode my phone."

Serena giggles a little at the innocent question and exclaims "Of course you can save my number. Your free to call and text me whenever you want. But please, don't share my number with anyone at the school. I don't want a hundred spam calls off kids."

Chloe holds in a squeal at Serena's approval as she shouts "Thank you! I promise I won't let you down. I'm sorry but I really need to go. My dad is taking us all out to a restaurant tonight. Apparently he's got some big news."

Serena smiles at Chloe's positive relationship with her dad as she exclaims "That sounds like fun. Have a good evening."

Chloe smiles back and replies "You too Serena. Take care!"

With that, the two hang up as Serena goes back to her sketch book while thinking about her conversation with Chloe. While she's only known her for about a month, it's nice to see how far she's come in that time and it's nice to see how much of an inspiration she can be for someone. Part of being a performer is inspiring others and giving them strength. With Chloe, it seems like that is mission accomplished.

As Serena continues to think, she hears a small knock on her bedroom door as Delia's voice rings out "Serena dear, can I come in?"

Serena swings her chair around to face the door with a bright smile on her face as she replies "Sure, come on in!"

The door to the room opens up as Delia enters. The mother of Serena's boyfriend smiles as she steps towards the honey blonde girl with a sandwich and a bottle of water in hand. She places the two down on the desk next to her as she exclaims "I brought you up some lunch because I thought you might be hungry. How are you feeling after yesterday? Any side effects?"

Serena shakes her head a little and replies in a gracious tone "No I feel totally fine. Thanks for lunch by the way, you didn't need to do that. I was just about to go down and make some too."

Delia smiles at the Kalos queen and exclaims "That's good to hear. You caused me quite the scare last night. If you ever want anything while your in my house then all you need to do is ask."

Serena smiles at just how sweet her future mother in law is as she replies "Thanks again for looking after me last night Delia. You really are too kind to me. Sorry again for the late night wake up."

Delia shakes her head at Serena's politeness and exclaims in a motherly tone "It's no problem dear. You have no reason to apologise. I just treat you the same way I would my own child. Well maybe slightly more loving than Ash because he needs a scolding sometimes as we both know."

Serena and Delia share a giggle at the point about Ash, they both definitely have given him his fair share of telling offs over the years.

After they both catch their giggles, Delia raises an eyebrow and questions "So, what have you been working on?"

Serena takes a small sigh as she flashes her sketch book and exclaims "I'm working on my fashion designs. You remember that I told you I was doing some online classes? I'm currently designing a dress but there's something missing that I can't quite put my finger on."

Delia gazes at the sketch book and Serena's dress on the page. She takes a few seconds to analysis it before she suggests "Looking at it Serena, it's a beautiful design. But I think what's missing is a tear down the left side, right at the bottom."

Serena raises her eyebrow at Delia's point, but decides to go along with it anyway. She quickly sketches a tear in the bottom of the dress, in the exact way Delia describes to her. Once she finishes, she looks at the new design with a beaming smile and exclaims "That's it! That was totally what I was missing. Thank you so much!"

Delia smiles at Serena's reaction as she replies "That's okay Serena. I'm quite into my fashion as you know. I kind of knew from experience that was what you needed."

Serena looks up at the second motherly figure in her life and questions with an intrigued look on her face "I don't want this to come off the wrong way, but what experience do you have?"

Delia takes a small complicated sigh before she explains "Well before Ash was born, I used to dream of being a fashion designer. However, I sort of never had time to complete my studies once he was born. Raising him on my own without his father or any grandparents was too time consuming to work my way up the fashion ladder. Thus, I gave it up for my son. It was hard but it was the right thing to do."

Serena places a small frown on her face as she feels a twang of sympathy shoot for her body. Don't get her wrong, she would 1000% give up her dreams too for her child hypothetically. Although, she hopes with Ash and two loving grandparents, plus technological advancements that would allow her to work from home would mean she wouldn't have to give up much in the future once she becomes a mother. Nevertheless, she does still feel sorry for Delia.

Serena looks up at her future mother in law with a sorry expression as she replies "I'm sorry to hear that. But, Ash's all grown up now. Have you ever considered maybe re pursuing that dream now?"

Delia smiles down at her son's girlfriend and exclaims "No, I'm too old to get involved in that stuff. No one is ever going to hire a women in her late 30s with no experience in the field."

Serena shakes her head and replies in a hopeful tone "Age is just a number I say. I'm sure loads of companies would be lucky to have you."

Delia can't help but smile at Serena's encouragement. She places her hand on the teenage girl's shoulder and exclaims "I'm passed all that now Serena. I made peace with my lost dreams a long time ago. It's time for the younger generation like you to step up and make those dreams your own now."

Serena doesn't exactly agree with Delia's views, but she's never going to argue with the mother of her boyfriend. Instead, she nods in understanding and replies "Yeah, I understand."

Delia smiles a little as she begins to walk towards the door. She reaches the exit to the room before she turns around and exclaims "Oh by the way, the house is all yours tonight."

Serena's eyes widen in shock as she turns around and questions "It is?"

Delia nods and explains with a small knowing smirk on her face "Yeah, me and Mimey are going to be visiting a friend tonight. So, the house is all for you and Ash to use. I'll be leaving in about 30 minutes. Make sure you have fun okay?"

Serena hears the news and practically holds in a squeal as she shouts in her head "Delia your a legend!!!"

The Kalos queen quickly shakes off her excitement as she smiles and politely replies "Okay Delia, I promise I'll keep the place tidy."

Delia smiles across at her future daughter in law and simply remarks "I trust you Serena."

Serena beams a smile at Delia's words as the older woman exits the room. As she does, Serena instantly picks up a pillow off the bed and squeals into it.

She takes the pillow away from her face as her enthusiasm for the night ahead begins to overflow. With Delia out the house, she's got the perfect opportunity for a romantic night in with her boyfriend!

She's been waiting for a month to see him again, and now she's got the chance to have the perfect night with him! She's definitely not letting the opportunity of some alone time go to waste!

Serena lays back on the bed and takes a breath to calm herself down as she whispers to no on in particular "I love that woman. My boyfriend's mom is so awesome."

She soon shakes off that thought as her mind begins to race with ideas of how to make this night perfect. By the time Ash gets back it won't be a long night, but it'll certainly be a good night!

Serena soon lays out her plans in her head, knowing exactly how she wants things to go down. With only hours to go until Ash gets back home, she begins to gather the things she needs to set up her plans.
_______________________________

A few hours later, Ash stands on the outskirts of Pallet town as he looks over his hometown. The town is as peaceful as ever, resting under the dark night sky.

It's been a long journey to back to Pallet town to say the least. The flight back from Galar was probably the longest Ash has ever had the pleasure of enduring.

Sitting down and doing nothing for 8 hours straight is not something Ash is too fond of, especially with how energetic he can be. Now he's got a load of pent up energy after doing nothing for such a long period of time.

Then when he actually landed, the airport was practically abandoned with no cars or anything to take him home. He couldn't even find anywhere that he could grab some food, leaving him absolutely starving.

Seeing as there was no cars to take, Ash and Pikachu have had to walk back through Viridian forest at the dark of night to get home. Although it was nice to stretch their legs after such a long flight, and pretty nostalgic, it isn't exactly ideal considering Ash knows Serena is waiting at home for him.

By the time he gets home, it wouldn't surprise him if Serena is already asleep. He has text her to tell her that he's going to be late home, but she hasn't actually responded.

As Ash looks over his home town, he takes a small sigh and exclaims "It looks like we're finally home buddy."

Pikachu smiles and let's off a happy "Pika pika!"

Ash chuckles a little at his first Pokémon's reaction before he replies "I know buddy, I'm excited too. I just hope their not asleep yet. Let's get moving shall we?"

Pikachu nods in agreement as Ash begins to walk into the town with Pikachu on his shoulder. They walk for a good 5 minutes until they reach the crossroads between the lab and Ash's house.

Once they do, Pikachu leaps off Ash's shoulder and points towards the lab while shouting "Pi pika Pikachu!"

Ash looks down at his first Pokémon with a raised eyebrow as he questions "You think Serena's pokemon will be at the lab do you buddy? You want to see Sylveon and the baby right?"

Pikachu nods frantically as the excitement of seeing his adopted child and mate takes over.

Ash smiles at Pikachu's reasoning and exclaims "Okay buddy, I won't stop you. I know just how much you've missed them. But can you do me a favour? Can you take the rest of the guys back with you too? If Serena has her pokemon at the lab then I'm sure she'll want mine there to."

Pikachu nods in agreement with his trainer as he lets off a happy "Pika, Pika!"

Ash smiles and exclaims in a grateful tone "Thanks buddy. I appreciate it."

The Alolan champion hands his pokeballs to Pikachu, who takes them into his hands before walking off down the street.

With his pokemon now on their way to Professor oak's lab, Ash turns around and takes the path towards his house with an enthusiastic spring in his step. With in a few minutes, Ash can see his house on the horizon as the blissful sense of finally being home hits him like a ton of bricks. Right now, he's just moments away from seeing Serena again. While even if it's just watching snore quietly while he gets into bed with her, that's still enough for him.

Meanwhile, Serena places the final details on her plan as she fixes up the lighting in the room. She wipes a bead of sweat of her forehead as she looks into a nearby mirror. Despite all her hard work, she is still looking as immaculate as ever. Her hair and make up is styled to perfection, ready for her boyfriend to lay his eyes on once again.

Speaking of her boyfriend, Serena turns towards the window and spots a speck of raven hair in the distance. Her smile beams beams brighter than any sun ever has, as her body moves on its own.

Meanwhile, Ash walks into his street as he approaches his house. As he does, he spots a spec of honey blonde hair in the distance. That hair is soon joined by a familiar angelic face, with a smile wider than any region he's crossed as a voice shouts "ASH!!"

Ash sees the angel sprinting toward him from afar and lets off a childish laugh as he shouts "SERENA!"

The amour couple's bright smiles light up the night sky as they both sprint off towards each other at full speed. They both laugh as their bodies move on their own, ready to meet in a loving reunion.

They soon close the distance between each other until they meet somewhere in the middle of the path. As if it was planned, Serena leaps forward into Ash's arms as he reaches out to catch her. The Alola champion catches the queen of two regions in his arms, as Serena feels the safest she's felt in a month. Ash's hands grab a hold of Serena's curvy hips as he lifts her high up into the air and spins her around a few times while smiling as bright as he can with laughter escaping his mouth.

Serena yelps a little as she feels her boyfriend lift her into the air. She giggles as he spins her around, as the magical feeling of being lifted by her man runs through her veins.

Ash soon lowers his girlfriend down to the ground as she stands on her own two feet. Within a split second, she makes her move as she cups her boyfriend's cheeks into her hands before slamming her lips straight towards his. The Kalos queen's lips smack into Ash's, as she goes straight in for a big sloppy kiss.

Ash smiles as he feels Serena's soft strawberry lips lock with his own. He soon wraps his arms around Serena's waist for support, before kissing back as their mouths reacquaint themselves with each other after so long.

As if they never left, their lips soon engage in their usual harmonious signature dance. Tongues twist and lips lock, as the amour couple make out in the middle of the street while the moons shines down upon them and radiates off their skin.

The feeling for both of them is complete bliss. It's been a long month since they last shared such a kiss, but now that it's here that wait seems so worth it. The affection they've both been longing for is here, and they couldn't be happier with the result.

The two continue their kissing session for a good few minutes until the need for oxygen unfortunately forces them to break apart. As they do, Serena instantly lunges forward and locks her boyfriend into a strong hug. She wraps her arms around his back and buries her head straight into the comfort of his chest.

The honey blonde takes a second just to marvel at the comfort of her boyfriend's chest, and the safety of his arms around her body. She takes a small loving sigh as she nuzzles her cheek against his peck and whispers "I've missed you."

Ash smiles brightly as he looks down at the honey blonde beauty. He's missed the joy that her smile gives him, and her undying love that seems to never waiver. He leans down, pecking her forehead while getting a good whiff of her sweet smelling honey blonde hair. He holds her as close as possible, leaning his chin on top of her head as he whispers "I've missed you too."

The two stay in that warm embrace for a few minutes, just enjoying being back in one and other's company for the first time in a long gruelling month. This hug may be one of hundreds they've shared, but it's a special one because it's a reunion hug.

Eventually, they both lean back a little as they lock eyes. Cerulean blue meets auburn as their two eyes glint in the night. They both place bright smiles on their face as they shout at the same time "Congratulations!"

The amour couple both giggle at their shared enthusiasm to congratulate one and other. It's not an awkward laugh, but if there was any tension it was certainly broken right then and there.

They both catch their giggles as Serena pokes a finger into Ash's chest and exclaims "You, can go first."

Ash places a small smirk and replies in a slightly flirtatious tone "I think you'll find that the saying is ladies first my queen."

Serena bubbles at Ash's tone and his little queen comment. She loves being called his queen, and she certainly loves how he seems to be in a playful mood. She's missed their games and flirting oh so much. She smiles while looking up into his eyes as she exclaims "Congratulations on doing so well in your preseason battles! I didn't get to congratulate you yesterday so congratulations on beating Bea as well! You and Lucario were awesome! Final point, thank you for your help with Hunter J. If you didn't help Greninja out then I don't even want to know what would have happened to me. My hero."

Ash takes in his girlfriend's praise and can't help but feel pride in his veins. He looks down at Serena with a loving expression as he replies "Thanks babe."

His expression soon changes to a proud one as he continues in a loving tone "Congratulations on winning the Ultra class! I'm still so, so proud of you! I could hardly contain myself when you won! Your performance was so beautiful, just like you. I'm not even going to sugarcoat it, you were one hot angel up on stage. I just couldn't take my eyes off you."

Serena's cheeks instantly light up bright red upon receiving such compliments from the man she loves. She lets off a smile giggle as leans up and pecks him on the lips. She leans back and beams a bright smile as she enthusiastically shouts "Thanks Ashy!"

Ash chuckles a little at the sudden nickname before he replies "No problem beautiful."

The two of them stare into each other's eyes for a few moments, just still so happy to be back together. Eventually, Ash raises an eyebrow a little as he questions "How are you feeling anyway, after yesterday?"

Serena smiles and exclaims "Perfect, now that your here!"

Ash can't help but smile at Serena's positivity as he replies "Good, I was so worried about you that I called mom late last night. How come your awake so late anyway? I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Serena shakes her head at her boyfriend's dumb question as she runs a hand through his raven hair and explains "I was waiting up for you silly! Besides, how could I sleep knowing you were walking home in the middle of the night in a scary forest. Plus I know my boyfriend, I bet your hungry aren't you."

Ash scratches his head nervously and admits through a small laugh "Yeah your right, I'm starving."

Serena smirks a little internally, step one of her plan for a romantic night is a go. She knew Ash would obviously be hungry. Hell when is he not!

She moves her hands behind his neck as she exclaims "Well in that case, I think you need to come with me. I know exactly where you'll find some food."

Ash takes in Serena's mischievous tone and knows she must have some sort of plan or game up her sleeve. He decides to play along for now as he replies "Lead the way beautiful."

Serena practically holds in a squeal of childish excitement as she takes a hold of Ash's hand. She gives his hand one big yank as she runs off towards the house while dragging Ash along with her forcefully.

As he's dragged away by his girlfriend, Ash can't help but grin as he thinks to himself "Serena sure is excited and full of energy tonight. The good thing is I am too. She's so cute when she's all excited like this. I've missed her so much more than I thought I would. I never want to leave her again. I just love this girl so much and she makes my life so much better. I'm not sure what she's planning but whatever it is, I trust she's going to make this the perfect reunion."

Ash shakes himself out of his thoughts as Serena practically slams open the front door, dragging him into the house as they head straight for the kitchen.

As they get to the kitchen door, Serena suddenly stops as she turns towards her boyfriend with a mischievous grin on her face. She keeps one hand on his, while moving her other one up to his face. She covers his eyes with it as she whispers "No peeking."

Ash chuckles a little as he decides to play along with his girlfriend's silly game. He hears Serena pull the door open, before she gives his hand a tug. She leads him towards a certain spot in the room as she giggles a little before she exclaims "Welcome home Ash!"

As Serena moves her hand away, Ash sees the full fruit of her labour. Serena has certainly been busy for the last few hours to say the least judging by the state of the kitchen.

A sweet fragrance hangs in the air as the room is filled with scented candles, giving off the perfect romantic lighting. On the table, sits two plates on either side with two steak dinners laying in wait. A bottle of expensive champagne sits in the middle of table, with two glasses already poured and situated on the table next to the plates.

Ash can't help but smile at the romantic setting and the delicious looking dinner in front of him. He turns towards his girlfriend and questions "You did all this by yourself?"

Serena nods to her boyfriend with a bright smile as she explains "Yep, you see I feel like we could both do with a nice romantic night in to celebrate and to make up for lost time. So, I made us both a romantic dinner for two. It's a little last minute but I put a lot of effort into it. Do you like it?"

Ash can't help but feel so lucky to have Serena in this moment. As much as he's usually not the one who's pushing for romantic dinners like this, Serena loves stuff like this and it's certainly growing on him. In fact if he's being brutally honest with himself, he's been craving a romantic night with his girl for a while now.

Well she's given both of them the perfect opportunity for that, and Ash couldn't be happier with Serena's thoughtfulness. The fact she went out of her way to do something like this today for him, just reiterates how perfect she is.

Ash shakes off his thoughts for a second as he turns towards Serena with a bright smile. He leans forward and pecks her on the cheek as he replies "I love it babe. I love."

A small blush coats Serena face as she replies through a small giggle "Thanks Ashy. Now, you ready to eat?"

Ash smirks a little at the dumb question before he questions "When am I not ready to eat?"

Serena giggles a little before she remarks "True, you are still my hungry little boyfriend."

Ash chuckles a little as he walks towards the kitchen table. He soon reaches the table as he pulls out the chair on one side before gesturing for Serena to take a seat. The honey blonde girl beams a smile at Ash's gentlemanly gesture as she takes her place at the table. Ash tucks her chair in before making his way over to his side to join her as he takes his seat.

With them both sat at the table opposite each other, they take their champagne glasses and hold them up into the air. A bright smile coats both their faces as Ash exclaims "A toast, to the world champion performer and the most beautiful girl in the world."

Serena bubbles a little at Ash's sweet words as she adds "To our ever lasting love, and the reunion we share today."

The smash their glasses together as they shout in unison "Cheers!"

They both take a big swig of their champagne as they relish in the sweet taste of being back together again.

The both place their glasses down as they begin to tuck into their dinners. After only a few bites, Ash takes a sigh of satisfaction as he exclaims through a small smile "I've missed your cooking you know."

Serena looks up from her food with the same guilty smile as she admits "And I've missed feeding you. I know that's not very modern thinking of me but I don't care. Your so cute when you eat."

Ash can't help but chuckle at Serena's comments, even if thinking he's cute while he eats is a little weird. In truth, he finds a lot of things Serena does cute as well when he probably shouldn't.

The Alola champion decides to move the subject along as he questions "So, how's your day been. I hope my mom didn't give you too much of a headache."

Serena shakes her head as she replies with a smiley face "Not at all, I've honestly had a great time with her. Sure the flight home was long but we had fun the whole way. We've actually got quite a bit in common. She actually helped me with my project work for that design course I was talking to you about."

Ash smiles at the fact that Serena has his mother seem to be getting on, happy that there is no malice between the two most important people in his life. He raises his eyebrow a little as he questions "Speaking of mom. Where is she?"

Serena giggles a little as she exclaims through a mischievous smile on her face "She went to stay at a friend's house tonight so we have the whole place all to ourselves. That's why I put on this romantic night in for two."

Ash hears the news and instantly knows what Serena is planning for later on in the night. He can tell just by the look she's giving him. While he is pretty excited for what's to come, he's also going to make sure to tease his girlfriend along the way. He just loves to have fun with her like that.

The raven haired trainer decides to move the conversation along as he replies "Well, I can't wait to see what else you have planned. Anyway, how was it in the Alola region."

Serena beams a bright smile as she reflects on her journey over the last month. She looks her boyfriend in the eyes as she exclaims "It is was all a lot of fun. First of teaching at the school was great, and I found the perfect duo to take to Galar. I told you already how Chloe is going to be a star in my performance team at the Galar league, but her partner Goh will be coming along too. He's a massive fan of yours and he's going to be so excited to meet you. As for the showcase, it was so much fun. Performing in front of a crowd like that with so many amazing people was so special. It was just such an amazing experience and winning was just the icing on the cake. Meeting Dawn and seeing May again was so cool too. I can see why you used to travel with them because they are both amazing. I think the 3 of us are going to be great friends in the future."

Ash hears Serena's thoughts on her time in the Alola region as happiness runs through his veins at the fact that she really seemed to enjoy herself. He gets that point across to her as he smiles and replies "I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself, and that you found new friends along the way."

Serena smiles at the genuine nature of her boyfriend's reply as she remarks "Thanks Ash, so are you going to tell me about Galar?"

Ash nods as he exclaims with a smile on his face "It was awesome to explore just some of the region. The first time I saw the wild area I thought I was dreaming, I mean there was just so many Pokémon everywhere. As for the battles, they were all so fun. Getting the chance to battle 4 unique and exciting trainer's certainly gave me a lot of joy. Travelling with Hop was great too. He may be a younger trainer than me but we got on pretty well. While he may not be as strong as Leon yet, he's got the right attitude and he'll go far in the future. But the best part was capturing my 4 new Pokémon. They've all been great partners already but they still have a long way to go. Honestly speaking, the potential they all have is what excites me most."

Serena hears about Ash's Galar journey and can't help but feel happy for how much her boyfriend seemed to enjoy himself. She looks over at him with admiration in her eyes as she exclaims "I'm glad you had fun Ash."

Ash smiles gratefully at his girlfriend as he replies "Thanks baby."

The amour couple continue to eat their dinner and drink champagne for the next half hour or so. As usual, the conversation flows naturally with their usual flirting and teasing thrown in.

After a while, Ash stretches out a little as he compliments in a satisfied tone "I have to say Serena, that really hit the spot. Thanks again for cooking."

Serena smiles at her boyfriend as she replies "No problem Ash, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

The honey blonde girl takes a second to collect her thoughts as she weighs up her plan. As much as she's loved this romantic dinner and talking like this with Ash, she wants do something else that she's also missed lately. It's time to move on to something that'll bring them a little closer together.

She smirks a little as she decides to go for it, questioning in a flirtatious tone "So, would you like to know what's for dessert?"

Ash hears Serena's question and instantly knows exactly what's going to be for dessert. While he may be a little dense still, even he knows what Serena's cooked up here. Nevertheless, he decides to play dumb for now as he exclaims "Yeah, I didn't know you made dessert too! Can you tell me what it is!"

Serena giggles a little as she remarks with a seductive grin "Well if you want it then you need to guess what it is first. How about I give you a clue. It begins with M"

Ash instantly takes an excited gasp as he realises Serena has baked his favourite. His eyes light up with little stars as he shouts with clear excitement in his tone "Awesome! You made macarons!"

Upon hearing Ash's answer, Serena instantly sweat drops as she nearly collapses to the ground anime style. Is Ash seriously still that dense that he can't pick up on her hints!? Does he not feel up to it like she does!?"

Well actually, she has made macarons. Even though that wasn't the intention for her answer. She made macarons to eat at some point on their travels instead of now. But Serena really doesn't have the heart to tell Ash that he was wrong.

She takes a small nervous laugh as she replies in a conflicted tone "Well, yeah your right. Let me get you the basket."

Serena gets off her chair and walks towards a small basket positioned on the kitchen counter.

As he watches her walk, Ash can't help but grin at how he's thrown Serena completely off her game. Of course he knew Serena didn't mean macarons. No the answer she was looking for was obviously me.

As much as Ash would love to keep the teasing going on for a little longer. He kind of feels guilty about that little sad look on Serena's face. She's waited long enough for this. Plus, he can't wait either! With that decision made, Ash gets up off his chair and follows his girlfriend over to the basket.

Serena makes it to the kitchen counter and takes the basket into her hands as she gazes at the ground. She takes a small sigh, a little disappointed with how this is going. She takes a second to reflect as she soon gets over herself. After all, it's not a bad thing that Ash really wants to eat her macaroons. Plus, she's never going to force him into doing what she wants to do. That would just be wrong. Imagine if that was the other way around.

However as she looks at the ground, she gasps in shock as she feels two fingers press against her chin. Soon, those two fingers press her chin up as Serena is forced to look up from her slump. As she lifts her head, a pair of auburn eyes pierce her cerulean ones as a massive smirk coats Ash's face.

Serena stares into Ash's eyes for a second as she feels his warm breath hit her face, causing her arms to tickle with goosebumps. The honey blonde girl opens her mouth slightly to speak, until Ash moves a finger to her lips. He traces them for a second, before smashing his lips forward towards the woman he loves.

Warning: This next section is a little steamy. Nothing too bad but still thought I'd put a warning. If you want to skip then read from the next underline.

Serena's eyes widen as Ash's lips quickly lock with hers in an aggressive manner, completely catching her off guard. The force of the kiss knocks Serena back a little, causing her to drop the box of macarons onto the ground.

Ash continues to work his girlfriend's mouth as his lips attack her's. Serena takes a second to get used to feeling of her boyfriend's forceful kissing, before she decides to fight back! She cups her hands around his Z mark cheeks and begins to kiss back as the two make out.

Their make out session continues as the two let their moves and tongues explore one and other while their hands move freely across each other's body.

Ash moves his hands over Serena's hips, tracing all her curves and edges he's so sorely missed along the way. As he does his instincts take over, as he grips Serena's hips tightly before lifting her up into the air. Serena yelps a little in excitement as she feels herself being lifted up. He soon places her down on the kitchen counter, as Serena sits up with her head at the perfect height to continue their kissing session.

With Serena sat on the counter, the two continue to kiss with clear love and lust for each other before they finally break apart with the dreaded oxygen being the only thing to separate them. A string of saliva connects their mouths together, as they both look into each other's eyes while panting heavily.

Ash catches his breath first as he leans towards his girlfriend. He smirks a little as he whispers in Serena's ear "You thought I was too dense to understand what you wanted? I was always know what you want princess. Best part is, I want this just as much as you. I've been waiting for you to."

Serena feels a shiver run down her spine as she takes in her boyfriend's words. She looks up into his eyes and takes a small giggle as she replies "Good, because that is part two of our plan. We're going to be having a long energetic dance if you know what I mean."

Ash places a small kiss on Serena's lips as he exclaims "I love to dance with you my angel."

Serena feels excitement run through her veins as her desire for her boyfriend's touch grows ever larger. Her eagerness grows even more as she replies in a seductive tone "Now, take us to the dance floor my dear Ash."

Ash takes on Serena's point as he frowns a little and exclaims "Why do we have to wait. Why can't we just dance right here."

Serena can't help but giggle at Ash's eagerness to begin their dance, clearly he's just as excited as she is. However, the kitchen probably isn't the best place considering the mess they could make. She gets that point across to her boyfriend as she exclaims "As fun as that sounds, this isn't our house and we'd make a mess of the whole kitchen. There's no telling if we'd have enough time to clean up before your mom comes home tomorrow."

Ash let's off a small chuckle as he scratches his head nervously and replies "Yeah I guess your right."

Serena frowns a little as she feels her desperation to get things started getting the better of her. She looks her boyfriend in the eye with burning desire as she orders in an authoritative tone "Now, your queen will not be kept waiting any longer. Take me to bed Ashy."

Ash gulps at Serena's tone and instantly remembers that she's the one in charge here. At least for now.

The Alola champion soon follows his orders as he scoops up Serena into his arms, carrying her bridal strike up the stairs while following a set of red rose petals that Serena has expertly laid out just to help the mood.

Ash soon makes it up to his room and kicks the door down gently. He gazes inside to see that the rose petals lead straight to their bed, where even more rest a top.

The Alola champion can't help but chuckle a little as he exclaims "You really thought this all out didn't you?

Serena giggles a little before she replies in a flirtatious voice "Well my dear Ashy. We've been waiting a long time for a night like this, so I wanted to make the setting as romantic as possible. I promise this is going to be the best night of your life. Before we start I want to warn you, I want all that energy of yours to myself! We're not stopping until it's all gone!"

Ash smirks even more at just how eager Serena is. In truth, he loves these moments between them too and how sweet Serena is for setting all this up. As for her last part, he's never been one to go against what Serena tells him.

No more words are needed for now between the two as Ash walks towards the bed. He dumps Serena down gently before he follows her down to the bed.

Within a few seconds, their lips smash back together as their hands move around each other's bodies freely. Their delirium to dance only grows as they prepare to engage themselves in something more intimate.

They continue to make out as they prepare to reacquaint themselves with their own special dance of pure love. A dance that's been sorely missed.
________________________________

The next morning, Pidgey's chirp in the morning sky as the sun sits over looking Pallet town. It's just before noon, but still the quiet old town sleeps peacefully through it all.

The same could be said for the amour couple as they lay passed out in their bed. Both lay in each other's arms as Serena snuggles her cheek against her boyfriend's bare chest, with only a blanket to cover them

Their dance last night was a long one with intense music scattering the air. As soon as that magical dance ended in the early hours of the morning, the amour couple were quick to succumb to fatigue, with them falling straight asleep in the aforementioned position.

The twocontinue to stay in a deep slumber until the sound of birds eventually wakes them. Their eyes flutter open in unison as cerulean blue meets auburn. With their faces only inches apart, for the first time in a while they wake up to the blissful sight of their lovers face.

The amour couple both beam bright smiles at each other before they lean in, connecting with a sweet good morning kiss on the lips. The two of them soon pull back, both still smiling at one and other after such a magical experience.

Serena giggles a little as she runs a hand through Ash's messy raven hair and exclaims "Good morning handsome."

Ash chuckles a little as he pulls Serena as close as humanly possible to him and replies "Good morning beautiful."

Serena takes Ash's invitation and cuddles into him even more, still both in the afterglow of their dance from the night before. The current Kalos queen can't help but feel satisfied by the current reunion with her boyfriend as she whispers "I've missed waking up next to you."

Ash can't help but agree with his girlfriend's point as he pecks her forehead and whispers "I've missed waking up next to you too."

The two of them continue to just cuddle in silence for a few minutes, until Serena takes a loving sigh and compliments "Your amazing you know that."

Ash keeps Serena secure in his arms to keep her warm as he replies "Your awesome too. You were right about last night being one of the best of my life. Sorry if I was... well."

Serena cuts her boyfriend off with a small giggle as she puts her finger to his lips and remarks through a small smirk "You weren't, you were just perfect. It was exactly what we both wanted and needed."

Ash smiles at his girlfriend's praise and whispers "You so perfect too. Thank you for being you".

Serena could cry at all the loving sweet talk her and Ash are having. She loves the boy beneath her so much, and all the beautiful things they do with each other. He's so special and so perfect to her that she'd throw everything else away just to be with him.

A few more peaceful minutes drift by as they continue to cuddle in their shared afterglow. Eventually, Ash turns to look out at his alarm clock to see how late in the morning it is. He lets off a small chuckle as he turns towards his girlfriend and exclaims "I guess we're not starting our journey today then."

Serena places a guilty smile on her face and shakes her head a little as she replies "Sorry Ash, but I think I'm a little too tired and sore from our fun last night to go travelling today."

Ash let's off a nervous laugh at his girlfriend's words and swiftly remarks "Oh, I'm sorry Serena."

Serena frowns at Ash's apology and shakes her head as she exclaims with a hint of authority in her tone "Don't you dare apologise for that. We had fun so it's no trouble."

Ash gulps a little at his girlfriend's tone and replies "Noted."

Serena smiles at Ash's swift acceptance of her wishes as she exclaims while moving a hand through Ash's hair "Anyway, it's probably a good thing anyway considering we haven't finished our schedule yet. I have a meeting with Aria later today to finalise everything. While I'm traveling with you to prepare you for the indigo league, I still want to do my own things where I can and continue performing to inspire others."

Ash can't help but smile at his girlfriend's mentality as he pecks her on the lips and replies "Your so adorable you know. I wouldn't expect anything less than for you to want to continue to perform and chase your own goals."

Serena's cheeks heat up red at her boyfriend's affectionate words as she exclaims "Thanks Ashy!"

Ash chuckles a little and replies "No problem beautiful. So, what time is this meeting?"

Serena smiles up at her boyfriend and explains "In about two hours time. I've asked professor Oak if I can use his video phone for the meeting and he accepted. I was thinking, maybe we could go down a little early so you can see some of your Pokémon and I can meet your new ones."

Ash can't help but agree with that idea as he enthusiastically shouts "That sounds like a plan to me. Let's get going right away!"

Serena giggles a little at Ash's eagerness as she exclaims "Hold your Ponytas Ash. We both need to shower and get dressed first. You can't go out looking like this. This is all for my eyes only!"

Ash realises that he was a little to eager to get going as he scratches his head nervously. A guilty smile marks his face as he replies "Your all for my eyes only too. How about you go take a shower and I'll make breakfast, well brunch at this point."

Serena smirks a little as she exclaims "Deal, but first I need you to carry me."

Ash chuckles a little and replies "As you wish my queen".

The amour couple share a quick kiss and a laugh, as they finally prepare to start their day off.
_________________________________

An hour later, Ash and Serena leave their house as they make their way over towards Professor Oak's lab.

The two of them hold hands while walking down the familiar path, both just taking in the exhilarating feeling of being able to walk side by side with their loved one once again.

They've both missed the little things like this. The safety of holding onto one and other as they walk through the peace of the morning breeze. Well early afternoon in this case.

Just the feeling of being beside one and other makes them happy. Like the world is a better place with their smiles to beam off each other. Their eyes radiate and glisten with satisfaction as they continue their peaceful walk.

Before long, they find themselves at the front door to the lab where Ash naturally lets them in. They both stride through the corridors until they find themselves out on the lab grounds.

As they walk through the fields, Ash takes a peaceful sigh and remarks "It feels good to be back home."

Serena nods in agreement with her boyfriend and replies "It sure does, and I can't wait to explore more of the region with you. Apart from Pallet town and Viridian city, I've never been to any other part of Kanto."

Ash smiles at his girlfriend and exclaims with enthusiasm in his tone "Then I'm going to make sure that this next journey is extra special. By the end of it, I'm going to be the champion of the Kanto region! I'll be one step closer to my dream of becoming a Pokémon master!"

Serena can't help but beam and affectionate smile in the Alola champion's direction as she thinks to herself "Oh I've missed you! That's the man I love right there. Always so upbeat and enthusiastic! Always chasing his dream and striving to be the very best!"

Serena continues to eye up her boyfriend with love in her eyes until she hears two excited cries sprinting towards her. She looks up and spots Pikachu with his daughter by his side, sprinting towards them both with pure excitement on their faces.

The two Pikachu's soon reach the amour couple as the baby jumps up on Ash's shoulder while the original leaps up onto Serena's. The two of them let off happy cries as they immediately begin to nuzzle their cheeks against their opposite trainers.

Ash let's off a small chuckle as he greets "Hey there Pikachu. I've missed you too."

Serena giggles at Pikachu's affection as she rubs the top of his head and exclaims "Thanks Pikachu! I missed you. I see you've done a great job of taking care of Ash for me."

Ash's Pikachu let's a bright smile drift onto his face from Serena's praise as he happily shouts "Pika pika!"

Ash smiles at his first Pokémon's reaction to seeing his girlfriend again as takes the baby into his hands. He looks down at the baby and questions "Say, where is your mom? I thought you guys would all be here together."

Ash's Pikachu rubs his head nervously and explains in his native tone "I woke up the baby last night and she wouldn't go back to sleep. So Sylveon is only just getting rest now."

Ash perfectly understands Pikachu's situation and laughs a little as he remarks "Looks like it's back to dad duty for you buddy."

Pikachu rolls his eyes at his trainer's attempt to tease him before he turns his attention back to Serena and points towards her bag.

Serena can't help but giggle at Pikachu's request as she exclaims "Of course you can have one Pikachu."

Pikachu's mouth instantly waters as he watches Serena open up her bag and take out a rectangular box. She pops the box open, revealing her signature pokepuffs inside.

Upon seeing the sweet treats, baby Pikachu leaps off Ash's shoulder and straight onto Serena's shoulder. She folds her arms and pouts at her trainer with a less than impressed look on her face.

Serena giggles at her baby Pokémon's reaction before she exclaims "You need to stop being so jealous. There's plenty for everyone."

Baby Pikachu smiles a little at her trainer's words as Serena hands both of them a bright yellow pokepuff with small red sprinkles on the top. They both let off excited cries as they munch on their sweet treats while perched on either side of Serena's shoulders.

Ash watches the 3 of them interact with a smile on his face, feeling really happy to see everyone already back together and getting along.

However, a thought soon passes through his head that he can't ignore as he questions "Hey Pikachu, what happened to the rest of the new guys?"

Pikachu scratches his head nervously and explains in his native tone "It's a long story. Lucario decided he was going to battle Infernape and I haven't seen him since . I told Infernape to hold back a little but that's not in his nature. Corviknight is racing the other flying types while Morgrem is trying to find away to creep everyone out. As for Dragonite, everyone keeps challenging her to battles but she doesn't understand and just hugs them. I told them I'd call them here with a thunderbolt when your ready."

Ash hears the stories about his Pokémon and can't help but let off a small chuckle. He places his hands on his hips and exclaims "Well then in that case, can you send them all here buddy."

Pikachu nods as he sparks his cheeks with electricity before firing off a weak thunderbolt into the sky. Suddenly, a pattering of feet sound from over a hill as Ash's newest four Pokémon all sprint towards him.

They all soon reach him as they obediently line up in front of their trainer while glancing toward Serena. Upon seeing so many new faces, baby Pikachu sinks into her trainer's arms and cuddles a into her in worry.

With his team stood in front of him, Ash smiles brightly at them all as he announces "Alright everyone, there's somebody that would really like to meet you. I've told you all about her already but she wants to introduce herself properly."

Serena takes her queue and moves forward to stand next to her boyfriend. She smiles brightly at the 4 pokemon as she exclaims "Hi everyone, I'm Ash's girlfriend Serena. It's so nice to finally meet you all. Ash has told me how awesome you all are. Thank you for all taking care of him while he was in Galar."

The four Pokémon all pump a limb in the air and let off positive cries at Serena's little greeting.

They soon all begin to introduce themselves as Dragonite steps forward. The pseudo legendary pokemon approaches Serena with a silly smile on her face. She holds her hand out towards the Kalos queen and greets "Drag."

Serena smiles at the loveable orange dragon and she holds her hand out too. They both shake hands as Serena replies "Nice to meet you too Dragonite. I hear your quite the hugger."

Dragonite scratches the back of her head nervously as she takes in Serena's statement. She is definitely right in what she says. Dragonite loves hugs that's for sure.

As Dragonite collects her thoughts, she looks down and sees a small yellow Pokémon in Serena's hands. It doesn't take her long to put two and two together as she realises that the pokemon in question is Pikachu's daughter. Now that's a pokemon she wants to cuddle!

The loveable pokemon lowers her head down to the baby Pokémon's level and gives her a bright smile while holding out her hands invitingly.

Baby Pikachu looks into the eyes of the powerful pseudo legendary as she takes a second to asses her. Suddenly, a bright wide smile appears on the baby's face as she leaps from Serena's arms and into Dragonite's.

The pseudo legendary dragon smiles as she lifts the baby up into the air. She holds her by her hips so gently, before letting off a happy cry.

Baby Pikachu let's off a similar cry as she nuzzles a cheek into the orange dragon.

Ash smiles at the sight and comments "Well what do you know, it looks like you've got another baby sitter."

Serena giggles a little as she questions to her baby Pokémon "Do you like aunt Dragonite?"

The baby nods frantically while letting off a happy "Pika pika!"

Serena giggles a little more as she exclaims "I've never seen such a big pokemon be so gentle around her apart from Goodra. What's with your pseudo legendary pokemon and being so soft with the baby."

Ash let's off a small chuckle as she exclaims "Don't let Kommo-o hear you say that. He's not exactly as soft as those two."

Serena can't help but giggle a little as she replies "That's true."

Dragonite continues to look after the baby while Ash's next pokemon introduces himself to Serena. Corviknight steps forward and holds out a wing as he happily cries out.

Serena shakes the metal bird's wing and exclaims "I'm glad to finally meet you too Corviknight." She hands the flying type a pokefuff which he takes before flying off to rejoin his fellow flying types.

The next to step forward is Morgrem who tries to make himself look as intimidating as possible with a giant grin on his face.

However, Serena finds him anything but intimidating as she clasps her hands together and exclaims "Ahhh, he's a cute one!"

Morgrem jumps back in shock a little, not expecting such a compliment. In fact, that was kind of an insult considering the look he was going for.

However, he soon gets over himself once Serena gifts him one of her many delicious pokepuffs.

The final Pokémon to introduce themselves is Lucario, as he walks towards Serena with a dead pan expression on his face. He suddenly stops and takes a knee in front of her, as he lowers his head towards the ground and greets "It's nice to finally meet you mistress."

Upon seeing the gesture, Serena takes a step back as her eyes widen in shock. She shakes her head in disbelief as she shouts "You can talk!?"

Lucario raises an eyebrow and questions "You can understand me too!?"

Ash let's off a nervous laugh as he explains"I didn't think you'd be able to understand him too. You see Lucario's able to communicate with people through aura, if they are strong and pure enough. I guess your's is too."

Serena lets her initial confusion drift away as she smiles and exclaims "Oh, well I guess that makes sense. It's nice to meet you too Lucario."

Lucario looks up at the Kalos queen and replies "Thanks Mistress."

Ash shakes his head at Lucario's words and exclaims "Stand up Lucario. I know I always call Serena a queen but you don't need to greet her like royalty. Also, you don't need to call her mistress."

Lucario stands up on his feet as he looks at the couple before him. He shakes his head a little as he replies "Master is a term of respect, that is why I call you that. That means your mate must is known as my mistress."

Ash takes a small sigh as he listens to Lucario's point. While he would much rather just be called by his name, he's not going to argue with his aura pokemon. The Alola champion shakes off his thoughts as he exclaims "Well I'm not going to argue with you. So, how did your battle with Infernape go."

Lucario's face instantly dulls a little as he replies "Not as I had envisioned. I need more training, let's just say that."

Ash hears the cryptic response and realises that the battle went pretty much how he would have expected. Don't get it twisted, Lucario is a strong Pokémon with incredible potential. However, beating Infernape this early is simply too much to ask.

Ash smiles a little as he exclaims "Well, Infernape has been doing this sort of thing for a long time now. There's no shame in losing to him. How about instead of trying to battle him, you train together instead. In fact, I'm sure loads of my Pokémon would be willing to train with you around here."

Lucario thinks about his trainer's suggestion for a second before he replies "I think I'll look around. I need to get stronger."

The aura pokemon begins to stride off in search of a training partner, until Serena smiles and shouts "Wait Lucario!"

Lucario turns back around towards his trainer's mate and questions "What's the matter mistress."

Serena slightly grimaces at the name, it's going to take her a while to get used to that one. She shakes that thought off as she takes out a blue pokepuff. She smiles as she holds it out in front of her and exclaims "Take one of these with you. Their my signature pokepuffs and their really tasty, plus they are good for building strength."

Lucario examines the foreign treat in Serena's hand before he reaches out and takes it. He looks up at the Kalos queen with a small smile as he replies gratefully "Thank you mistress."

With his pokepuff secure, Lucario dashes off over the hill in search of a training partner in his quest to get stronger.

As they watch him leave, Serena turns towards her boyfriend and exclaims in a slightly awkward tone "Your Lucario sure is dedicated to training."

Ash nods and replies through an unsure smile "He sure is, his only goal is to become the strongest version of himself he can. Although, I wish he was a little more relaxed than this."

Serena smiles reassuringly towards her boyfriend and exclaims "Well I'm sure you'll figure it out. You usually do."

Ash chuckles slightly as he replies "Thanks babe. Now, let's go and get set up for your meeting shall we."

Serena nods in agreement with her boyfriend and remarks in a carefree tone "Sure, let's go."

The two of them lock hands as they walk back into the main pokemon lab. As they do, they quickly make their way through various rooms of lab equipment until they make it to the meeting room.

They both open up the door to the room and step inside as they get ready to set up the meeting. However as they do, they are soon met with two familiar faces as a voice rings out "Good afternoon sleepy heads!"

Ash and Serena instantly stop as the raven haired trainer exclaims "Mom, professor Oak. What are you guys doing here?"

Professor Oak keeps a straight face as he nonchalantly remarks "This is my lab my boy. Where else would I be?"

Delia laughs a little at Professor Oak's tone before she explains "And I came straight here early this morning to help the professor set up. Plus to help him with a few things around the lab. With Gary and Tracey on their research projects things can get quite busy around here."

Ash slightly kicks himself for asking such stupid questions. Of course Professor Oak is at his own lab, and his mom has always worked part time when needed so of course she's doing her job.

Meanwhile, Serena beams a bright smile at the pair as she politely exclaims "Good morning Delia, and you too professor Oak."

The old professor smiles at the Kalos queen and replies "Good morning Serena, and congratulations on your victory at the ultra class."

Serena bubbles a little at the reminder of her recent achievement as she exclaims "Thank you professor."

Delia can't help but smile at Serena's reaction as she remarks "Good morning dear. I hope your ready for our meeting."

Serena hears Delia's statement and can't help but feel as though there was a mistake in there. She place a confused look on her face as she politely replies "Excuse me Mrs Ketchum. But did you just say our meeting."

Delia chuckles at her future daughter in law's politeness as she explains "First of all dear, you called me Mrs Ketchum again. Secondly, you are still legally required to have a trusted adult with you when you sign of any deals or contracts. As much as you trust Aria and so do I, the law is the law. Your mother couldn't make it so she's signed me up to be your backup trusted adult. I won't disturb you and Aria's talk don't worry. I'll just observe and make sure everything is okay."

Serena takes in Mrs Ketchum's words and instantly realises what is up. She places a guilty smile on her face as she exclaims "Whoops, I forgot all about that. Thank you Delia."

The older woman smiles a little as she replies "It's no problem dear, the meeting is starting in a few minutes so why don't we make sure we're ready beforehand."

Serena nods at her future mother in law and casually remarks "Sure."

The Kalos queen takes a seat next to Delia on the sofa in front of the video phone as they prepare to start the meeting.

Ash watches the two begin to go over a few last minute details and can't help but smile at how well they are getting on. He also can't help but smirk at the fact that his mom has held off on the embarrassing big hug for him. While he knows that's coming later, it's still nice of her to wait considering he's going to be in and around Pallet town for a while.

With the two girls occupied by the meeting to come, professor Oak approaches the Alola champion and exclaims "Ash, what do you say we take a walk around the fields and catch up. For old time sake."

Ash smiles at the professor's request and replies "Sure, as long as it's okay with you Serena."

Serena looks back at her boyfriend and nods as she exclaims "I'm sure we'll be fine. If I need you I call you."

Ash smiles and replies "Alright, have a good meeting beautiful."

Serena giggles a little before she exclaims "Now get out of here. I need to finalise the schedule we drew up."

Ash places his hands in a defensive position as he surrenders to his girlfriend's demands. Him and Professor Oak turn around and leave the room as they head to the lab grounds to catch up.
_________________________________

Half hour drifts by as Ash and Professor Oak continue to wander around the lab grounds while doing all of the everyday lab tasks.

As they walk, Ash takes a small worn out sigh as he exclaims "You know, I never realised how hard it is to run this place without Gary and Tracey around."

Professor Oak chuckles a little as he replies "You get used to it pretty quickly. Honestly these tasks aren't too bad after all these years."

Ash can't help but smile at the great professor's work ethic. Ever since he's known him the professor has been an inspiration to him because of how hard he works.

The two continue on deeper into the lab grounds as Ash questions "Where are you taking us now professor."

Professor Oak smirks a little as she replies "That's a secret for you and Pikachu to learn. But first, I wanted to ask you how you've been. It's been a long time since we've gotten to speak one on one like this."

Ash hears Professor Oak's words and feels happy to have someone like this to talk to. He places a small smile on his face as he exclaims "Yeah everything is pretty good. Galar was awesome, I'm a Pokémon league champion and Serena makes my life so much more fulfilling. She makes things so much brighter. With her around, life is always going to be great no matter what."

Oak can't help but chuckle at Ash's loved up words, feeling proud of the young man he's become. He's certainly come a long way since arriving at his lab late in his pyjamas on his first day as a trainer.

The old professor places a smile on his face as he replies "That's good, your lucky to have found your perfect partner so early on in life."

Ash smiles as he shakes his head and remarks "You don't have to remind me. I feel lucky every time I look in her direction."

Professor Oak smiles a little as he takes in Ash's mood. He doesn't really want to ask him this next question but he did promise Delia he would. After all, she has been a little concerned that every time she talks to him about it he seems to change the subject.

He lets off a small sigh as he questions in a worried tone "So, your all okay after hearing about your father."

Straight away, Ash's mood sinks a little after hearing the mention of his dad. He takes a small complicated sigh before he exclaims "I'm over him completely. If I never meet him again then I'm happy with that. Honestly, I've made peace with my situation and I'm just happy to have the family I've got. Serena, Mom, Grace, you, Gary and all my friends are the family I have now. I've always said family doesn't need to be blood. Hell, my Pokémon are all my family too. But, I still do have questions about him I'd like you to answer I'd never want to put the burden on my mom to answer them. But you, I feel a little more comfortable."

Professor Oak takes in Ash's words and is pretty satisfied with his answer. His outlook on everything is pretty much perfect for the situation. Family can be whoever you choose for it to be.

The old man nods as he replies with a reassuring smile "Ask away my boy."

Ash looks down at his shoes as he questions "Did he ever contact you after that match with Blue. Have you seen him since?"

Professor Oak shakes his head and responds "I'm afraid not. He just disappeared without a trace. His trainer account was left abandoned and your mother was awarded all the savings by the court. I tried to reach out but I couldn't get hold of him. He was like a ghost after that day."

Ash nods, understanding already that the answer was probably going to be something along those lines.

He takes a small breath before he asks "What was he like, before the darkness took over?"

Professor Oak lets off a small nostalgic chuckle before he replies "He was never perfect. He was a trainer who was always desperate to prove people wrong. with a strong sense of justice. You see, your father became good friends with my son when they we're just kids. This may surprise you, but Blue was the one who used to get picked on while Red was the aggressor. He would constantly fight off bullies like it was nothing. He came from a rough upbringing and that stuck with him. His dad was never really around either and his mother just as often. He had a chip on his shoulder, and wanted to become the best no matter the consequences. Sometimes, he'd do morally questionable things to get the edge in battle. But he did it because he was so desperate to bring success to his name. Desperate to become someone. But he was never a bad guy and loved his Pokémon like they were family. The only thing he loved more was your mother. She kept him grounded. But he can't fight darkness like you can. He never had a heart of gold like you or the desire to do so like you do. He wasn't driven to do things the right way, only the easy way. Your father would choose success over anything. You choose love and family. That's the difference."

Ash listens the whole time with great interest. While his father clearly had his flaws before the darkness took over, he was no monster. He was a good guy deep down. While he was never kind hearted like him. There were certainly elements of that. He was no hero, but he was no villain.

The Alola champion takes a deep nervous breath before he answers his final question. A question that's been floating around his mind for a while now. "Is there anyway that the darkness could be stopped?"

Professor Oak turns towards his practical grandson with an intrigued look as he's answers a question with a question "Would you want to?"

Ash takes a small sigh before he admits in a conflicted tone "If I never see him again, I'm cool with it. But if I do then I'd like to know if there is anything I could do. I'll never forgive him for what happened. But if that darkness was gone, then I'd be willing to see. See what he would be like without it. If not for me, then for him. I've felt that darkness too. I thought it but the feeling over your brain being influenced by a voice inside is inhuman. No one should have to suffer through it."

Professor Oak takes in Ash's point and can't help but be impressed by such a mature response. He smiles a little at the young man and replies "Honestly speaking, I have no idea if he could be saved or if he's even still alive. But if anyone can find a way it's you Ash."

Ash smiles a little at Professor Oak's words and chuckles as he exclaims "Well you know me old man. I won't give up."

Professor Oak smiles at Ash's attitude regarding the situation as they both reach their destination. The old man decides to change the subject as he exclaims "Looks like we're here!"

Ash hears the professor's words as looks up in front of him. As he does, he spots: Bulbasaur, Kingler, Snorlax, Muk, Tauros (not all 30), Totodile, Bayleaf, Quilava, Noctowl, Heracross and Donphan all lined up waiting for him. Pikachu soon leaps off Ash's shoulder and runs towards the group to join his fellow pokemon.

Ash's mood is instantly lifted by seeing some of his old friends as a smile drifts onto his face. He takes a step towards them and exclaims "Hey everyone, long time no see."

The Kanto and Johto pokemon all cheer as they rush over to greet their trainer.

Professor Oak watches as Ash begins to interact with some of his older pokemon. The old man can't help but smile as he comments "Well would you look at that. All the old gang is here."

Ash takes a small sigh before he shakes his head and replies "Not everyone Professor. We're missing: Charizard, Squirtle, Pidgeot, Butterfree, Lapras and Primeape. Come to think of it, Bulbasaur and Pikachu are the only ones left out of my original 6. I know Charizard is coming back soon but still. I'd love to see them all again some day."

Professor Oak hears the slight regret in Ash's voice and can't help but feel sorry for him. He places a hand on the teenager's shoulder and remarks in a caring voice "I'm sure you'll see them again. Fate has a way of bringing us all back together eventually."

Ash takes in the professor's words and feels slightly more upbeat. He smiles and turns his head to face the old man as he replies "Thanks professor, I needed that."

The young champion turns his head back towards his old pokemon as he exclaims in an accusing tone "Alright then everyone, who's gonna be the one to tell me why your all gathered out here."

Professor Oak smirks a little as he explains cryptically "Well my boy, they have something they want to show you."

Bulbasaur nods and cries out "Bulbasaur," as he extends one of his green vines towards Ash with an envelope attached.

Ash can't help but raise an eyebrow as he questions "What could this be about?"

Ash takes the envelope from Bulbasaur and holds it in his own hands. The raven haired boy inspects it for a second, seeing that the envelope is indeed addressed to a Mr Ketchum.

With intrigue on his face, he opens up the envelope to find a neatly folded letter on the inside. He unfolds the letter and holds it up as he begins to read "Dear Mr Ketchum, congratulations you have been provisionally accepted into the upcoming Indigo league. Your registration will be confirmed before the tournament once evidence of 8 required badges is received."

Ash looks up from the letter with a small smile on his face as he exclaims "Well, looks like we're going to be competing in the next indigo league!"

Ash's Pokémon all pump a limb in the air as the excitement at competing in future battles begins to take hold.

Ash takes in his Pokémon's reaction as he continues "More rules and details will be shared upon registration but we do have something to announce to our potential competitors. This year's league will be slightly different after an agreement was reached to merge both the Kanto and Johto leagues together. After discussions with the champion Lance, a decision has been made to merge the two together for one ultimate indigo league tournament. Therefore, trainers who have 8 badges in Johto will be competing against trainers with 8 badges in Kanto. The winner of the league will take on the new elite 4 and the champion of both regions Lance, for both his tittle, should they get that far. We look forward to seeing you Ash, it's been a long time. Yours sincerely, Mr Goodshow."

Ash finishes reading and takes a second to process the information that's just gone into his brain.

Professor Oak seems to grasp the concept quicker as he exclaims "So all trainer's are going to be competing in one big ultimate tournament. A cross between Kanto and Johto. How do you feel about it?"

Ash takes a second longer to take on the information before he pumps a fist in the air and shouts with an excited grin "It sounds awesome to me! Sure it's not what I was expecting but it's the tournament we've got. The more trainers entering is just more strong opponents that I need to beat. By the end of this tournament, I'll be the champion of three regions and two steps closer to becoming a pokemon master!"

Ash's Pokémon seem to be in agreement with their trainer as they all shout their respective cries positively.

Ash hears their response and chuckles a little before he exclaims "That's right everyone, I'm going to need all your help along the way. It's going to be a tough competition so I need you all ready to give it your all."

Professor Oak hears Ash's statement and raises an eyebrow a little as he questions "So, your going to be using your Kanto and Johto pokemon then?"

Ash smiles a little as he shakes his head and explains "Not exactly, now that I've won a league all my Pokémon are on the table to be used. But as this is the Kanto and Johto league, I want to use all of them at least once along the way. They traveled the regions with me so it's only fair."

Professor Oak smiles at the young champion's reasoning as he replies "I guess that makes sense."

Ash takes a second to reflect as the opportunity to compete for another two league championships just makes him even more excited. Being the champion of 3 regions would be crazy, but it's something he'd certainly be completely for.

He takes a small breath to calm himself down as he exclaims "I'm so excited for the league I can hardly wait."

Professor Oak smiles at the childish excitement on Ash's face, not ever fading since the day he started his journey, as the old man replies "I can see that my boy. Anyway, let's get back to the lab before the girls finish their meeting. You know what they say, never keep a girl waiting."

Ash nods in agreement and simply remarks "Your right professor, let's get going."

The two men leave the scene as they head back to the lab with Ash still bubbling with excitement at the prospect of the new Indigo league.
________________________________

A few minutes later, Ash stands waiting outside the front door of the lab for Serena to finish her meeting. As he does, he scrolls through his Rotom phone to look for information on Lance.

He scans the data for a few minutes before he whispers under his breath "So that's how I'm going to beat you."

As he does, he hears the door to the lab open up as Serena steps outside. The world champion performer beams a smile toward the Alola champion, as she walks towards him with a slight skip in her step.

Ash can't help but chuckle as his girlfriend approaches, he puts his phone back in his pocket and teases "Someone's excited."

Serena practically dances towards Ash before she reaches him. She wraps her arms around his neck and leans forward, pecking him on the lips. She leans back and giggles a little as she exclaims "I'm excited to see you silly."

Ash chuckles a little before he replies in that same teasing tone "It was only an hour."

Serena rubs her boyfriend's shoulder's a little as she whispers "An hour too long if you ask me."

Ash smiles at Serena's slight obsession with him, an obsession they both mutually have with each other. He places his hands on her hips as he exclaims "Good point, anyway I have some exciting news to share."

Serena beams a smile as she exclaims while still their shared embrace "So do I."

Ash chuckles a little at their shared excitement and casually remarks "Well then, ladies first."

Serena shakes her head and replies with a small smirk "Men just before."

Ash frowns a little at being outdone by Serena in that little game. He soon shakes it off as he looks into her eyes and explains "I got my acceptance letter for the Indigo league. But not just that, it says that the competition is going to be a combination of both the Kanto and Johto league. Meaning if I win the league and beat Lance, I'll be the champion of both Kanto and Johto. I'm so pumped!"

Serena beams a bright smile at Ash's clear excitement. She can tell by the glint in his eyes that he's really looking forward to all the battles to come. She gives him a small peck on the lips before she exclaims "Congratulations Ash, I'm really proud of you. I can't wait to see you battle at another league!"

Ash smiles at Serena's constant love and support as he replies "Thanks beautiful, so what's got you all excited."

Serena giggles a little as she bubbles inside. She soon shakes of some of her excitement as she explains "Well one, I'm just excited to spend some quality time with you again. Two, I've finished our schedule and it looks really fun. None of our dates clash and we're going to have so much free time. I've got some really cool events to try out in between your plans as well. Plus, I've even managed to leave plenty of time for training and a few dates!"

Ash suppresses a chuckle thanks to Serena's clear love for this new schedule. He leans down and kisses her on the head before he whispers "I'm glad we're going to be able to be together so often. So, where is our first stop."

Serena look up and practically shakes with delirium as she exclaims "Well our journey starts tomorrow, and our first stop is a bit of an impromptu one. But we'll be going to Ecruteak city in the Johto region. There's a special festival going on there to celebrate Pokémon evolutions. Well I've been invited to be a guest of a dancing group called the kimono girls. They need a trainer with a Sylveon to complete their set and who better than the Kalos queen?"

Ash takes in Serena's point and does concede that it sounds like a great opportunity for her and a lot of fun. However, there is a small issue he can see.

He raises his eyebrow a little as he exclaims "That sounds like fun babe. But, we do have a problem. How do you plan on getting to Johto? Trust me it's quite the walk."

Serena giggles a little before she explains with big blue pleading eyes "We can get a driver to take us there. I'm the Kalos queen Ash. I don't like to use that power often but one call and we've got transport. Although, I think it's time one of us got our licence. We're old enough now and it would be useful. I know you want to journey the old fashioned way and so do I, but sometimes things are too far to walk. I know you want to explore Kanto but a one day trip to Johto isn't going to hurt. Plus, I've never been to Johto. Please can we go Ash."

Ash sees those pleading eyes and the sweetness in Serena's voice. He simply can't resist those.

A day trip to Johto does sound like a lot of fun to be honest. Plus, if Serena is happy then his happiness usually isn't too far behind.

While he does prefer traveling the old fashioned way, with how tight nicked their schedules are he knows that it's not always going to be the sensible option. Maybe Serena is right about him getting his license.

With his mind made up. Ash smiles at his girlfriend and responds "Of course we're going princess."

Serena beams a bright smile at her boyfriend before lunging at his lips. She graces them with a sloppy wet kiss before she pulls back and shouts "Thanks Ashy!"

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's reaction as a shade of red covers his cheeks. He takes a second to capture his laughter before he replies "No problem beautiful."

The two of them smile at each other for a few seconds before Ash exclaims "So, now that we know we're heading to Johto for the day tomorrow, what do you want to do now."

Serena places a smirk on her face as she replies "Nothing too strenuous, we've got a big day tomorrow. How about we head home and help your mom with dinner. Then, movies and cuddles sound good to me."

Ash nods in agreement with his girlfriend and exclaims "That sounds good to me beautiful. What movie are you thinking of watching?"

Serena places a competitive grin on her face and replies in a teasing voice "How about I play you for it."

Ash raises his eyebrow in confusion and questions "Play me for it?"

Serena nods and explains "That's right, I was practicing on your little games yesterday and I think I'm just as good as you at them. The winner gets to pick the movie."

Ash let's his competitive side take over as he grins back and replies "Your on."

The two grin at each other for a second before Ash turns around with knees bent and exclaims "Now hop on, I know your still a little sore so I'll give you a ride."

Serena giggles a little before moves toward her boyfriend. She places her legs either side of him as she climbs onto his back. Ash stands up and begins to walk towards the house while giving Serena a piggy back ride.

As he walks, he feels Serena sink into his back and nuzzle her head against his neck. She lets off a satisfied sigh and whispers "I love you."

Ash feels pleasure shoot through his heart as he whispers back in a heartfelt tone "I love you too."

The sun sets in Pallet town as the two continue on their way with love beating through their skin.

It's been a long hard month but it's all so worth it now.

The touch and feel of their loved one burns brightly into their hearts as they stride home.

Their love is as strong as ever before.

And their desire for one and other greater than ever.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

In this case, they were right!
________________________________

And cut!

Word count: 17818

Well that's it for the amour reunion.

Ash and Serena are now back together and they are beginning their journey to prepare for the indigo league.

I filled this chapter for amour amounts as expected, while also sprinkling in some plot.

So, what did you think of their reunion.

It was pretty chilled out as a chapter in contrast to the last few but they deserved some quiet time.

Also, how do you feel about combining the Kanto and Johto leagues?

With the overlap between the two being so big it just made sense to me.

In the next chapter, Ash and Serena travel to the Johto region for the evolution festival.

While their there, Serena prepares to perform on stage with the kimono girls and her Sylveon in an eveelution themed dance.

However, what happens when a few old faces rear their ugly heads.

Well I guess you'll have to find out next time.

Also want to mention, thanks for 45K reads.

I promised you guys a Christmas amour special if we hit 50K by mid December and you guys look to be on track to do that.

So, I'll get the plot ready :)

So on that note, make sure to vote and comment down below.

As always, any support is appreciated.

Have a nice day and I'll see you all soon.