MA: hey peeps. Now I know you are wondering why I'm writing this and not working on the work you all know me for. Well, I have something to share with the lot of you so I hope you understand. You see, I suffer from depression. On certain days, I can be on top of the world but suddenly, I can feel utterly and completely worthless, like no one loves or cares for me. Loneliness also weights in on this as well. In my 32 years of life, I've only been in one real relationship and it only lasted a few months. It was terrible for me since she was an arrogant, bitter woman who hated my family and had severe anger issues. Since then, I've had my heart broken more times than I can count by women who claimed to love me. It has gotten to the point where, many times, I had considered suicide. I could've gone the route of jewario and Robin Williams but I seem to pull out it. This is why I don't update as much as I would like. Depression is not something you can just pull out of and be alright. It's like falling down a deep dark hole and you try to climb out but it's a long hard climb. It's rather ironic that I can right so many romantic fics and yet my love life is so terrible. This fic is something like therapy for me. I think I need to write this to get my sense of self back. I hope you all with understand this. Thank you for your reviews and kind words. So I hope you can enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing. So with that out of the way, ON WITH THE FIC!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

"ATTENTION POKEMON OF THE WORLD! I, PAUL KETCHUM, WILL FULFILL MY DESTINY AND CAPTURE YOU ALL TO BECOME THE NEXT GREAT POKEMON MASTER!"

"PAUL, GET OFF THE ROOF!"

"HUH? NINA, GO AWAY! I'M ANNOUCING MY PRESENCE TO THE WORLD!"

"YOU'RE GONNA FALL OFF THE ROOF!"

"I AM NOT GONNA FALL OFF! I HAVE REFLEXES LIKE-OH NOOOOOOOO!"

10 year old Paul Ketchum's body fell to the mercies of gravity as he flew of the roof and landed on the lawn with a resounding thud. His younger sister Nina could only watch her beloved brother land head first in front of her. Instead of being worried or annoyed, she merely shook her aqua blue hair covered hair in exasperation, her small yellow sundress flowing in the wind.

"ooowwwwww!" he groan, rubbing his forehead from the fall.

"I told you that you were gonna fall."

He merely gave her a half-hearted glare that was part anger and part 'I need help'. She gave him a quick flick to his wound, causing him to yelp, before yelling back at the house. "mom! Paul fell off the roof again!"

Inside the two story home, Dawn Berlitz was busy doing a load of dishes, with Piplup serving as her dryer. The water Pokemon sat at the counter drying a cup with a small towel as his trainer looked out the window to see her two children in the yard.

"that boy is too much like his father," she muttered to herself quietly as she reached under the sink to retrieve the first aid kit, which got a lot of use in this household, just as the 7 year old calmly walked over to the window.

"you know you are suppose to watch him."

"he's like a mankey, mom," she said, taking the kit from her hands. "I can't keep up with him when he's climbing around like that. Not with these little legs."

she peeked outside at her thin little legs and mental compared them to her oldest. "hmm, you have a point," she conceded. "just patch him up. Your father's gonna be home soon."

"yes, mom."

"you know what to do," she spoke. Dawn made sure her daughter knew how tend to wounds and minor injuries. The little girl was surprisingly mature for her age, rarely complaining and always eager to learn whatever her parents could teach her.

"right mom."

the little blue-haired girl ran off the short distance to her foolish older brother who was holding his forehead in agony. Dawn watched her son's pained expression and could only laugh to herself. "too much like his father," she whispered as she took in the sight of her two children before heading to the fridge to get dinner started.

Nina approached her brother, kit in hand. His hand was covering his forehead, the soft hissing sound of him sucking air barely audible to her ears.

"move your hand, stupid," she ordered. He slowly complied, revealing a nasty scratch with a small bit of blood oozing from the wound. She sighed to herself as she opened the small box to extract the disinfectant. Paul's eyes widened. He hated that stuff, considering that he, outside of his father, had the most exposure to the ointment. He would've more than likely ran for the hills but a quick look from Nina kept him in his place. It was funny how strong a hold his young sister had over him. It was easy to forget that he was the older sibling.

She applied the ointment to his wound which burned hotter than Charizard's fire blast. "AYYYYYYYY!"

"stop whining!" she ordered. "it's your own fault."

"i know."

"if you know, then why do you keep doing it?" she asked, pulling out a small band-aid.

Paul smiled. "I have to let the world know I'm coming."

"but why the roof? You always fall off."

"dad did it a lot. Grandma said so."

"you don't have to do everything dad did."

"guess I'm hard-headed like dad."

Nina said nothing more about it as she rather forcefully placed the band-aid over his cut. She really hated how crazy Paul could get. It worried her to no end. Just as she finished tending to her brother's injury, a boom popped overhead, covering the entirety of the land for miles around. The kids' eyes lit up like stars in the night sky as they knew that sound meant only one thing: dad was home.

With renewed energy, Paul popped to his feet and began to run where he knew his father would arrive. He looked behind him to see Nina struggling to match his pace but failing to do so. She still could not match him in physical activities, especially running.

"Paul!" she whined, showing off her true age. She detested it when Paul left her behind and he knew it. Pivoting on his foot, she sprinted back to her in a second. She quickly jumped on his back before he took off even faster than before with her clinging to his back. As much as she hated being left behind, she loved it when her brother carried her. The feel of his strong back was more calming than a glass of milk. She wanted to enjoy it as long as she can, while she can.

The small itch of sadness was covered up easily as they caught sight of the large green form of Rayquaza settling to the earth. This was their father's fastest flying Pokemon, caught many years ago in Sky Pillar. They knew, of course. Their father's adventures made great bedtime stories. They knew where and how he caught each and every one of his Pokemon, all memorized in their ever-growing minds. From the back of the legendary climbed off the image of their beloved father.

"thanks, buddy. Have a good rest." Ash Ketchum produced Rayquaza's Pokemon from his belt and recalled his partner into it.

"pika-chu!" his oldest friend chirped from his shoulder, calling his attention to his approaching children. The years had been kind to the Pallet town native: tall and strong he had grown, almost 6 foot tall. The years of road traveling and training has given him a slim but muscular body that carried them around when they were babies and fussy during the nights. His face had lost most of its chubby qualities, becoming harder and more rugged but losing nothing of the cheerfulness and lighthearted nature that was so part of his personality. His body was covered by a large black and white trench coat that fluttered in the breeze like a majestic cape of a superhero. Beneath his coat was a black vest with a white t-shirt and brown pants. Topping his raven hair, which was longer and tied into a ponytail, was a wide rimmed fedora with the symbol of the Pokemon league emblazoned on the ribbon around the crown. To his kids, Ash was a giant.

Nina squiggled off Paul's back and dove into her father's waiting arms. "DADDY!"

Ash laughed deeply as he hugged his youngest, planting a big kiss on her cheek. "ahhhh! Did my little princess miss me?"

"yes, daddy."

"good because I missed you too." he kissed her little nose before placing her on the ground. Pikachu sprung of his shoulder, almost tackling his best friend's daughter.

"pikachu!" she exclaimed. The electric mouse squeaked in happiness at her, nudging his red cheeks against her. Ash saw his son sprint over and stopped in arm's reach of him, allowing him to rub his son's blueish hair.

"she carried her?" he asked, nodding his head towards the girl.

"you know she can't make that run."

he brushed aside his hair, revealing the bandage. "feel off the roof again?"

"that was the third time since you've been gone, daddy," commented Nina, with PIkachu in her arms.

"guess he takes after his old man."

"don't make excuses for him!" the little girl scolded, causing the men to giggle at her.

"mom's making dinner."

"then let's not keep her waiting," he said, scooping up his youngest and placing her on his broad shoulder. Pikachu had already jumped onto Paul's head. The group began to walk back to their home. This was one of the few moments in his life that Ash looked at his life and reflected on it, mostly when he was walking home. He always enjoy the sight of the house he built with his own hands, along with the hands of a lot of lifelong friends he gathered from his years on the road. It was a simple 2-story house with a blue roof and white walls. It was a bit smaller originally but years of additional rooms and modifications had made it a somewhat different building that he first conceived of. The house was located just on the border between Kanto and Johto, next to a decent sized lake. He wanted enough space for all of his Pokemon to play and exercise. It took him months of searching to find the perfect plot of land for his home and thanks to his dad, he found it. Near the house was 2 large trees with a nice white hammock in which he and Dawn spent many an afternoon lazily snuggling against each other. The kids use it more nowadays to play on but the couple find time for themselves.

Upon reaching the front door, he set his daughter down and walked into his home, the familiar scents of Pokemon, food, and his other half filling his lungs. He hated being away from his home, his kids, and the woman who became so close to him. He made his way to the kitchen, catching sight of Dawn chopping veggies for dinner. He drunk her in: clad in a pink apron over a sky blue sundress and slippers, she was a vision of beauty. Like him, the years had been so kind to her: her figure was still slim with slightly wider hips which extenuated her firm backside, something Ash showed his love for every chance he got. Her long blue hair was tied into a small bun, something she did whenever she cooked. And her breasts had fulled out greatly, not to the same level of May's rack but just perfect for his hands. He thanked whatever gods that ruled their world everyday that he could come home to this masterpiece of a woman.

Setting his hat on the table, he crept behind her even so stealthily in an attempt to surprise her. I say attempt because she always knew where he was when he was in the house. She knew he was behind her. He knew she knew he was behind her. But he didn't care that she knew that he was behind her.

"stick'em up," he whispered in his most threatening robber voice, jabbing her in the side with his fingers, mimicking a gun. She jumped a bit, letting out a small little yelp.

"this is a robbery."

"oh my," she said, trying her best to sound scared but it came off more like she was aroused. "please don't hurt me, Mr burglar. Just take what you want."

"damn right I will and I see something I want take." he snaked his arm around her waist, causing her to lean back against his frame.

"then please, don't harm my kids."

"I'll leave your kids alone as long as you don't fight back...much."

she shivered as he nibbled on her ear. "please do what you will but I have to warn you; my kids' father will home any minute."

He felt her shudder as a hand reached under her apron and groped her breast. "then I'll have to get in and out quick."

"AHEM!"

The pair snapped out of their lust to see the impassive face of their son staring at them. Little Nina was behind his legs, giggling quietly. Normally, seeing one's parents engaged in such acts would stir emotions like embarrassment, shame, and disgust. For Paul Ketchum, the only emotion he felt was annoyance.

"we're standing right here."

Ash and Dawn now had the looks of a pair of teens being caught by their parents doing something bad. Actually, they know exactly how that feels. It was a bit confusing for a pair of parents to be chastised by their son.

"come on, son. I haven't seen your mother in almost a week."

"sure enough but you don't have to do that in the kitchen."

"you'll understand when you are older, sweetie."

Dawn's words had no effect on her son's ears. "whatever," he grumbled. "Just make sure you finish before dinner. We're hungry. Come on, Nina Let's go feed PIkachu and the others." Paul gave his parents one last withering look and a disapproving shake of the head before walking off. A still giggling Nina followed suit. The grown-ups gave a audible sigh.

"that boy is far too smart for his own good," spoke Ash.

"they both are," added Dawn. "or maybe we just have too much sex."

Ash snickered. "could be that too. Although..." His hands began to wander over her body again but she reluctantly pried them off her form.

"oh no you don't."

Ash looked at her as if someone had taken his favorite toy from him. "but he said we could. I'll be quick."

"as much as I would like it," she started, "he was right about one thing; I need to get dinner ready. Go help the kids feed the Pokemon in the meantime. Then after dinner...the robber can get his booty." she kissed him on the nose before turning back to her work, wiggling her round bottom at him, knowing exactly the effect it has on him. He wanted to hate her for that tease. He wanted to hate Paul for interrupting his fun. Hell, he wanted to hate Nina for laughing at his pain. He wanted to hate them all but he couldn't. He loved his family, dearly and unconditionally.

Still, later tonight, he was going to keep the kids up.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Quint!"

"and with that, Quint Stone and his amazing Seviper move on to the top 16 of the Kanto Pokemon league tournament! This spectacular talent of Pewter city has been burning up the scene with his dynamic play style! Surely, he will make it far in this competition!"

"awesome," was the only words Paul could get out of his mouth after watching his old friend perform on the big stage. After a pleasant dinner, the Ketchum family gathered around their large screen TV to catch the matches of this year's Pokemon league tournament, mostly because Quint was in it this year. Paul and Quint were great friends, despite the 5 year age gap, due to the closeness of their own fathers. Visiting Brock's home was always fun for the kids, thanks to the fact that Brock had 9 kids. That meant there was no shortage of playmates for them to keep busy with, never-mind all the cousins they had. Ash and Dawn were grateful for this, due to them being old children and thus no blood cousins for them to meet and greet. In fact, Paul and Nina saw the Stone siblings as their own cousins, as do they see their parents' friends as aunts and uncles. But Paul was closest to Quint who acted as something of a older brother to the boy, so he wouldn't miss a chance to see him perform on the big stage.

He was on the floor, stomach first, with his little sister sitting on his back. Next to them were three Pokemon: Pikachu, Buneary, and Piplup, cheering on their friend Seviper. Behind them all was Ash and Dawn relaxing on their green couch. She was laying back, a bowl of popcorn on her stomach, with her feet in his lap. They both watched as Ash gently massaged her sore feet.

"Quint's really doing awesome."

"kid's come a long way, son." Ash remembered when he first saw Brock's son battle. All he saw was untapped potential and a drive to succeed. Looking at him now, with his deep purple hair, bronze skin, and those patented squinty, he was so much like both of his parents it was scary.

"I'm sure Brock and Lucy are proud of him. To think, he's the same boy who use to run around my ankles all the time," Dawn commented, totally relaxed due to her beloved's skill hands.

"he only did that because he was trying to look up your dress."

"he was not!"

"Hun, he's Brock's son." Ash and his kids shared a look. That's another thing the Stone boys got from their gym leader father: a love of women. And Quint was not immune to this. Brock's second oldest was perhaps Dawn's biggest admirer, proclaiming his eternal love and devotion to her, as well as warning Ash that he will steal her from him one day. Ash sometimes wonders if that's what's secretly driving him to be a Pokemon trainer: to one day surpass him as a master and take Dawn from him. The former is more possible than the latter.

"you may have a point," admitted Dawn.

"Nina knows the truth." The girl stuck her tongue at her brother's statement. It brought up memories of her time with the Stone twins. A year older than her but already so girl crazy. They would chase her around every time they visited, talking about how cute she was.

Dawn giggled at her daughter's reaction. "awwww! Those two really have a thing for you. Maybe one day, you'll marry one of them."

"no way!" she exclaimed. "they're both gross and ugly. Paul's better looking than both of them." she punctuated her proclamation by hugging her brother's neck. Her parents only smiled. Ash was sure she would change her mind when she grows up and then, he would probably hurt anyone who tries anything with his princess. Especially the Stone twins.

"just think. By this time tomorrow, you'll be on the road like I was at your age. Who knows? You may run into Quint and have yourselves a Pokemon battle."

Ash's comment brought some up something that no one really seemed to want to think about: last week was Paul's 10th birthday and like his father, tomorrow is the day he receives his trainer's license and sets off on his journey. Dawn was somewhat reluctant to let her only son out into the world and Nina wasn't too pleased that her beloved brother was leaving home and her. Paul of course knew of his mother and sister's thoughts on his upcoming departure but pushed it out of his mind. He wanted to enjoy the time he had left with his family before he had to leave. Ash sensed the darkened mood of his family and opted to change it.

"son," he started, getting up onto his feet, "hit the music channel." Paul did as his father asked, switching the TV to one of the many 'all music' channels. Once the music hit, the older man turned to his blue-haired woman, extending his hand to her with a smile.

"may I have this dance, milady?"

Dawn loved it when Ash was trying to be sweet and romantic. Sometimes he could clumsy in his way, sure enough, but she always appreciated the effort. With a small grin, she took his hand. "It would be my pleasure, sir."

with the kids and Pokemon watching, he pulled her to her bare feet and guided her around the back of the couch. With the music playing in the background, the couple began to gracefully sway and dance to the soulfully slow music.

These arms of mine
They are lonely, lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning, yearning from wanting you

From his position on the floor, Paul watched as his parents moved to the tones on the TV, matching each others' motions with utter synchronicity. His hand on her hip, guiding her movements from side to side. Her hands in his, going with his leads. It wasn't the first time he's seen them dance but he enjoyed it all the same.

"Paul...". His sister's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She had gotten off his back and was standing next to him. Her face was awash with shyness and anxiousness. He smiled. He knew what she wanted. It was the same thing she always wanted when their folks danced. He climbed to his feet and took Nina's little hands into his own while she stepped onto the tops of his bare-feet. Nina loved dancing. More over, she loved dancing with her brother, even if what they did wasn't dancing. It was more like Paul just moving his legs with her on top. She didn't really care if what they were doing couldn't be counted as dancing. She just wanted to enjoy her brother for what little time she had left with him.

And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
These arms of mine
They are burning, burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting, wanting to hold you

by this time, both pairs were joined by PIkachu and Buneary on the make-shift dance-floor. Poor Piplup had to sit this one out.

"wow!" marveled Nina as she watched her parents. "mom and dad are amazing."

"yeah. Dad must have been a dancing champion when he was younger."

the pair laughed at their son's comment. "not as much as you'd think, sweetie."

"what do you mean, mom?"

"son, I was terrible dancer," commented Ash. "I had 4 left feet."

"four?"

"because I was doubly bad. When I meet your mom, I couldn't dance worth a lick and I didn't have an interest in learning."

"what changed?"

"there was a contest ball. I wanted to impress your mother and not step on her toes. I asked Misty to teach me."

"aunt Misty taught you to dance?!"

"yep. Although I did step on her toes a bit."

"more than a bit," Dawn giggled at the memory. "that was the first and last time Misty danced with him. In her words: 'I'd rather dance with a Snorlax than that cap wearing idiot again!'"

the children smiled. "that sounds like aunt Misty."

"yep but I'm grateful. I didn't step on your mom's toes and I haven't since."

"your father can be elegant when he wants to," she added, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
Come on, come on baby
Just be my little woman, just be my lover
I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right
I need your loving arms,
Loving arms to hold me tight
And I need your tender lips

All this talk of the past got Paul's young mind thinking. He had heard about all the stories about their adventures across the world: Ash's Pokemon league battles, Dawn's contests, battling members of the elite 4, taking on the various evil organizations that popped up around the globe, and others that just seemed almost impossible. But there was one story that has never come up in all his 10 years of life. A story that he never heard before but never thought to ask. And as he watched them dance, gazing lovingly into each others eyes, whispering sweet little nothings to each other, that question appeared in his brain like a gentle breeze. Tomorrow, he would be gone and it was going to bother him to no end so it would be better to ask now in person rather than later over a letter or a phone call.

"dad, can I ask you something?"

"sure."

"how did you meet mom?"

just like that, they stopped and stared at their child. Even Nina was a bit surprised by the question. It wasn't shocking or terrifying of a question. Ash himself had asked that very question to his own parents a few years ago, as did Dawn with her own mother. It seemed like a minute or two before the father could form another sentence, as if his computer in his mind was processing the proper response.

"what did you say?"

"how did you and mom meet?"

"you already know son," he stared. "i think I've told you that story before, right?"

"no, you haven't."

"he's right," chimed in little Nina "even I've never heard it and I've heard all your stories."

a thoughtful expression rolled on his face, which the older bluette mirrored. "we never told them?"

"I thought you did."

"I certainly didn't. I figured you did it."

"it never came up so I guess it just slipped by."

"ahem!" the Ketchum boy's interruption cut through his parents' tete a tete. "you can talk about who forgot what. Can you just tell me how it happened?". The couple, seeing the impatience of their children, laughed a little to themselves.

"fine. Hit the couch you two," he lightly order. "Hun, get the big book."

with a nod, Dawn walked over to the tall bookshelf next to the TV, as their kids took their seats on the soft couch. The bookshelf was full of volume upon volume on Pokemon battle tactics, breeding habits, habitats and legends. Paul had read all the all at least twice. Nina had just finished the book written by professor oak about how legendary Pokemon can affect the world at large. The book Dawn reached for was at the very top, a large brown tome. Both kids had eyed it a few times when they were looking for something to read but never had an interest in reading it. When she pulled it down, they saw a thin layer of dust along the bindings, hinting that it hadn't been touched in sometime. She brought it over just as Ash sat next to his little girl while she sat on the opposite side, book-ending the siblings between them. Dawn placed the book on their laps as she and her beloved opened it.

"we've never seen THIS book before," commented Nina

"well it has very little to do with Pokemon so we didn't expect you two to really look into it," spoke Ash.

"good point, Hun"

It was a photo-album, simple and to the point. Paul and Nina flipped through the first few pages until they found a rather old picture of Ash next to his mother.

"is that you, daddy?"

"uh-huh," he answered. "that's your dad on his 10th birthday."

"wow. Your cheeks are so full. You look like a cute baby."

"your father was always cute, sweetie," added Dawn.

"grandma looks so young. It's kinda freaky."

"of course she looks young, son. It's a 20 year old picture."

"so is this when you met mom?" inquired Paul. His father chuckled a bit.

"no. this was before I met your mom. This was the day I received my starter Pokemon I'll never forget it. I was so excited the night before, I stayed up late. So late in fact that...I overslept."

the kids laughed at this revelation. "you overslept, dad?" Paul said between breaths.

"get it all out, ya traitors. Yuck it up. Yes, your father overslept but I'm actually glad for it."

"why, daddy?"

"because that's how I got PIkachu" on cue, the electric mouse perched himself on Ash's shoulder. "when I got to professor oak's lab, he told me he was all out of starter Pokemon Other trainers cleaned him out. But he did have one more Pokemon, one he just caught in fact. That was PIkachu"

"whoa, dad. I didn't know that," said Paul. "so if you never overslept that day..."

"PIkachu and I never would have met and I'm very much glad for it."

"i bet you two became instant friends," assumed Nina.

"not really. We didn't get along that much. I dare say, we hated each other."

the kids looked at their father and his starter, unable to believe what he just said about them. "come on, dad. That's a lie, right?"

Ash shook his head. "nope. It's very true. Starting out, I drug this guy around by a string tied around his waist because he didn't want to go in his poke-ball."

"so what changed?"

"getting attacked by a flock of pissed off Spearow can change feelings. It was my own fault really. I was young and stupid. But PIkachu saved us both. Took a hell of a beating so I rushed him to the nearest Pokemon center in Viridian city. It made us closer and he became my best friend." Pikachu merely chirped happily at the memory.

"you two went through a lot on your first day." said Paul.

"it was around this time I meet your aunt misty."

Almost on cue, Ash turned to the next page. The first picture was of himself alongside Brock and a very cross looking Misty, staying on the side of a long road.

"that's aunt Misty?" asked Nina. "she looks so...skinny."

"yep. She was quite the bean pole back then. Took her a couple of years to actually fill out."

"how did you meet her?"

"well..." started her father, "...i kind of her bike and wrecked it. Long story."

Paul's face was awash with realization. "so that's why she always says 'you still owe me a bike' when she comes over."

"most of the time we traveled in Kanto, that's all she would talk about. Caused us to fight a lot. But one day, I don't know why or how, she just stopped saying it. We still fought but not as much. Made the rest of the journys in Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto much easier."

"did she come with you to Hoenn?"

"naw, son. By then, she 'reluctantly' took over for her sisters at the Cerulean Gym. She visited a few times but those were the end of her traveling days. It was around this time I went to Honen and met some new friends."

Another turn of the page revealed yet another old picture: this time it featured their father, Brock again, and the Berg siblings, May and Max.

"who's that short boy next to you, dad?" Nina asked, getting a small laugh from her father.

"that's Max."

"really?" he looks so tiny."

"of course he does. He was around your age in this picture. Very small but very smart. I knew he was gonna be great when he became a trainer."

"and is that...? that's dirty aunt May." spoke Paul.

Dirty aunt May.

The couple shared a look. It was the nickname the children had given her a few years back. Actually, Paul came up with the name. Little Nina just picked it up later. Out of all their aunts and uncles, May visited the most and was closest to their parents. Well, closest wasn't good enough term for it. Intimate was a better word for it. The world class coordinator came often with gifts and stories from the road to entertain the kids. But Paul noticed that she was far more affectionate to his folks than any other: hugs were longer and tighter, whispered words spoken, playful touches shared out of sight. Paul noticed but really thought nothing of it. She also had a habit of visiting when the kids weren't there, either at the Oak ranch with the professor or visiting their grandparents. When they came back, May was already there and there were smiles all around. One day, Paul happened to see May approach his mother in the kitchen and whisper something in her ear. He didn't what it was but it must have been something embarrassing judging how many shades of red her face turned. Dawn playfully swatted her away and exclaimed "you're so dirty, May!". Hence where the name came from.

Paul and Nina never called her that name to her face but May knew about it. She just didn't care. She was always like that. She did what she wanted, when she wanted and didn't care what people thought of her. In fact, she found the name cute. Ash and Dawn knew one day they would have to explain things to their children. But that wouldn't be until much later. Much, much, much later.

"she was...well-developed." those were the only words Paul could come up with. May was always well-endowed and they only got bigger over the years.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't look a few times," Joked Ash. "traveling with them was a blast in a half. From Hoenn to the Battle Frontier, I had a lot of fun with them. After then, I went to Sinnoh."

the siblings looked up just in time to see their parents lock eyes. Sinnoh. Their mother's home region and where they met.

"and here's where I come in, kids," their mother spoke as she quickly thumbed through the pages of the album until she got to the first pictures of her as a child.

"wow, mom. You were pretty even back then," said Paul.

"she was always pretty, son."

Dawn blushed hard. Even after all these years, he still knew how to make her feel beautiful.

"this was taken just before I left on my own journey. Heh. I was so naive back then. I wasn't read for the road. If you could only see what I tried to take with me when I set out." Dawn chuckled to herself at how dumb her past self was as she pointed to a picture of her and Piplup on her bike. "your grandmother took this right before I left."

"bet you and Piplup were a great team from the start, huh mom?"

"actually, Paul, like your father and PIkachu, me and Piplup didn't get along either at first."

"not you too, mom."

"it's ok," said Dawn, "it was a rough patch at first but we got over it and became inseparable."

her loyal starter chirped proudly from behind her shoulder. The ever proud Piplup

"and it was around this time," she started, "that I met your father."

Ash sighed contently before he began. "I had just arrived in Sinnoh, my only Pokemon being PIkachu and Aipom. I was excited! A new region, with new Pokemon and new battles! I couldn't wait to see what would happen! And not less than half a day there, I get attacked by Team Rocket."

"those weird guys with the talking Meowth?" That's what Team Rocket was to the kids. They had heard all the crazy stories involving Jessie, James, and Meowth from their parents, aunts, uncles, and family friends who've dealt with the trio. Word has it that they went straight after the fall of Team Rocket but no one knew where they were or what they were doing.

"yes, dear. Those guys. I was able to fight them off but I got separated from PIkachu I spent the rest of the day looking for him. I caught Starly just to help me search."

"what happened to him?"

"that's where I come in again, sweetie," Dawn told her youngest. "I found PIkachu being chased by Team Rocket. I had plans on catching him since I had never seen a PIkachu in the wild but with the way they were going after him, I had to help. I saved him and found out that he already had a trainer, thanks to professor Rowan. I finally ran into Ash just when Team Rocket attacked again with a giant robot."

Paul turned to his father, totally straight-faced. "a giant robot?"

Ash shrugged. "that's just how they were, son."

"I bet it was love at first sight, right mom?" asked Nina expectantly.

"sorry dear. It wasn't so romantic as that. But..." she stopped, remembering the moment, "...I remember seeing your father climbing up that robot and I thought that he was crazy. Insane. And utterly...dashing."

"what about you, daddy?"

"I was too busy trying not to fall off the damn robot to focus on her. But after it was all settled, I already had a good opinion of her – she saved PIkachu after all – but talking to her, I thought she was pretty cool. So we set off shortly after that."

"your father was so experienced by then. I was just a stupid girl who didn't know any better and here was this guy who had been all over. And he even gave me tips on how to battle and how to catch Pokemon. I enjoyed it all."

"your mother was eager to learn. So full of life and energy. Sure, he had our share of fights but nothing like with your aunt Misty. I guess...I just didn't want to fight with her at all. Thankfully, she felt the same. Short fights are always the best."

The page turned to a picture of Ash, Brock, and Dawn in her pink contest dress.

"that was my first contest. I was so nervous."

"but you won, right?"

"no sweetie. I lost."

"but you're one of the best in the world. How could you lose?"

"I didn't start out great, Hun I lost a lot before I got better."

"if there one thing you learn from us," Ash chimed, "it's that you learn more from losing than you do from winning. I lost a lot of battles when I was younger but I got better. Always remember that."

The kids nodded at their advice as they slimmed through the various pictures featuring their parents. Ash pointed at one in particular.

"now this one is special for me." the picture show the two standing together, Ash wearing only a pair of tiger-stripped boxer and frizzy wig and Dawn wearing a silver white evening gown.

"really dad?" said Paul, snickering at his outfit.

"your father had no shame back then," Dawn added, holding back her laughs.

"that costume got me 3rd place in the Hearthome collection contest. Anyway, it's special because when I saw your mother in that dress with her hair down, for the first time in my life, I thought, 'she looks so beautiful'."

"Brock always use to say that if I wanted to get Ash to do anything for me, I'd just have to wear that dress."

"no wonder you seem to be more submissive when mom wears that dress," noted Paul.

"it's my one weakness," laughed Ash. His children thumbed through the pages packed with photos: some had gym battles. Others were contests. Many seemed planned. Some were just taken on the spur of the moment. The one thing Paul noticed – and probably Nina too – was the distance, the space between Ash and Dawn was slowly shrinking. They were slowly but surely invading each other's personal space and they probably didn't know it at the time.

"when was your first kiss?" the little girl asked. Both adults grinned at the pleasant memory.

Dawn spoke first. "it was just after Ash won the Sinnoh league. He wanted to re-conquer Kanto so he came back home."

"re-conquer?" asked Paul.

Ash spoke, "believe it or not, my first trip through Kanto was...terrible."

"terrible?"

"yep. I was so young and green back then. Most of the badges I won was because the Gym Leaders felt bad for me. At the time, I was happy just to get badges to enter the Pokemon league but looking back on it, I was ashamed. I was preparing to face off against the elite four and maybe the world champion at the time. I needed to erase that stain from my soul so I decided to go back and redo all the gyms from my first journey. And your mother went with me."

"it was around this time that we were...aware."

"aware?" asked Nina

"aware of how the other looked. I remember feeling that your father was so handsome. I knew he felt that same because I can basically read Ash like a book at that time."

"so, we arrived at my house and I showed her around. We ended up in my room. I can't really remember what we talked about. All I remember is...her eyes." His face took on a far-gone look, swallowed by the memory. Dawn seemed to mirror him. "her eyes were a deep blue, like the ocean. I was so absorbed in her eyes that the world could've ended at that moment and I wouldn't have cared a lick."

"his eyes were like deep chocolate, rich and smooth. I always thought Ash had utterly adorable eyes. Like a bathtub full of rich chocolate that I could slide myself into and sink my body into.

The children said nothing as their parents were wrapped in that memory.

"then I pulled her close."

"I wrapped my hands around his head."

"I breathed in her scent."

"then my lips touched his."

"and mine touched hers."

"and..."

"and..."

"and...?" asked Nina

"what was it like?" added Paul.

"son..." He started, "it was like flying. Not like in a plane or something like that. Like I was really flying."

"daddy, that's so sweet."

Dawn reached over and massaged the back of his neck. "your father knows how to be romantic, even when he isn't trying to be."

"so then you became a couple, right mommy?" their daughter asked eagerly.

"well, not quite, sweetie. It was a strange time for us. Neither of us had be in anything close to a relationship so we just kept things as friends, who happen to enjoy kissing each other," Dawn explained.

"what did you two do before you become a couple?"

Paul's question caused them both to lock eyes in stark realization. It wasn't something that they could easily explain to their children. How does one tell one's offspring that their parents were sexual deviants who spent the next several months engaging to raunchy acts of depravity that their poor little minds were not ready for? The memories were still fresh in their minds: Ash attacking her bubble-butt at all hours. Dawn discovering her talent and lust for orally pleasuring him whenever the mood struck her. Having sex anywhere and everywhere. Their acts with dirty aunt May. And that one time with Johanna. The children did not need to know what they did with their grandmother. Only a few of their friends knew the limits of what they were capable of in terms of sex and Paul and Nina were certainly not ready for it.

"we just..." started Ash nervously, "stayed close friends."

"yep. Just friends." Dawn added a weak giggle, hoping the kids bought the explanation. Nina seemed to buy it, although she was disappointed that they didn't start dating. Paul eyed them both with suspicion. He was old enough and smart enough to know that his folks were hiding something. And he was smart enough not to pry. There are somethings he didn't want to know about his parents so he didn't push the issue.

"when did you two start dating?" Dawn reacted to his question by quickly turning to a photo on the next page. It was of her and Ash at a carnival, his arm around her waist and a large Snorlax doll in her arms. "it was after he re-conquered Kanto We took a train to Johto and saw a nice caranvel. Ash won me that big doll you see there and when the man asked who it was for, he said 'my girlfriend'."

"well she was."

"dad, you sly dog."

"so you stayed together right?"

"not really, Hun," answered her mother. "because we were so young, we didn't think things would be so serious."

Nina frowned. "you broke up?"

"not so much 'broke up' as...'took a break'."

"meaning?"

"we dated other people for a while," Ash said to his son.

"who did you date?"

"well I dated your aunt misty for a year."

Paul's eyes went wide. "YOU dated aunt Misty?"

"yep."

"what was that like?"

"it started out good but we ended up fighting a lot. She was also jealous of how close me and your mother were. So it ended after about 6 months."

"anyone else?"

Ash paused for a second, recalling the memories stored in his mind. "not many after that. I did date Annabelle for while."

"the Salon queen?" asked Nina, barely able to hide her excitement. "she's so awesome and talented! I didn't know you dated her."

"we don't talk about it much. It was better than dating Misty since she was more patient and understanding. Lasted about a year before we called it off. Nothing wrong with it. We just felt it had run it's course. The last person I dated before I got back with your mother was Serena."

"you dated aunt Serena?" Paul's eyes were all aglow and his face was awash with absolute joy and happiness.

Ash smiled at his son's reaction.

Dawn just grinned while shaking her head.

Nina adopted a pronounced sour expression to her face.

The reason for this was simple: Serena was Paul's favorite aunt. Not to mention that she was his godmother. From the time he was a baby to now, Ash's childhood friend took to his son like no one else. She adored Paul like her own son, willingly babysitting him and never failed to bring him a present or two when she visited. Some say she attached herself to him because he so resembled her first love but it was never really confirmed. On the reverse, Paul loved her dearly. He was always sure to be on his best behavior when she came to visit and was an attentive listener when she told stories of her life on the road. Nina, on the other hand, didn't care much for this. It's not that she hated her aunt Serena She just didn't like how Paul seemed to swoon over the older woman whenever her name was mentioned. Maybe it was her brother complex acting up, not that she knew what that was at her age. In her eyes, she didn't like sharing her brother with anyone else outside of her immediate family.

"yep. 2 years. It was fun and interesting but there was one thing wrong with her."

"what's that?"

"she wasn't your mother." Dawn reached over and pinched his cheek playfully.

"what about you, mommy?" asked Nina "did you date other people?"

"not as much as your father, dear. The only person I could say I really dated was your uncle Kenny."

"you dated uncle Kenny? Does aunt Misty know?" asked Paul.

"that was before they got married, sweetie," she answered. "Kenny had such a big crush on me but I didn't really see it until years later. We dated for about a year or so before breaking up."

"why?"

"like Misty, Kenny was horribly jealous of your father. He always tried to compete with him at almost everything just to get my attention but he couldn't really compare."

"funny that they would get married," commented Paul as he thumbed through the album.

"love is a funny thing, son," said Ash. After a few more page-turns, passing several pictures of their parents at various stages of their lives, they found another interesting picture.

"what's this one?"

The picture was of Ash and Dawn surrounded about their various aunts and uncles: Brock next to them with his then-girlfriend Lucy, professor Oak squatting in front of Ash, Kenny and Misty side by side with crocked smiles on their faces, May next to her now giant of a brother Max, aunt Zoey next to Dawn, uncle Richie with a thumbs up, Tracey waving to the camera, Maylene with a small shadow of a smile and next to her was a man neither Paul nor Nina recognized. In the background was the wooden frame for a house in the middle of a clearing.

"that one is special too. It was around this time that I had saved up enough money to build my own house. This was the first of work. Spent six months working on it before it was done. And I couldn't have done it without my friends." it was then they noticed that all the men in the photo were either shirtless or wearing small muscle shirts, covered in sweat and dirt, meaning that they had just finished a long day of work before stopping to take this picture.

Paul's eyes drifted to the picture next to that one. It was Ash with his arm around that same man who stood next to Maylene in the group photo. He had short purple hair with intense black eyes. He didn't seem like a happy person, what with the glare in his eyes and scowl painted on his face. It was a stark contrast to his dad, smiling for the camera, a thumbs up with one hand and the other wrapped around the shoulder of the purple-haired man who had his arms crossed.

"hey dad," started Paul, "who is this guy? I've seen him a lot in these pics. I've never seen him around."

"you're right, Paul," added his sister. "he seems to be really close to aunt Maylene Is he like her old boyfriend or something?"

the adults exchanged glances. They knew this day was coming. From the moment their son was born, they knew this moment would arrive when he would ask that question. Ash played out all the ways this could and would turn out in his head, as did his other half. He figured if he was ever going to ask, now would probably be the best time to tell him.

"Ash..." said Dawn.

"it's time, Dawn."

Paul looked between his parents. "what are you talking about?"

Ash let out a heavy exhale before he spoke again. "son, you know how I have rivals and all?"

"of course."

"well, this guy is one of them. I can honestly call him the greatest rival I ever had. He was a trainer from Veilstone City. His name was...Paul."

"wow," said Paul. "funny that you had a rival with same name as me."

Dawn smiled at her son's naivete, something he picked up from his dad. "sweetie, it's no coincidence that you share the same name as him. You see...he's the man you're named after."

All of Paul's thought processes immediately shut down at that moment. His mouth went dry as desert. His hand gripped the book so tight, his knuckles turned white. His eyes locked on to the image of the man in question. He never really thought about the origins of his name or why his folks named him 'Paul' in the first place. But here it was, the picture of the man he was a named after.

"now I remember!" exclaimed Nina "I've seen him before, at aunt Maylene's."

Paul's memory came flooding back. "yeah, you're right, sis. I saw his pic in her house a lot but I never knew who he was. I always meant to ask her who he was but she would always look at me with this weird look in her eye and just smiled so sadly."

"was he her boyfriend, mommy?"

"no, dear. Paul was Maylene's husband."

"aunt Maylene was married?"

"yep." Dawn thumbed through the album until she found the pictured she wanted: it was wedding photo with Maylene in a beautiful white bridal gown flanked by a much longer looking Dawn in a pink bridesmaid outfit. Next to the bride was her groom Paul, decked out in a sleek black tux and joining him was Ash in an equally handsome suit of his own. Their parents both had bright smiles on their faces while Maylene had a small, content grin on hers. Paul was stoic and somewhat dower in comparison to everyone else in the photo but there was a shadow of a facial gesture in him, like the camera caught him in-between emotions. Maybe it was the sudden connection he found with him but the young boy could tell that the man was happy with Maylene "that was taken just after their wedding."

"daddy, you look so handsome. I don't think I've ever seen you wear a suit," said little Nina

"well, when someone asks you to be their best man, you have to dress accordingly," her father said.

"were you the maid of honor, mommy?"

Dawn said, "yes, dear. Maylene's one of my best friends and I was honored to be there for her big day."

"what was he like, dad?" asked Ash's son.

"Hmmmmmm how to say this..." the older Ketchum thought out-loud, "...Paul was...intense. Yeah, that's how I'd put it. He was perhaps the strongest rival I ever had."

"really?"

"yes. He was so...tactical and precise, like a machine. He planned out every move, every attack to the letter. He was three steps ahead and never a step behind. But he was also intense, intimidating, with a cold hard stare that could freeze you in your tracks. He always kept me on my toes and I'd like to think I did the same for him."

"he sounds like a cool trainer."

"but he was a hard person to know," spoke Dawn, "hard to be friends with, at least at first. He was distant and stern. Not cruel or anything like that. Just...not very personable. We both knew him for a while before we could really call him a friend. He never said it but I think he thought of us as friends."

"so where is he? Did he and aunt Maylene get divorced or something?" the couple went silent at their daughter's question. It was the part of the conversation that they were dreading.

"they didn't get a divorce, sweetie," started Ash, "he's...not any more."

"we know that, dad," said Paul, "but where is he? Does he live somewhere else?"

"son...Paul's dead."

A chill goes up the spines of the Ketchum siblings. That was something they did not expect to hear about this man. Paul had hoped a tiny bit that he would meet this man whom his parents had such respect for but now, that hope was gone. He looked between his folks. Their faces mirrored each in subdued pain, lost longing, and distance friendship.

"how...I mean, how did he-?"

Ash waved his son off to stop his stuttering. He knew what he wanted to ask. "Paul...died before you were born." a sad smile rose upon his lips. "he died saving my life."

"did he?" It was at this point that both of his children were throughout enraptured by his words. He looked at his beloved other half. Her blue eyes asked him if he was sure he wanted to continue the story. His chocolate eyes told her that he did.

"it was about 12 years ago. Your mother had a contest in Sinnoh and I didn't really have anything to do at the time. Brandon had just asked me to replace him as head frontier brain for the battle frontier. He had been thinking about retiring for years, partly to spend time doing his archaeology and partly to spend time with his wife Cynthia. I hadn't decided yet if I wanted to replace him so I took sometime off to travel with your mother. We were passing by Veilstone when we Paul and Maylene asked us to lunch. Said they wanted to talk to us about something. Of course we agreed to come. We didn't even get settled in before we got word that there was a explosion in the mines. There were a lot of miners trapped and of course, I ran head first into it..."

12 years ago...

The Veilstone city mines were some of the largest and most visited in all of Sinnoh but it was very doubtful that anyone would want to visit them now. The rumble of the earth was a clear sign that things were not normal. The air was filled with dust and debris, stifling to breathe let alone work in. but this deter a raven haired young man by the name Ash Ketchum and his loyal PIkachu from running deep into them in search of survivors.

"Iron tail!" he called out to his Pokemon The mouse's tail glowed white before smashing into a large boulder that blocked their path. "good job, buddy." Pikachu chirped in agreement as the two ran down the corridor. His fear of the eventual collapse grew with each rumble that surrounded him but he pushed it down for now. People were in danger and he would do whatever he could to save them. He remembered hearing Dawn's voice as he ran off. She never ceased to worry about him but of course never stopped him from doing things like this. He smiled to himself. She would kill him if he got seriously hurt.

The two rounded a corner and sprinted on.

A buttress snapped as they passed.

Another rumble from another collapse.

Things were getting worse.

Ash's foot suddenly tripped over a small rock on the ground. He slid a few feet forward, tearing a hole in the jeans his favorite bluette bought for him just the other day. She was really going to kill him. Pikachu chirped loudly as a massive boulder had come loose from ceiling. Ash was not slow in any regard but there was no way he was going to dodge such a large object in this small of space.

"Electivire, thunder punch!"

The massive yellow and black fist of the electric Pokemon shattered the boulder into a fine cloud of powder and dust, with Ash diving for cover on the side. As the dust settled, he got a look at his new savior.

"you are such a massive idea! Going in here by yourselves without even thinking!"

It was Paul, Ash's greatest rival and one of his closest friends, if you could even call them friends after all they had been through. Next to him was his strongest Pokemon, Electivire. Pikachu shared a respectful chirp with his own Pokemon rival, which he returned with a wave.

"don't tell me you were worried about me?" quipped Ash.

"of course not," he answered, extending a hand to help the trainer to his feet. "someone has to make sure you don't do anything too stupid. Besides, I don't want Dawn pissed at me."

"hey, Dawn's not that bad."

"says you. You are her favorite person in the world. You don't know what it's like to be on her bad side."

"hmmm good point."

The pair and their Pokemon began to run deeper into the mines, dust and debris falling all around them. Regardless of what he said, Paul was worried about Ash and did come to help him out. He just would never said it out loud. Even after all these years, he still had the air of cold aloofness that made him a difficult person to understand. But Ash was one of the few who knew the kind of man he had grown up to be and how he only said what he needed to say at any given moment.

"so what's the plan or do you not have one?" he asked.

"I checked out the layout of the mines at the front desk. They should be a small area up ahead where some of the miners could've gone to survive the internal explosions. If they were any survivors, they'd be there."

Paul cracked a small grin. "wow. The great Ash Ketchum actually has a plan."

"had to grow up sometime."

And grow up they did. Both had changed greatly in the 8 years since they first met. Both were now strapping young men with a good bit of muscle on them. Ash's hair had grown a bit longer but that might change if Dawn has her way with how he looks. Paul kept his hair shorter but still had enough length to catch a breeze in the right way, which Maylene absolutely adored. Both wore jeans, Ash's being blue and Paul's a dark purple, and clean dress shirts. Or they would be clean if they weren't inside of a collapsing mine. The pair of trainers and Pokemon raced around the twisting corners until they found a small bridge over a deep chasm.

"wow. Deep drop," commented Ash.

"we'll have to take this slow. Can't risk running over this one too fast," added Paul. The pair look back at their Pokemon, who understood what they wanted to tell them. Ash took the lead as they made their way across the old bridge.

"you know, you should marry Dawn." The question was so out of nowhere that the Pallet town native nearly lost his footing.

"gah! Is now really the time to ask that?!" he exclaimed.

"you aren't thinking of anything else."

"we are in the middle of a rescue mission."

"stop dodging the question."

Ash looked back at PIkachu The mouse was giggling at him next to a snickering Electivire. They were going to be no help in this regard.

"no point to the question. Dawn's my best friend. Why would I marry her?"

"you really are a moron," Paul sneered. "you two have been inseparable since they met. Hell, she is over at your house so much that she practically lives there."

"no she doesn't."

"you have a room made just for her. No one else has that."

"still doesn't mean I should marry her."

"plus you two screw more times that I can count."

"that's a lie!"

"Maylene caught you two doing it at my brother's house."

Ash gulped loudly. "oh yeah. She did."

The team arrived at the other side of the bridge before Paul spoke again. "the point I'm trying to make, you idiot, is that you two are crazy for each other. This 'just friend' crap isn't gonna work forever. So grow a pair, buy a ring and marry her already. Maylene wants to be the maid-of-honor already."

Ash flashed him a wide grin. "if I do, will you come to the wedding?"

Paul turned to face him. "ask her first and then I'll think about it."

With that small distraction out of the way, the team took off again down the path towards the area Ash thought would have survivors. After another 10 minutes, they arrived but found a not-so-big surprises; the entrance to the safe zone was blocked off by boulders. Paul pressed his ear to the rocks. "it's faint but I can hear voices."

"can't you tell how many?" Paul only shook his head. "can't tell but there are definitely people alive in there."

"then we'll have to clear this debris and get to them."

"right," Paul added before stepping back from the wall of rocks. "but we have to be careful. Too much force and we could bring the ceiling down on us."

"right. Pikachu, use iron-tail to break this rocks!"

"Electivire, help out with brick break!"

The two Pokemon chirped in acknowledgment of their trainer's orders and set to work. Pikachu's tail glowed white, smashing it into the rock, while next to him Electivire gave glowing chops and punches. As the bits of earth flew around, the humans cleared out the broken pieces, giving their respective Pokemon room to work and move. In no time at all, they had made a vast amount of progress, allow them to hear more voice from the trapped miners within, now aware that someone was coming to rescue them.

The electric Pokemon halted their work as they stood before a titanic boulder, the last and toughest barrier between them and the miners. The Pokemon threw their respective attacks at it but it barely cracked.

"damn!" cursed Paul, "must be made of harder minerals."

"then we gotta hit it harder."

"i agree but ready to duck if it knocks something loose."

Ash nodded as he motioned to PIkachu "PIkachu, ram into it with volt-tackle!"

Paul mirrored his actions. "Electivire, join in with giga-impact!"

the smaller Pokemon sprinted back a ways before rushing forward, engulfing himself in a shell of electricity. The larger one ran forward, coated in hue of giga-impact. The two attacks hit the stone with enough force to shake the surrounding earth, scaring the trainers into thinking that they used too much force for this. Thankfully, the buttresses held fast as the boulder slowly cracked and shattered from the duel attacks. A rush of air and hurried voice flowed out of the safe room. As the pair made their into the room, they took stock of the scene before them: there were about 10 miners, all wearing the orange worker overalls common to their trade, all covered in dirt, soot, and dust. Some looked a bit injured. Other perked up from their formerly hopeless expressions on their faces.

The largest one, probably the leader of this group spoke up first. "thank god! Thought we were gonna bite it for a minute."

"I'm just glad you guys are ok," said Ash.

"anyone else coming to rescue us?"

"sorry," answered Paul, "we're the only ones who could come fast enough. This everyone?"

"everyone who made it. Everyone else..." The boys understood his sudden silence. They were the only survivors but they would still get them out.

"how'd you boys get here?"

"took the lift from the front entrance on the east side," answered Ash.

"crap! That means that the only one that works," spoke one of the miners. "the others got wrecked when the explosion went down."

"then I guess we are talking that one back up-" the lead miner's proclamation was cut short thank to a sudden rumbling. Ash and Paul mentally noted that this one felt a lot different from the last ones they had been feeling since entering the mine.

"another explosion?" wondered Ash out-loud.

"i don't think so," replied one of the miners. He placed his ear to the ground, listening for something it seemed. "that wasn't a explosion. That was a void collapse." The other miners seemed to understand what the phrase meant, their faces awash with both shock and terror, but the trainers were clueless.

"excuse me but what's a 'void collapse'?"

"it happens sometimes during mine explosions like this one. The floors sometimes collapse in on themselves when they are deprived of oxygen, like a vacuum."

"that doesn't sound too bad," commented Paul.

"oh it is, kiddo," the leader spoke. "void collapses tend to set off a domino effect. When one floor goes, it normally takes the next one with it. If he's right, then we ain't got time to stand around. Alright, listen up! We gotta get to that lift and fast! Help anyone who can't move on their own! Let's go! Move!"

His orders did not fall on deaf ears. The crew quickly began to flood out of the room, just as the ground to quake again.

"he's right! We don't have much time!"

"get a move on, ash!"

The pair and their Pokemon were the last to leave the safe zone before the ground began to suck into itself. They stayed ahead of the collapse until they reached the external hallway, a cloud of brown dust billowing around them.

"man," panted Ash. "that was close."

"yeah," added Paul, equally out of breath. "almost bought it there. Some father I'd be."

Ash looked at him with a quizzical look upon catching that last bit of dialogue. "father?"

Electivire sweat-dropped. Only then did Paul realized what he had just said and just placed his face in his Palm. "me and my big mouth. Maylene's gonna kill me," he mumbled bitterly to himself. Ash still wasn't sure he heard what he heard. "is there something you hiding me, Paul?"

His purple-haired rival gave a sigh. There was no point in hiding it at this point. "fine. You heard right."

"what?"

"...Maylene's pregnant."

"what?!"

"I'm...gonna a father."

PIkachu had to poke his partner a few times before he snapped out of his surprised stupor. "YOU'RE GONNA BE A DAD?!" he shouted.

Paul gave a small smile before another quake forced them both into a run for the bridge from earlier. This time they walked over it a bit faster than the last time. Also different from their first crossing, it was time for Ash to ask questions. "you're gonna be a dad? Really? Really?"

"I heard you the first time, you idiot!" he snapped.

"sorry. It's just...well, I can't picture you as a father."

"well, you wont have to in a few months."

"so...how long?"

"about 8 weeks. We just found out last week. That's the reason why we asked you and Dawn to lunch. She wanted to break it to you two then. At least until I opened my big mouth."

"wow. That's just..." he stopped to let out a big, hearty laugh.

"what's so funny?"

"nothing. It's just...you'd a scary dad."

"and what is that suppose to mean?"

"you always scowl, you are kinda mean, and not exactly lovable. The poor kid would be terrified of you," Ash joked, earning a glaring from the soon-to-be father.

"whatever!" he snapped back but in a manner that told Ash he wasn't serious about it.

"what's it like? Knowing you'll be a dad?" the pair made their way across the bridge and broke back in a run along with their Pokemon Paul was silent for a bit, trying to find the right words to convey his feelings on the subject. "it's scary and...exciting," he started. "it's not like catching and caring for Pokemon It's...you are bringing this little life into the world. It's a part of you and a part of the woman you love. I feel...frightened that I'll mess up or do the wrong thing but at the same time, I'm excited because I can teach it so much. So it the world and watch it learn and grow. At least that's how I feel about it."

Ash said nothing as he absorbed what he said. He could see that this news had changed him, in someways very subtle and others very pronounced. Fatherhood had a great impact on him.

"but I was surprised that it happened. I mean, me and Maylene didn't have nearly as much sex as you two."

"that's a lie!" Ash replied incredulously. "we do not have that much-" Paul's pointed stare stopped him mid-triad. "ok, we do have a lot of sex. But that's besides the point!"

Paul cracked a smile as they arrived at the lift. Surprisingly, none of the miners had board the car and just seemed to be standing around.

"we're here!" panted Ash. "let's get a move on!"

"just got one problem, kid," said the leader.

"oh great. What now?" grumbled Paul. Just then, one of the miners emerged from the small booth that was next to the lift. His face was crestfallen.

"the drive gear's been damaged. Must have happened during one of the early blasts."

"what's that mean? Is the lift not working?"

"oh it works. The problem is that the drive gear is what's needed to operate it from the car itself. Without it, you'd have to have someone stay in the control booth to move it up manually."

"can you fix it?" asked Paul.

"sure. A broken drive gear is a minor problem, easily fixed. But we have neither the parts to fix it with or the time."

"time?" Ash asked.

"yeah. Based on the rate of the collapse, we have about 10 to 15 minutes before this whole floor caves in on itself."

"wait. I saw another control booth at the top floor. Maybe we can have someone stay behind to operate, bring everyone up and then someone operates it from up there to bring it back down so the last guy can get back up." thought Paul.

"thought of that, kiddo," spoke the leader. "we did the math. We wouldn't have time to do that. We only got time for one trip. Face it, boys. No matter how you slice it, in order for everyone to get out of here alive, someone's gotta stay behind."

the implications from that statement were clear. Someone, one of them, had to die to save them all. It was a prospect that none of them really wanted to think about but they had no choice. Time was running out. Either one of them died or all of them died.

"I'll do it."

Paul sighed to himself. He wasn't surprised that Ash spoke up first. That was just the type of brave stupidity he had known for years.

"what?"

"I said I'll do it."

PIkachu didn't like this plan. He didn't like it at all. His angry chirps were proof of that. His trainer leaned down and patted his fur. "it's ok, buddy. I'll find some way to get back up." PIkachu didn't believe him. He knew Ash was a poor liar.

"you sure about this, son?" asked the leader.

There was fear and anxiety in his eyes but he still held that steely resolved that made him a Pokemon master. "yeah. I'm sure."

"of all the moronic things you could do!" chastised Paul.

"it's ok, Paul. Someone has to do it."

"why you?!"

"why not?" he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to somewhat ease his anger. "besides, you are gonna be a dad. That's something to look forward to."

"you...idiot."

"at least I'll be a idiot for the right reasons," Ash said with a grim smile. "take care of Maylene and the baby. I'm sure you'll do find as a father. And when you see Dawn, tell her I...she knows." ignoring the fury in his friend's eyes, he turned back to the boss. "ok. Show me how to work the controls and i'll-ACKK!" He never saw Paul hit him in the back of the head. He probably realized what happened to him the split second before he passed out from the blow. Electivire caught his falling body before resting it on the ground.

"moron." Paul muttered.

"hey kid. I thought he was your friend," wondered the leader.

"he is," he answered. "that's why I'm doing this. Now show me how to work this damn thing."

Ash Ketchum had one hell of a headache when he regained consciousness. At first, he was unsure about where he was or what he was doing but slowly, as his mind began to clear, he remember. The mine. He was shaky to get to his feet. He took stock of his surroundings: he was in the lift, surrounded the miners he helped to rescue. Next to him was PIkachu, happy that he was conscious. In a corner was Electivire, solemn and morose. It was upon seeing the electric beast that he finally noticed that Paul was missing. It was easy for him to put two and two together.

"Paul?" he called out, hoping in vain that he was still there. There no answer.

"here, kid." it was the leader. He had a small black radio in his hand.

"what?"

"your friend has one too. Figured you'd want to talk to him before..."

Ash gingerly took the radio just as they reached the top floor of the mine. He switched it on and started to talk. "Paul? Paul, are you there?"

There was silence and static on the line before Paul spoke up. "had hoped you wouldn't wake up until it was over. You can't even stay unconscious properly."

"Paul! Why? We could've figured something out!"

"there was nothing to figure out, Ash. No trick or solution to it. One of us has to die."

"but...Paul...you're gonna be a dad! Doesn't that mean anything?!"

"of course it does! But what kind of father would I be if I just let my friend die like this?"

"Paul, you...idiot."

"that's my line. Heh."

"guess I rubbed off on you, huh?"

"guess so."

"Paul...I'm sorry. If I hadn't gone in and..."

"it's fine, Ash. You wouldn't be you if you didn't try to rush in and save someone."

"I know. I'm so stupid sometimes."

"well, that stupidity is a good trait of yours. Makes you...enduring."

"you think so?"

"worked on me, didn't it?"

"yeah. I guess it did."

"I use to hate you."

"really? I didn't notice."

"I bet you didn't. I really didn't like you. You were just so upbeat and happy and annoying. Saying all the same shit my brother use to say. Maybe that was the reason behind. But then...I saw how strong you were. The connection you had with your Pokemon and how far it took you and what you gained. Hell, you even beat me. Maybe you weren't as weak as I thought. Or maybe I wasn't as strong as I believed. Either way, you beat me and showed me that I could be more. I respected you for it and...I'm glad we became friends. I know I didn't say it a lot but it's true. You are a good friend, a better friend that I deserve."

"Paul, don't..."

"Ash, if you want to do something for me, just do two things. Just two and I can die happy. Please."

"...whatever you want."

"first, I want to lock down Dawn. Marry her, have her move in with, buy a car together. Something. She's a great girl and for some reason she thinks you are the best thing in the world. You support each other, push each other, make each other better. Stop with all this 'just friends' nonsense and just be with her. You two love each other. That's more than most people can say."

"ok, Paul. I will."

"second, could you look out for my kid? He's gonna grow up without a dad and I'd like you to help him grow up strong and honest. And...one day...tell him about his dad."

"his father was a great man. I'll...make sure he knows what kind of man he was."

"thanks, Ash. Thanks. Oh no. here it comes. Ash! Ash! It's so loud! Can you hear me!? Tell Maylene-"

the static returned but it might as well have been dead silence. Ash felt a sudden strutting of the earth. He dropped the radio on the floor, left alone by the miners, save for PIkachu and a now trainer-less Electivire There was nothing more he could do or say.

Paul, his greatest rival and one of his closest friends, was dead.

For the first time in his life, Ash Ketchum of pallet town felt true and utter sadness.

"PAULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

Present day

Paul could only stare at his father after hearing the story. He had tears in his eyes but blinked them away quickly, trying to look strong for his kids. Looked to his side. Nina was in stunned silence, just as he was. His mother was crying silently, probably remember the details more vividly than they could try. He could understand why this was such a hard story to tell them. He only imagine how his father felt from listening to his friend die like that and part of him didn't want to imagine any bit of it. After wiping his face, Ash continued.

"by the time I made it out of the mine, Dawn and Maylene were waiting. I didn't really say anything to her but Maylene knew that Paul was gone. She collapsed right then and there, wailing like a ghost Pokemon"

"Ash and I took that year off from our careers to stay with Maylene and help her cope," added Dawn. "she was a mess. She adored Paul. It was like someone cut off a piece of her soul. We were scared she would break from grief or worse, just loss her baby. But we kept her strong and 8 months later..." she turned the page of the album to a picture of Maylene in a hospital bed with a small baby girl with purple hair in her arms. Ash, Dawn, and Reggie were by her bedside. There were smiles all over their faces.

"is that Jean, mommy?" asked Nina Dawn nodded happily. "awwww she looks so small."

"that was the first time we had seen Maylene smile since Paul died. And I mean really smile. Not a forced one that she put on so that me and Ash wouldn't worry about her. It was warm and loving. Jean saved her mother's life in more ways than you can count." Paul remembered his cousin Jean: fierce and intense, a total opposite of her mother. A year older than him, Jean was well on her way to taking over for her mother as the Veilstone city gym leader. He always thought it was strange how different she was from Maylene but hearing more about her father, she understood that she got most of it from him.

"then fate was kind to us as well." Ash turned the page to a picture of himself and Dawn. He was on his knees, his head against her stomach, grinning from ear to ear. Dawn, wearing a lovely flower print sundress, had her hand on his head, giggling at how silly he was acting. The kids could tell by the slight bulge in her normally slim figure that she was pregnant. "a year after Jean came into the world, you came to us, son." the next picture was of Dawn in a similar bed as Maylene had been, with a baby boy in her arms, surrounded by Ash, his mother, her mother, and their many many friends.

"that's me?" asked Paul.

"yep. That was taken just a hour after you were born."

"it would've been less if your father hadn't gone crazy."

"why's that, mom?"

"your father was very scared around the time I was due. He was terrified he was going to drop you so he had to work up the courage to actually hold you that first time."

"and did he?"

"did he ever! As soon as he held you in his arms, he started laughing and smiling and running around the hospital yelling 'THIS IS MY SON!' at the top of his lungs," she explained, eliciting laughs from their children. "Brock almost had to tackle him to get him to calm down."

"really, dad?"

"I was excited, Paul," he said sheepishly. "when we were thinking of names, we considered naming you after Paul but we wanted Maylene's permission first. 30 minutes after that picture was taken, we asked her and she agreed."

"it makes sense," Paul spoke. "I always use to catch aunt Maylene staring at me with this far-gone look on her face. Like she wasn't looking at me but through me. I asked her why but she would just smile and say it's nothing. Now I see."

"happy you know now, son?"

"yeah, I am. I'm glad to know that I was named after him. I hope I can live up to my namesake."

"speaking of," spoke Dawn. "it's almost time for bed, you two."

the kids groaned in response to the news. "awww mom," said Paul.

"no 'awww moms' to me, young man. You have a big day tomorrow and you need your rest."

he looked to his father to take his side on this matter. "don't look at me. I agree with her. Don't want you to take after your old man and oversleep. Get to bed because we'll be leaving early in the morning."

10:37pm

that was the time on Paul's clock. It was the seventh time he checked it and still felt awake. He laid in his bed, in near total darkness but he could still make out the various shapes and forms of his posters and toys around his room. He really wanted to get to bed but he couldn't, for a few reasons. Chief among them was how excited and anxious he felt in his body. In a few hours, he would get his starter Pokemon and after that, he'd be on the road, taking the same journey his parents took over 20 years hence. He had been thinking about how he would do by himself or as a trainer for the past few weeks. But for some reason, hearing the story of the man who he was named after made him feel a bit more at ease. He had so much to live up to, not only being the son of a Pokemon master and a top coordinator but being named after a great trainer and a friend of his parents. Could he really do it? Was he making the right choice?

His thoughts were interrupted by the slow creek of his bedroom door opening. Soon, the small form of his sister entered view, clad in her blue nightgown and socks. She hated sleeping barefoot. Her toes always got so cold at night.

"Paul..." she whispered. He knew what she wanted. Often times, when she was scared or stressed, she would come into his room and ask to sleep with him. Tonight was no different.

"get in," he said, patting the mattress.

"woobie...?"

Paul smiled. Woobie was the name of her favorite stuff Pokemon, a Snorlax that she slept with all the time. "of course Woobie can sleep with us." The little girl walked over and crawled under the blanket next to her brother, Woobie held tightly to her side. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything, both trying to find sleep but it nowhere to be found.

"you really are leaving tomorrow," Nina broke the silence first. It wasn't a question but more of a statement of finality.

"yeah."

"aren't you scared?"

"of course I am. But I'm excited too. Hard to explain really."

"I guess. It's not gonna be the same without you around, getting hurt and doing stupid stuff."

"figured you were tired of looking after me."

her little hands gripped the covers tightly. "it wasn't so bad."

"it's gonna be ok. Look, you can sleep in my room if you start to miss me or you get lonely at night."

"really Paul?"

"yeah."

"thanks." she gave a small hug before starting to settle in. "I can't sleep."

"I know."

"mom and dad haven't done the thing."

"I know."

"they need to do the thing."

"I know."

"maybe they won't do the thing tonight."

"they will do the thing tonight. They always do the thing. Just be patient."

Ash Ketchum emerged from the bathroom that he shared with his beloved spouse, fresh from a shower and ready for bed. "AHHHHHHHH! BETTER!" he exclaimed, wearing nothing but a pair of PJ bottoms. He glanced around the bedroom to find Dawn at her vanity dress, clad in her light blue night gown and brushing her hair. On the floor in front of their bed was Pikachu, Piplup, and Buneary, sleeping together in what they called "The Pile". Whenever their Pokemon were together, they would often sleep in a big pile on top of each other. It was just another testament of the bond they shared with each other.

"good shower?" she asked, combing out the tangles of her hair.

"felt good to just enjoy a nice shower," he answered before dropping to the floor to do a few push-ups. Dawn cast a side glance him. Even after all these years, she often caught herself staring at him, especially when he was just out of the shower. Ash's tall frame was perfectly complemented by the armor of muscles he had developed from training and traveling over the years. Add to that all the nice scars he gain and what you had was a very attractive man. One that Dawn was very lucky to say she shares her bed with.

"what?" he asked.

"nothing. Just admiring the sexy man in my room."

"heh. Flirt," he quipped. "you're scared, aren't you?"

"of what?"

"you can't hide it from me, Hun I know you are scared for Paul."

She stopped her brushing and laid her brush down. "yeah. You're right. But I can't help it."

"Dawn, he'll be fine. He's a smart kid."

"smart but still naive. It's a big world out there, Ash. And he's my son."

"OUR son. You and me. He's got the best of us in him."

"and a bit of our worst." The bluette reached across her dresser and picked up the framed picture of Paul in a little brown suit. She traced his face with her finger, trying to memorize every little curve and wrinkle of his face. "I thought I would have a few more years with him. When did he grow up so fast?"

"we just didn't notice." Ash flipped to his feet and bounded over to where she was seated. He enveloped her into a hug as she looked at her son's picture. "he's a big boy. He can handle himself."

"you say that now but wait until Nina grows up and goes out and about."

"I won't worry about that," he said, "I'll just lock her up until all the boys in the world are dead. Or turn gay. Either or."

Dawn laughed at him. "how do you do that?"

"do what?"

"say something to make me smile and relax."

"I don't know. I make it up as I go along."

"well keep doing that. I like it."

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. He in turn gave her a small kiss on her lips. Of course, with these two, kisses are never enough. Ash soon consumed her into a passionate french kiss. Dawn didn't fight it. She never fought it. She loved being devoured by his passion and desire for her, even after all these years. Their hunger for each other was just as strong, if not stronger. Before she even realized it, he scooped her from her chair and planted her on their bed, his face merely inches her hers.

"ash?"

"no. I'm not this Ash guy. I'm the burglar!" she smiled that lustful smile. They were finished up from earlier today.

"Mr burglar! I completely forgot about you," she said in a mock voice of fear.

"that's right. Since you are alone, I can have what I want. Now give it to me."

"um, the jewelry is in the box on the nightstand."

"oh. Oh I didn't come for the jewelry."

"then what?"

he leaned close to her ear and in voice that made her melt into a puddle of pure ecstasy, he simple said, "spread'em."

for another other child, hearing the sounds of their parents have sexual relations would be, at the very least annoying and at the very most terrifying. But for the Ketchum siblings, it was neither of those things. They loved their parents and their parents loved them. But most importantly of all, their parents loved each other. Seeing them interact was something that made them smile and hope that they would have a relationship like theirs when they were old enough to really understand such things. As such, they were more than use to them having loud, fervent sex at night. So much so that they were more than use to it. In fact, they were so use to it that they really couldn't sleep without it. It was their version of hearing ocean sounds or white-noise.

So while Ash was making love to Dawn, something he had been doing for nearly 20 years, Paul and Nina were across the hall, dead to the world in blissful sleep.

Today was the day.

The Ketchum family were riding on the back of Rayquaza, flying through the skies of Kanto and on their way to the oak ranch just outside of Pallet town. Like Ash said the night before, they had woken up early and gotten a nice breakfast from Dawn before packing up and heading out.

Today, Paul Ketchum would get his starter Pokemon He hadn't really thought of which starter he wanted. He was more busy worrying about the journey itself. He figured he would just pick one on the spot. Probably one that looked the coolest, if that was even possible.

His thoughts were interrupted by his father's legendary Pokemon landing just outside of the Oak compound.

"last stop, Oak Ranch," his father announced like a train conductor. The foursome disembarked off of the sky Pokemon's back. "thanks, Rayquaza. Return." the Pokemon growled in acknowledgment before being recalled into his ball.

The family walked the path towards the main residence of the ranch, large and sprawling over the acres and acres of land that belonged to the professor.

"I can't wait until we see professor Oak," spoke Nina, skipping ahead of her brother.

"you just want more of his special candy that he always gives us."

"yeah. So?" Nina stuck her tongue out at him as he trailed behind her. The grown-ups watched their kids eagerly ran off to get to the house as fast as possible. Professor Oak was their favorite teacher when they went to school in Pallet. He always gave them special attention, mostly because of who their father was. He would tutor them, write them special poems and, like Paul mention earlier, gave them special handmade candies which were delicious.

By the time Ash and Dawn caught up with them, Nina was knocking on the door to the lab, eager to get in. "Professor! It's us!" she announced. Ash shook his head before touching the button to the intercom. "open up. We're here."

the large metal door loudly slide upwards, revealing the inside of the the fable Oak labs. Just as the door retracted all the way up, out walked a red haired man, about Ash's age, in a white lab coat and knowing smile.

"about time you got here, Ashy boy."

"you still gonna keep calling me by that stupid name, Gary?"

"as long as it applies."

The two childhood friends caught each other in a hug, laughing deeply at the insults they traded between each other.

"good to see ya, Mr Pokemon master."

"back at ya, professor."

They release each other as he caught sight of Dawn. "so when are you gonna wise up and leave this guy for me?"

she shook her head at his joke. "not in this life time, you jerk." the two friends shared an embrace. "good to see you, Gary"

"looking good, Dawn."

the professor then turned his attention to his favorite students. "and how are you two doing?"

"hello, Professor Oak," they said at the same time with a respectful bow. That's why he loved these two. Always so respectful to him.

"so what can I do for you two today?"

"you know why, professor," said Paul.

"I see. I seem to remember something about giving a certain 10 year old his very first Pokemon Is it you?" he said, feigning ignorance.

"of course it's me."

"I know. I remember. As impatient as your father."

Nina tugged at his lab-coat, eager anticipation in her eyes.

"ahhhh let's see if I can't find you something for this little princess." he dug into his pockets and retrieved a small piece of candy. The little girl squealed in joy as she quickly took the bit of sugary sweetness and popped it into her mouth.

"hey, Gary," called out Dawn, "where's Zoey?"

"she's at the back porch, getting some air," he answered.

"so the surgery went ok?" asked Ash.

Gary nodded. "it did. But she's gonna be weak for a while. The air does her good."

Dawn smiled at the news of her best friend's recovery. "come on, Nina Let's get visit Mrs Oak and leave the boys to their toys."

"yay!" Nina cheered and followed her mother to the back porch.

"now that the women are gone," Gary said to Paul, "how about we get you your Pokemon?"

"just what I wanted to do!" he said with a fist pump.

"I hope you haven't really thought about what Pokemon you want. I got a special surprise for you."

"a surprise?" asked Ash. His old rival merely gave him a wink and smile as he lead the father and son to the holding area of the labs. Along the way, they passed Gary's desk. On it was a framed picture of Gary with his grandfather, the first Professor Oak. It was taken the day he got his doctorate in Pokemon studies. He'd never seen the professor so proud or happy to have his grandson follow in this footsteps.

He also remembered the day Gary and Zoey got married. He had always liked the fiery coordinator. She balanced out his grandson and gave him something more in his life than Pokemon It was also on that day that he heard the first cough from Professor Oak. That cough was the start of his eventual decline in health.

He was there in the final days, when he was bedridden and so weak. Ash liked to believe that he hung on until the birth of his first and only great-grandson. 4 days after that, Samuel Oak was gone.

As he followed his friend, Ash could almost see the spirit of his long gone mentor and friend in him. The Oak legacy was alive and well.

The walk to the back porch wasn't a very far walk for the mother and daughter. Despite how large it seemed, the Oak ranch was certainly easy to navigate, especially for people who have visited as often as they did. Dawn and Nina found Zoey sitting in a large wheelchair, gazing off into the the distant at the grazing Pokemon In her lap lay the gray form of Glameow, purring silently and enjoying the moment with her owner. It's ears perked up as it noticed their approach, alerting Zoey as well.

"Dawn! Nina!" she said to her friends. Dawn took note of her tone and appearance: slightly paler than normal, somewhat sweaty and flushed like she had run a marathon, and bags under her eyes, signing a lack of sleep. Her voice was weaker than normal although she tried to hide this fact by trying to sound much stronger than she actually was. It nearly broke her heart to see her beloved friend in such a state but she tried to not let it show, for Nina's sake.

"hello, Mrs Oak," greeted the little girl.

"hey there, little princess." Zoey caressed her face when she came closer to her on the porch. She regretting never giving Gary a daughter. He seemed like he would be a good father to a girl, especially one like Nina Always so prim and proper when it came to her, never calling her 'aunt' like she did with the other older females that surrounded her life. It was always Mrs. Oak. Not that she minded. It was a special title that only Zoey got, which got her to call Nina 'little princess' and thus earning her doting when she was around the ranch.

"you look great, Zoey," Dawn commented as she wrapped her in a hug.

"you take after Ash, Dawn. You're a poor liar," She said jokingly but Dawn didn't care. She loved Zoey like a sister and it showed.

"how are you feeling?"

"better than I was feeling all year," Zoey answered, "the procedure was...unpleasant but I'm in a lot less pain now. It will be a long time before I can say I'm better."

Nina chimed in. "you'll get better soon, Mrs. Oak. You're too cool to stay still too long."

"you are too kind, little princess."

"does Markus know?" Markus was Gary and Zoey's son. A near spitting image of his father but with slightly redder hair, he inherited his parents' intelligence and highly competitive nature. 3 years Paul's senior, he's already an accomplished trainer with 7 badges in Kanto. In fact, he had just finished challenging the Cinnabar island gym leader when Zoey had her procedure. Since then, he made sure to call home everyday to check up on his mother.

"he does. We just finished a phone call a hour ago. He wanted to come home but I told him to not come home until he had his eighth badge."

Dawn smiled. She loved her son and knew him well enough to know that his drive to compete wouldn't keep him home for long, even if she asked him to come back. Dawn wondered if she would be like that with Paul when he left later today.

"worried about Paul?" she asked. Like always, Zoey could tell when Dawn was worried about something.

"yeah. It's...how do you do it? How do you deal with just letting him go?"

The red-head chuckled to herself before speaking again. "can't really say. I just know we did a good job raising him so I'm certain that he can handle himself if and when something comes up. All I can do is give him someone to talk to and give him a warm meal and bed when he comes homes. That's the main thing of it all: trust in his skills and judgment." that made Dawn feel a bit better, knowing that she wasn't alone in her feelings about her son leaving home. "so today's the day, huh?"

"yep. Paul gets his first Pokemon," answered Nina "I hope it's a cute one like PIkachu or Piplup"

"well, Gary has been excited as well. He's been talking about some big surprise for him all week but he won't tell me a thing."

"then why don't we find out?" suggested Dawn.

"sounds like a plan. Figured it was time for me to come back in."

"OOH! Can I push Mrs. Oak back inside, mommy?" Nina chirped.

"well, you have to ask her, sweetie."

"of course you can, princess," answered Zoey, with no moment of hesitation. The girl smiled brightly as she got behind her wheelchair and began to push her off the porch carefully and back inside the main building. The trio of females found themselves in the holding lab where Gary held all the starter Pokemon for all the new trainers. Ash, Paul, and Gary were already there, sharing a laugh from a joke that they told each other.

"and look who's here." Gary walked over and kissed his sickly wife on the forehead. "you feeling ok, Hun?"

"I'm fine. I had good company," she motioned to the mother and daughter at her side. "I hope we didn't miss anything."

"naw. I was just about to get you but you saved me the trip."

"that's great. I can't wait to see what this surprise is."

"me too," added Ash. "he's been talking about it all week over the phone. Now spill Gary"

Professor Oak smiled. "now, Paul, I know you've thinking about which starter you wanted for a while now."

"that's right, professor," he answered, "but I haven't really decided on which one I wanted. I'm sorry, sir."

"no, that's perfect. I was hoping for that."

"huh?" five pairs of eyes watched as opened a drawer in his desk and retrieved a poke-ball with the initials 'P.K.' on top of it.

"normally, you'd have a choice between 3 Pokemon for Kanto: Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. But since you are one of my favorite students, I decided to do something different. I got in-touch with a friend of mine in Veilstone city and had him send me over this little guy." he tossed the ball into the air and released the Pokemon inside. As it took form, everyone immediately recognized it as a Pokemon not native to Kanto. In fact, it wasn't even a regular starter from any of the regions in the world. Paul's eyes went wide as he looked at the yellow electric-type, with it's trademark plug-shaped head and large arms.

"an...Elekid?"

"Bui!" the electric-type chirped in response.

"Paul, meet Elekid Elekid, this is one of my favorite students, Paul Ketchum."

"um nice to meet, Elekid" he extended his hand to the Pokemon, who took it without hesitation. He felt small jolt of electricity which he didn't seem to mind. "wow. He's got a nice grip."

"really? So you like him?" ask Gary.

"yeah. He's a cool Pokemon, sir."

"glad you think so. How would like to have him a starter?"

Paul's eyes went wide with surprise. He never thought he would have a choice of Pokemon outside the standard trio, let alone a powerful electric-type like Elekid. "can I really?"

"of course. Just say yes and he's yours."

"well, what do you say, Elekid? Wanna be my Pokemon?"

"Bui-bui!" he said, spinning his arms rapidly and jumping in his arms. The built-up static shocked Paul but he seemed no less hurt or discourage.

"guess that settles it. Elekid's my first Pokemon!" Paul proclaimed, mimicking his father's famous victory pose. This got a smile from the grown ups, all making note of how similar he was to his father.

Nina ran over and touched his fur. "wow. Fuzzy. Paul, your Elekid is so cool." the Pokemon blushed at the attention he got from his new trainer's younger sister.

"say Gary?" Ash spoke up suddenly. "you said you got him from Veilstone? Does that mean he's...?"

"yep. I got him from Reggie. He's actually the child of Paul's Electivire" there was a loud collection of gasps upon hearing the news.

"uncle Reggie sent him?" wondered Paul out-loud, looking at his new starter with a greater appreciation than before, if that was possible.

"he did. He was looking for a good trainer to take care of him but couldn't quite find the right fit. When I told him you were about to get your first starter, he brought up Elekid and I got the idea."

"awww babe," swooned, Zoey, "that was so sweet of you!"

"had to do something special for the kid," he grinned widely. "now all there's left to is get you registered and some poke balls and you'll be all set."

"great. You hear that, Elekid? We're all almost ready to roll."

"Bui-bui!"

"I'm sure your dad already told you this but it bares repeating. Being a trainer is a lot of responsibility. You have to make the best judgments and choices for you and your Pokemon You can and should make mistakes, but so long as you live with them and learn from them. Every trainer and coordinator make mistakes. Even us," he motioned to the older trainers and coordinators in the room.

"you, professor? You made mistakes?" asked Nina

"of course. Everyone makes them. Especially me. Man, I really wish I could change somethings that I did in my past."

"like what?"

"where do I start?" he answered, "I use to travel around with a bunch of cheerleaders. Man, I was so conceited." his comment got him a jab in the ribs from his wife.

"you know how much I hate it when mention those bimbos," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry, dear," he said kissing her hand, "you know you are the only cheerleader I need in my life."

"flatterer."

"what about you, Mrs Oak?"

Zoey searched her memory for something that she would've like to change. "Hmmmmmm I'd have to say...I'd change how I treated trainers. I didn't have a good opinion of them when I first started out. It's only later that I learned that you can learn a lot from both trainers and coordinators."

"how about you, mommy?"

Dawn took no time at all to answer. "well that's easy. I was a little vain in the beginning of my journey. So much so that I didn't want your father or uncle Brock to look at me when I woke up in the morning."

Paul spoke up next. "what about you, dad? Anything you'd change?"

"Hmmmmmm," thought Ash. "nope. Can't think of anything."

"really?"

"yeah. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but...if I never made those mistakes, I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today."

"you sure? There must be something you'd want to do differently."

The question caused Ash to lock eyes with his blue-haired spouse. He took her form into his mind, drifting back through the last 20 years, seeing her body and mind change ever so slightly. Then he remembered one moment that he almost forgot and thinking on it, he knew the right answer.

"well...there is one thing I'd change..."

20 years ago...

Its a bright day as we find our heroes, Ash, Misty, and Brock enjoying a nice break from their journey.

"MMMMMM!" groaned Ash as he dug into his burger. "these burgers are amazing!"

"pi-pika!" chirped PIkachu, enjoying his Pokemon food given to him by Brock.

"Ash, don't eat so fast! You'll choke!" nagged misty, disgusted by how he was wolfing down his food. He was about to complain to her when he started to choke on a mouthful of beef. The breeder handed him a glass of water to wash it all down with.

"see? I told you."

"I can't help it, misty. These burgers are so good."

"can't really blame him, misty," commented Brock as he thumbed through his travelers guide, "this cafe is ranked pretty high on the travel's guide."

"yeah well, he still should take his time with food. I swear you think someone will just come along and steal it from you."

"who asked you, misty?" Ash hated fighting with the girl. It was a waste of time and energy better spent on training with his Pokemon but they always seem to find a reason to fight. She'd almost be cute if she didn't get on his nerves.

"so where are we anyway?" asked Ash.

"let's see..." Brock consulted his map. They were on their way to Johto after a visit to the orange islands, much to Brock's trauma, to do a favor for Professor Oak. Their ship had made a small layover in a region none of them had been to or even heard of before. "...according to the map, we are on the southern tip of the Sinnoh region."

"Sinnoh region?" said Misty.

"yep. I guess we took a more roundabout route to get back to Johto."

"Sinnoh huh?" Ash always loved seeing new lands and places. It just made traveling all the more exciting. And here they were, in a new region with tons of new Pokemon he'd never seen before. He was sorely tempted to wander about this new land and see what it had to offer but he was still in the middle of conquering the Johto region and he couldn't afford to stop now. Just when he was about to bite into his burger, someone, he didn't know who, turned on a radio and a song came on.

When life leaves you high and dry
I'll be at your door tonight if you need help, if you need help
I'll shut down the city lights,
I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe to make you well, to make you well
When enemies are at your door I'll carry you way from more
If you need help, if you need help
Your hope dangling by a string
Ill share in your suffering to make you well, to make you well

suddenly, he dropped his burger on the plate, his legendary hunger all but vanished. His friends looked at him, thinking he was choking again. The look on his face was a mix of astonishment and surprised awareness, like he just realized something important.

"Sinnoh We're in Sinnoh" The way he said it seemed more like he was telling himself rather than talking to his friends.

"yeah, Ash. We're in Sinnoh," spoke Brock.

"Ash, are you-" her question was cut off when Ash jumped out of his seat and ran up to a older gentleman, a fisherman by the look of his dress.

"sir! Do you live around here?"

"ummm yes I do, sonny."

"do you know where Twinleaf town is?" he inquired, almost frantically.

"sure. It's just up the road a bit," he answered, pointing to the road that led out of the port, "it's about 5 or 10 minutes up the road. Ya can't miss it."

"thanks! Thanks a lot!"

Ash almost ran off right then and there but he stopped back at the table to pick up his backpack and drop a few bills on the table for the bill. He didn't seem to bother to count.

"Ash, are you ok?" Ask the Cerulean gym leader.

Give me reasons to believe,
That you would do the same for me

"I'm ok. I just...I just need to go!"

"go where!"

"I just need to go!" he yelled before taking off in a dead run, PIkachu not far behind him. Misty and Brock didn't have time to question why he was running off like a madman. They just gathered their belongings as fast as they could and ran after him.

And I would do it for you, for you
Baby I'm not moving on
I love you long after you're gone
For you, for you
You would never sleep alone
I love you long after you're gone
And long after you're gone, gone, gone

The young Ketchum boy had a good deal of a head-start, which made it hard for the two gym leaders to even keep up. They had been in situations like this before with him but never with such urgency.

"what's gotten into him?" yelled Misty.

"your guess is as good as mine. We'll just have to follow him and see what happens," he answered. They were able to catch up somewhat when Ash stopped at a crossroads to look at the signs but it didn't last long. As soon as Misty and Brock caught up, he was off again, this time with PIkachu clutching his shoulder, tired from running after his trainer.

When you fall like a statue
I'm gon' be there to catch you
Put you on your feet, you on your feet
And if your well is empty
Not a thing will prevent me
Tell me what you need, what do you need

Like the fisherman had said, it didn't take them long before they reached the town of Twinleaf. If the trailing pair had the chance to take in the town, they would've surely notices how similar it was to Pallet town: how small and quaint but very cozy it felt. Ash had slowed down but he still seemed jittery, energetic. Like a child in a candy store, not sure of what he wanted or what to get.

"Ash, what has gotten into you?!" screech Misty, half upset and half worried.

"I don't know!" he answered, not sure of his actions himself.

"what's going on?" asked the older boy.

"I just...I needed to come here. To this town. To Twinleaf. I needed to be here."

"why?"

"i wish i-excuse me?!" he cut himself off as he approached another older man, sweeping off the front of his store.

"yes, young man? What can I do for you?"

"do you know where the Berlitz house is?" Ash didn't know how he knew that name but at this point, he didn't care.

"Johanna Berlizt's place?" he answered. "easy. It's just at the top of the hill. Can't miss it."

"alright. Thanks, mister!"

"no problem, young man."

I surrender honestly
You've always done the same for me

So I would do it for you, for you
Baby I'm not moving on
I love you long after you're gone
For you, for you
You would never sleep alone
I love you long after you're gone
And long after you're gone, gone, gone

off again he ran, his friends desperate trying to keep up. It wasn't long before he reached the aforementioned house on the hill. He stopped just short of the path that lead up to the house. Misty and Brock slowly came up next to him, taking in the sight of the small home.

"ash?" queried the Breeder.

"this is it. This is where I'm suppose to go."

"ok," said Misty, "now what?"

"there is someone in this house I have to meet." almost trance-like, the trainer made the walk up the hill.

You're my back bone, you're me cornerstone
You're my crutch when my legs stop moving
You're my head-start, you're my rugged heart
You're the pokes that I've always needed

As he approached the door, he ran over the situation in his head: he was in region he had never heard of before, in a town he had never been to, in front of a house had never seen before, to meet a person he had never met before. It was crazy, alright but something told him to come here to this town, to this house, to this place to meet this person. His soul was guiding him here, every step of the way and now, he wanted to see where it led him.

Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum my heart never stops beating

he knocked on the door four times. He didn't have to wait long before he got a answer. There were a few voices inside: one of a older lady, another sounded young and male and the last was the one coming closest to the door. It opened and Ash's voice got caught in his throat.

"hello? Can I help?"

She had long blue hair that reached down her back like a waterfall. Her eyes were the same deep blue, almost like he was looking at the ocean. Her outfit was a black and white number with a pink skirt and a matching scarf. Her long legs were covered by black knee-high soaks. And her smile was bright and cheery, like looking at the first light of morning.

She was beautiful. For the first time in his life, Ash Ketchum thought a girl looked beautiful.

For a minute, he didn't know what to say. All he could do stare at her. Behind her was a young man, about his age, with red-hair, similar to Misty. He seemed to be shooting him a glare but Ash either didn't care or he just didn't notice. He was too busy looking at this Madonna in front of him. If he could spend the rest of his life looking at her, he would. He could see the question in her eyes. He needed to say something or this weird situation would get weirder. What he said next, he had no idea where he got it all from. He just remembers what he said, not why he said. But nevertheless, this is what he said to her.

"hello. My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet town, in Kanto. I'm on a journey to be the greatest Pokemon master in the world. And this is my partner PIkachu We're going to Johto right now but I had to come here. You see...in while, I'll be here in Sinnoh. I'll lose PIkachu for a bit but he'll meet you and you'll protect him. Then we will be meet and we'll go on a journey together. We'll start off shaky but we'll be become the best of friends and then...we'll fall in love. I'll love you so much and so hard that I can't think of being with anyone else. I'll love you and you'll love me. And I'll build a house with a room just for you. We'll live there together. We'll be together for 20 years and we'll have two very wonderful kids. We'll love them just as much as we love each other. That's what we have to look forward to in the future. But I'm here today because...I couldn't wait. I just couldn't wait to see you, to hear your voice, to see your pretty hair, to look into your eyes and lose myself in them. I wanted just a little bit more time with you. I just..."

she raised her hands to stop his speech. For a minute, he was worried she was going to yell at him, call him a weirdo or a stalker, to call officer Jenny on him. He expected all of that. What he got was unexpected.

She closed the small distance between them and kissed him right on the lips.

Brock nearly passed out.

The older woman, he assumed to be her mom, just smiled and laughed.

Pikachu squealed in surprise.

The boy inside the house seemed like he was about explode.

Misty was red with rage.

But none of that mattered to him. All he felt was her: the scent of her hair, the feel of her lips on his, the gentle touch of her hand on his face. This is what he had to look forward to for the next 20 years. She broke away from him, smiling at his reaction before saying only 3 words to him before parting.

"I'll be waiting."

For you, for you
Baby I'm not moving on
I love you long after you're gone
For you, for you
You would never sleep alone
I love you long after you're gone
For you, for you
Baby I'm not moving on
I love you long after you're gone
For you, for you
You would never sleep alone
I love you long, long after you're gone

Ash walked back down the hill, Brock at his side sporting a grin. He watched how Ash kept touching his lips, as if trying to remember the feel of that girl's lips. He never thought he'd live to see his friend show an interest in a girl but he was pleasantly surprised that this is why he ran all the way to this small town.

"so," he started, "you ever gonna tell me what that was about?"

"one day," he said, "one day."

"ASH KETCHUM! YOU GET BACK HERE AND TELL ME WHO THAT GIRL WAS!" roared Misty, stomping angrily behind the boys.

"she's gonna be scary for a while."

"that she is, Brock-o. Let's hurry and get back to the port."

Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum baby don't stop beating
Like a drum my heart never stops beating for you
And long after you're gone, gone, gone
I love you long after you're gone gone gone

Present day

"and that's what I'd change if I could."

To say everyone in the room was speechless was vast understatement. Everyone knew that Ash wasn't really a romance type of guy. He really did things on the spur of the moment, never really putting thought into most things. But what he just said was probably the most romantic thing he has ever said and probably didn't even realize it.

"dad, that was..."

"that was so romantic, daddy!"

Ash smiled at the admiration of his kids. "I guess it was pretty roma-" he was cut off when Dawn tackled him to the ground and began to furiously kiss him. There was no way that she couldn't be unaffected by his words. The kids shook their heads. They were use to this. Gary and Zoey just watched the scene unfold in questionable awe.

"never a dull moment with these two," commented Zoey

"true enough, babe," added Gary "do you want me to get the hose?"

"naw. Let's give them five minutes. If she starts stripping him, then get the hose."

Paul looked at himself in the full length mirror before him as he zipped up his black and blue jacket over his white t-shirt. On the side was the Pokemon league symbol. The blue jeans felt a bit tight but he figured he would be able to stretch it out as he traveled around.

"what do you think, Elekid?" he asked his new Pokemon, who was sitting on the bed in the room, watching him try on his new outfit.

"BUI!" he uttered with a thumbs up.

"thanks, buddy." Paul then took a look around the room, absorbing it's aura into himself. "do you know what this room is?" he asked, "this room use to be my dad's. The room he grew up in. the room he dreamed of being a master. This where it all got started for him. Funny it would start here with me."

"bui-bui."

"I know we haven't known each other long but I think you and I can go very far together. As far as dad and PIkachu did. no. wait. Even farther than that. How about it? Sounds like a plan?"

His answer came in the form of the electric-type spinning his arms around and diving into his arms, shocking him greatly but he smiled brighter nonetheless.

"come on. They are waiting for us."

The pair walked down the stairs of his grandparents' home in Kanto Ash figured since it was time for him to go, he'd leave surrounded by family. The outfit was a gift from his grandparents and he wore it with pride as he walked out of the house. In the front yard was assembled his family: his grandmothers, Johanna and Delia chatting with his mother, and his father and grandfather taking turns tossing Nina between them. It was only Piplup and PIkachu who noticed his arrival which brought the attention of everyone else.

"OH! THERE HE IS!" roared his grandfather, Silver. He was a giant of a man, taller than his father and scarier than 100 Gyarados. Well, to anyone else outside of the family. Truth be told, Paul remembered being frightened of him when he was younger but he grew out of it early. Silver was scary looking but he was a perfect and doting grandfather to him and Nina He was loud and in your face and he loved him for it.

"there's our little man. Looks so dashing."

"'I'd say he looks more handsome than dashing, Delia"

His two grandmothers were still lookers, despite their age. Along with Silver, the ladies aged gracefully, still retaining their youthful attractiveness to the point where they were still approached by much younger men. Those youngsters gave up when Silver glared at them, since they hardly went anywhere without the giant trainer. Johanna did began spending more time with the Ketchums after Paul was born, so much so that there wasn't a time he could remember where he visited Silver and Delia with his parents and Johanna would be there as well. They acted similarly to how his parents acted with dirty aunt May but he didn't really want to dwell on it too much.

"I see the outfit fits ok," commented Dawn.

"a little tight in the waist but I can adapt."

"good on ya, boy!" laughed Silver, setting down his granddaughter on her feet.

"you ready to go, sweetie?" asked Delia

"yep. Just had to think for a bit, grandma Delia"

"good!" his grandfather tossed him a red backpack which he caught easily. "you'll need this. Every traveling trainer needs a good backpack."

"thanks, grandpa,"

Silver then leaned in close to him. "by the way, I included some protection in case you find some hot little young thing to have some fun with. Don't want you turning into a prude like your dad was."

"GRANDPA!" he screamed. He would've said more but his father delivered a nice roundhouse kick to his face. "don't corrupt my son with your crap, old man!" he chastised. His grandmothers just laughed. Silver always said what was on his mind and what was on his mind was almost always dirty. The older man merely popped back up and dusted himself off, laughing madly.

"keep working on your kicks, son. One day, you might actually be able to hurt me. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"never-mind your grandfather, Paul," said Dawn, "here. Take this." she hand a small watch-like device which she attracted to his wrist.

"a poketch? For me?"

"uh huh. Ordered for you months ago. It's all the newest apps, including a nice little move reader for wild Pokemon"

"wow. Thanks mom."

"and you got one more gift incoming, son."

Ash reached behind his back and retrieve a black and silver cap, presenting it to his only son.

"a cap? Just like..."

"the one I use to have." Paul took the cap and placed it on his head, cocking the brim to the side.

"there! Now you are ready to travel."

"thanks, dad."

"it's gonna be hard at first. It won't be easy but nothing worth ever is. Trust your Pokemon and you can never go wrong. Oh and one more thing..."he pulled in close for this next part, his voice became low but calm, "...when the time comes, I'll be ready. As long as it takes."

Paul smiled. He knew what he meant. One day, when he gets to the mountaintop, his father will there, ready to see if he has what it takes to stand on top of the world. "I look forward to it, dad."

"he's a Ketchum. He'll do well," added Silver. "ha! Three generations of Ketchum, taking on the world. Never thought I'd see the day."

it was then that Paul noticed that Nina was strangely quiet. In fact, she hadn't sad a word since he came out. She didn't even look him in the eye.

"Nina? Are you ok?" he asked. She mumbled something under her breath that he didn't quite catch. "what was that?"

"...don't go..."

"huh?"

"don't go."

"don't go?"

"DON'T GO!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Don't go!"

"but Nina, you know I have-"

"I DONT CARE! DON'T GO! YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL LATER! JUST DON'T GO! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU?! WHAT IF YOU GET EATEN OR SOMETHING?! IT'S DANGEROUS OUT THERE! JUST DON'T GO AND...LEAVE ME ALONE!" the poor girl's emotions finally broke and she erupted in a mass of tears and snot. He wasn't even mad at her. She was just upset and lonely. He knelt down and embraced her, implanting this memory into her mind so she would always remember what her older brother felt like.

"don't go," she cried.

"I'm sorry, Nina I can't. This is what I have to do." he felt her nod against his shoulder. She didn't like it but she knew he was right. "look, you will be getting your own Pokemon in a few years. When that happens, we can travel together."

"r-really?" she asked, her eyes red from crying.

"yeah. By then, I'll can show you around, show you the sights, take you to the best places. How about that?"

" hic. ok. That sounds...nice." she started to calm down.

"can you wait?"

Nina looked at her parents. They nodded at her, letting her know it will be ok. " I think I can."

"there you go." he kissed her cheek before letting go of her.

"wait." Paul froze in his spot. She removed the small bracelet that was around her wrist. "take it."

"Nina, this is your favorite bracelet."

"I know. I want you to have it."

He really couldn't say no to her. He took the bracelet and attached it to his poketch. "stay safe."

"I promise."

the time had finally come for him to set off.

Delia was the first to give him a good-bye hug. "take care of yourself, my specially little man."

Johanna was next, adding a kiss to the cheek. "watch out for those Zubat in Mt. Moon."

Silver shook his hand and patted him on the back. "do your best. That's all anyone can ask and all you can give."

Dawn gave him the hardest and longest hug. "make sure to call home every once and a while. And don't forget to pack clean underwear."

Ash was last with a handshake and a hug. "your uncle Brock will be waiting for you in Pewter city. Don't underestimate him. He may be a breeder but he's still a gym leader. Learn all you can, son. You'll do fine."

"thanks, dad. Thank you, everyone. I...hope to make you all proud." he was met with a chorus of nods and teary eyes.

"Elekid, you ready?"

"bui!"

"good," he said, slinging his new backpack over his shoulder, "let's see what's out there."

with a final wave, Paul and Elekid set off from the Ketchum household with his grandparents, parents, their Pokemon, and his little sister seeing him walk off into the distance and into the vast wide world. Ash slipped his hand over Dawn's shoulder, who was fighting back the tears again.

"he'll be fine, Dawn. He's your son, after-all."

"wrong. He's our son, Ash."

My name is Paul Ketchum I am the son of Pokemon master Ash Ketchum and top coordinator Dawn Berlitz. And this is my journey.

MA: well, that was a long one. I didn't expect it to take so long but with so much going on in my life right now, I was surprised I could hammer this out before Xmas. I wanted this to be a Xmas gift to all of you, the fans who made me more than I am. I am forever grateful to you all for your messages and reviews of my meager little works. But there are a few I want to thank.

First, arianna, my doodbro. The woman who keeps me writing. I will feed you ribs one day.

Next, Peggy, another close friend who knows what it's like to fight inside of your head. You are the best, querida.

Next, the men and women from the pearlshipping vault forum. You all renewed my interest and love for this ship and makes me feel like it will never die.

Another person I want to thank is DawnForever101 , a fellow fanfic author and...a dearest fan. ;)

This started as way to get me to get over being used by a person I thought was a friends. Now? It's a labor of love and my gift to all pearlshippers. It's not perfect but I hope you all enjoyed it. And before you flood my inbox and reviews about it, yes, I will continue "ash and dawn: together". When? Can't say but I will work on it as soon as I can.

If you want to help me out or find out how I look and sound, check out my YouTube channel. It shares the same name as my pen name so it's easy to find.

If you have twitter, follow me captluffy.

And I have a too if you are feeling very generous.

So until next time, my friends and fans, it has been a pleasure.

LATER FICCERS!