Well sorry to say but this is the last chapter. The challenge given was to make a one or two-shot, and I simply can't do one shots. This chapter contains my first attempt at family interaction so I hope that I did well enough for everyone.

Sitting next to a river, a quaint two-story house stood looking over the natural beauty that surrounded it. A rich smell wafted from the house filing the surrounding area with the scents of a coming feast. Inside an Espeon lay on the living room couch enjoying the sounds and smells coming out of the kitchen. Her trainer's kids and her own kids were out having a battle with her mate's trainer. She could tell that the evening's food was almost done; her trainer was preparing a massive welcome home meal for everyone's return. And with the food nearing completion there would be only one result, her being disturbed from her favorite spot. It was nice having less people in the house, there was less noise and less commotion, but to say that she didn't want them back would be a complete lie. The Sun Pokémon perked its ears as something else came to her attention, she could hear heavy footsteps run across the porch and to the door.

"Ha, I beat you!"

"No you didn't I won fair and square!"

Jake and Alex came running through the front door with Umbreon and Alex's Espeon close behind.

"What did I say about running in the house?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Sorry Mom." The two kids said in near unison.

"So how did the battle with your father go?" May asked as her kids entered the kitchen.

"We lost, again." Alex replied.

"No matter how many times we try, we still can't beat Dad." Jake added.

"Well I know what will cheer you two up, how about a nice big welcome back meal?" May said with a big smile on her face.

"Alright! Finally we get some of Mom's cooking again!" Jake cheered. "No more holding back the stuff that Alex calls food."

"What was that Jake?" Alex yelled. "You're lucky I even make you meals at all!"

"Alright enough of this." May said calmly. "Go wash up, we'll be eating in about five minutes."

"Fine." Alex said with one last glare at her brother before she left with Jake following her at a safe distance.

"Oh and Jake?"

"Yes Mom?" The boy asked as he poked his head back into the kitchen.

"Don't tease your sister like that. You know that she's very sensitive about her cooking." May said as she went back to finish up her own preparations.

"I know, but its fun to tease her like that. Even if her cooking isn't half bad." Jake said rather quietly with a small smile on his face. "But don't tell her that I said that!"

"I promise I won't; now you better hurry up, Sarah and your father should be back soon."

"Thanks Mom!" Jake called as he rushed off.

"Those two will never change." May thought as she heard the door open and close.

"Mommy we're back!"

"Raichu, rai!"

"That's good, now go wash up. We'll be eating soon." May called out.

"Kay!"

"And Sarah, do you know where your father is?" May asked her youngest daughter.

"Right behind you." A deep voice said as she could feel a pair of arms wrap around her.

Jumping a little, May quickly relaxed into her husband's protective arms. "You know it's not nice to surprise people like that."

"I know, but its fun to do anyways." Ash said giving her a quick kiss. After all these years, her appearance has changed little with the exception of her hairstyle. Ash still found her as beautiful as the day that he met her.

"Alright Romeo, you better go wash up as well. I don't want you setting a bad example for the kids." She said playfully.

"Yes dear." He said not wanting to let go.

"Come on, dinner will be ready soon. And I know for a fact that you are hungry, besides the kids will be back down soon."

Reluctantly he let go, but not before giving her one last kiss on the top of her head.

After all these years he still never failed to make her smile, even if she was already naturally happy with the moment before he did that. This was the first time in a long while that her entire family was home to enjoy a meal together. After Jake and Alex left to travel and participate in the regional competitions it felt as if something inside of her was missing. May knew that it would be hard when her kids started their own journeys and left home, but she never would have expected what it actually felt like. But she still had Sarah at home and that made things easier. Not to mention all of their Pokémon, but as much as she loved each and every one of them like her own children, they could never replace them.

Putting the finishing touches on the plates of food, May started to put them out on the table just as her two oldest came bursting back into the kitchen.

"I get to eat first because I won the race back home." Jake said to his sister as he took his seat.

"Well I have seniority over you, so that race means nothing. I get to have some of Mom's cooking first." Alex shot back while taking her own seat.

"Seniority? We're twins, as in we were born together. How can you have seniority?"

"Because I was still born before you."

"By like ten minutes!"

"Facts are facts. That still makes me older."

"Ten minutes isn't enough to claim seniority, especially for something like this."

"Fine, how about we let Sarah decide."

"Oh no, not this again. I'm always getting teamed up against by you two. She'll just pick your side and then you'll win."

"No I won't." Sarah said as she took her seat with Raichu close behind. "I'll pick the one who I think should eat first, and no favorites."

"Is that okay with you then Jake?" Alex asked, thinking that this will be an easy win.

"I guess. But this still isn't all that fair." He responded. Jake wasn't that stupid; while he knew that the chances of him actually winning this little argument was slim, it was still a better chance than if he continued it with just Alex. She was stubborn as heck when it came to something she wanted. And Mom's cooking was well worth fighting for.

"So my decision will be the one who gets to eat first?" Sarah asked.

"Yes." Alex and Jake both said, clearly not liking the suspense that their little sister was putting on them.

"And you two will go with whoever I say, right?"

"Yes already!" They both nearly yelled before quieting down after a quick glance from their mother. "Just pick one!"

"Alright then." Sarah paused, loving every moment that she made her older siblings wait. "Kay, I've made a choice." She said at last with a large smile on her face.

"Well don't keep us in suspense." Alex said as she inched toward her sister.

"Ya tell us who wins and gets some of Mom's cooking first." Jake added, inching closer as well.

"I do!"

"What!" Neither could believe what they heard.

"That's not fair Sarah. It was supposed to be just between us two." Alex whined.

"Actually Sarah has you both beat." May said as Ash walked in to the kitchen. "She never said that she would pick one of you, and you two said that whoever she picks gets to eat first. So she did."

"Outsmarted by our younger sister." Jake said returning to his seat.

"She's gotten better in the time that we were away." Alex added returning to her seat as well.

"Daddy has been teaching me a lot since you guys left." Sarah said proudly. "He says that I have a lot of, a lot of…"

"Potential dear." Ash finished up for her as he sat down.

"That's right, potential."

"But what does that have to do with battling Dad?" Jake asked as his mom put the last of the food on the table.

"If you can take advantage of your opponents' error, you can end a battle in far less time than it would usually take. Don't tell me that you've already forgotten the basics that I taught you."

"Of course not." Jake said rather quickly. "It just kinda slipped my mind."

"Looks like I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks." Ash sighed.

"But let's not worry about that right now." May said as she prepared the last of the Pokémon food. "Espeon, time to eat." She called to the only Pokémon not yet in the kitchen.

Espeon looked up from her spot on the couch. Jumping down to the floor she did a quick stretch before heading to get some food. Lately she has been feeling sluggish and tired, but this wasn't a new feeling to her. Knowing exactly what was going on, she paid it no heed and continued on into the kitchen. Walking on into the kitchen, she joined her kids, mate, and Ninetales over where her trainer placed their food.

"Alright, I say we give a toast." May said grabbing her glass of wine. "For the whole family being back together after these many months and for Jake and Alex obtaining enough badges and ribbons to compete in the coming championships."

"I think I can toast to that." Ash replied with a smile while raising his own wine glass.

Copying their parents the three children grabbed their glasses of milk and raised them as well.

"Congratulations you two," Ash said. "Now you just have a few weeks before everything starts so you better make sure that you make good use of it."

"We know Dad." Alex said while lowering her glass. "Now let's eat!"

"Not so fast Alex. If you've already forgotten, Sarah is the one who gets to start eating first." May reminded her daughter.

Alex mumbled something but let her happy sister grab the first plateful. For their welcome home meal May made a spread that Delia would be proud of. On the table included both holiday items and more common ones such as mashed potatoes, ham, gravy, salad, hamburgers, and hot dogs among other things. The entire table was filled with food, yet it wouldn't matter in the end. The great feast would be gone by the end of the night, but it was already disappearing at a surprising rate.

"Alexandra and Jacob Ketchum!" The two visibly flinched at the sound of their father's voice. "What have I told you about eating properly?"

Finishing up their mouthfuls of food, the two looked down at their plates. The large dinner plates that were completely full only a minute ago were now almost bare. Sarah was giggling at the two, but while she was eating fast as well it was nowhere near what Jake and Alex were doing.

"Oh Ash, you're overreacting." May said coming to kids rescue. "It's not like they learned that by themselves. They take after their father in more ways than one you know."

"You mean I used to eat like that?" Ash questioned. Try as he might he couldn't recall ever just shoveling the food into his mouth like that. He has always liked his fair share of food, but that was all he could remember.

"Yes you did." May confirmed. "But don't think that you two are completely off the hook." She said turning her attention back to her two kids. "While you may take after your father, you still need to learn manners when eating."

Alex and Jake said nothing as they went back to eating their food, but this time a little bit slower. While it was never truly a major issue with him, their father has always been one to keep them from inhaling their food. May was always the one to try and remind Ash of his past habits, but no matter how many times she tried he never completely remembered.

"So how was your gym battle with Grandpa?" May asked Jake as he grabbed another plateful, trying to lighten the mood again. "You wanted to receive your Balance Badge last if I remember correctly. You never told us too much about it after you won."

"Well," Jake started. "It wasn't an easy battle but I was able to beat Grandpa without…"

"He actually went up against Uncle Max." Alex interrupted. "Grandpa was away at a gym leader's meeting over in Kanto."

"Hey! It's not nice to interrupt other people's stories Alex!"

"Well if you're going to tell one you should tell the true story." She said with a sly smile. "Besides we all know that Grandpa is still better than Uncle Max."

"So what if it was Uncle Max who was the substitute gym leader, it still wasn't an easy battle." Jake pouted.

"Give Max some credit you two," Ash said to his kids. "Your Grandpa is not an easy person to replace. Max has been trying for some time now to take over the family gym and he is more than qualified to take it over at this time. I think that the only reason that he hasn't officially become the gym leader yet is because your Grandpa just doesn't want to give up his position just yet."

"But I was still able to beat him. So does that mean that I would be able to take over the Petalburg Gym?"

"Nice try Jake, but you are a few too many years away from actually even considering that. Max had to work very hard to get to the point that he became the true heir to the gym. Besides are you sure that you want to become a gym leader?"

"Not really. All I know is that I want to become an even better trainer than you Dad."

Ash couldn't help but chuckle. "At least you're aiming high son, but you still have a long way to go if you can't even work with your sister to beat me."

"I thought that we did pretty good." Alex countered as she finished up her second plate.

"You might have if you two actually worked together as I explained earlier."

"I just hope that your grandma didn't spoil you too much while you were over in Petalburg." May added in.

The twins looked at each other, remembering the equally large meal that their grandma prepared for them the night that they spent there. Their grandma in Petalburg spoiled them quite a bit, but no where near as much as their father's mom. Grandma Maple always had treats ready for when they visited, much to May's dismay. She figured that they were spoiled enough as it was at home, let alone when they went to visit her family.

"No response, guess that isn't too surprising knowing your mother." Ash chuckled as he finished the last of his meal. "The meal was great May." He said to his wife with a kiss as he grabbed his plate and utensils. "Well I'm heading out to my usual spot, you coming Sarah?"

"Of course," she replied quickly stuffing the last of her food in her mouth. "Thanks Mommy!" The youngest Ketchum grabbed her things as well and put them along with her father's. "Raichu, Ninetales we're leaving!" Sarah called out as she hurried out to catch up with her father. Looking up from their food the two Pokémon didn't hesitate in following them out the door.

"So Dad still goes out there every night?" Alex asked as her hunger started to finally be stated.

"Every night," May confirmed as she started to clear the table. "How long they stay out there varies but if your father ever forgets, Sarah is always right there to remind him."

The night sky shone with the light of countless stars while the moon was entering the final stages of its new phase with only a small sliver shining down on its viewers. Under the same giant oak that the practice battle was held just hours earlier, Ash and his youngest daughter sat under the tree watching the black of the night sky being slowly replaced with even more small diamonds of light.

Of all the places that his property contained, this was Ash's favorite spot. The great oak tree that sat at the top of the hill allowed any visitors to obtain a panoramic view of everything from the expansive plains below to the wonders of the night's sky above. He always took his kids to that spot for any reason that he could think of. When they were younger he would entertain them with stories of his journeys across the regions, and when they became old enough he used this area to train them in the ways of using and caring for their Pokémon. Ever since Alex and Jake started their on journey, Ash took Sarah here every night after supper. Either telling her the stories of his travels or even giving her first hand battle experience with her using Raichu against another one of his Pokémon. Tonight though, they just sat there watching the stars. Sarah sat in her father's lap with Ninetales and Raichu lying on either side of them.

"Daddy?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes honey?"

"How long will Alex and Jake be home?"

"The Grand Festival starts in three weeks, so Alex will have to leave by then, and the Hoenn League starts only a week after that."

"So they won't be staying too long?"

"Sadly dear they won't, but don't worry too much. When they leave to go to Ever Grande City, we'll be going with them to watch all their battles." Ash said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"Will I someday be able to, yawn, battle there as well?"

"Someday, I promise you that. But until then I think that someone needs to go to bed."

"Aw, do I have to?" She asked, giving another big yawn.

"I think that answers your question. Now head back and get ready for bed, I'll be there in just a little bit."

"Kay, come on Raichu." She said to the electric mouse as she got up off of her father's lap. "Time to sleep."

"Raichu." The Pokémon gave a quick stretch before following the young trainer-to-be back to the house.

Watching them leave, Ash slowly pet the content fox next to him as the realization of how things have changed over the years hit him yet again. He could only wonder at how much just Raichu alone had changed since their original travels together, and yet at the same time he was still the very same Pikachu that Ash received all those years ago. Raichu didn't really change too dramatically until after Alex and Jake were born. When Raichu first set his eyes on the two bundles of joy, they almost never left his sight from then on. It didn't even matter if Ash went off somewhere else, if at all possible he would not leave his protective vigil. If it wasn't for the fact that at about that time Ninetales started to spend less and less time in her Pokéball, this might have affected Ash more than it actually had. Though he was in no way disappointed in what Raichu was doing. Ash would protect his children with his life if the situation called for it, and Raichu was merely mimicking his trainer's emotions. Once Alex and Jake started to get older and more independent, Raichu started to focus more of his time on Sarah. By this time you would almost think that Raichu was her Pokémon with how much he follows her around. And Sarah views him as an ever present playmate as well as the first Pokémon she ever commanded in battle.

Heck, if it wasn't for Espeon, Raichu wouldn't even leave the kid's rooms to come and sleep in Ash and May's bedroom at night. If anything, she was the other major change that happened to Pikachu. Pikachu was content to stay as it was, along with Eevee, until the time came that Eevee evolved into Espeon. It was only a few days later Pikachu decided that he wanted to finally evolve, and even if Ash would be losing part of his best friend in the process he wasn't going to try and change Pikachu's decision. There were a few things that changed in their friendship as a result of the evolution, but it was nothing that changed them dramatically and it was only soon after that Ash was at the point where he couldn't imagine Raichu as anything else.

As Ash was petting her, he could feel Ninetales look up from where she was laying. Opening his eyes he saw Jake and his Umbreon walking up to him, although Jake looked relatively nervous for some reason. Noticing that his Dad saw him Jake was first to speak up.

"Hey Dad, I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Sure Jake," Ash said obviously wondering what was making his son so nervous. Jake sat down next to his father, and didn't say anything else as he sat there watching the view.

"So what did you want to ask me?' Ash asked after a few moments of silence.

"Well I wanted advice." Jake replied while starting to pet Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon cooed slightly under his trainer's touch. Ash recognized this immediately, using your Pokémon as a distraction of what was going on around you. He knew this because he did it on multiple occasions in the past, and it worked surprisingly well.

"Alright then," Ash said, moving the conversation along. "What do you need advice on?"

"Um, how did you realize that you loved Mom?"

The question completely caught Ash off guard, to the point where he didn't even think that he heard it correctly. "What was that again Jake?" He asked carefully.

"How did you realize that you loved Mom?" Jake repeated.

"Out of all the questions he could have asked, why this?" As he thought this, Ash's mind began to fill with old memories of how it really happened. The most prominent one of him in a dressing room twirling around in a dress dominated all the others. Even if he was in May's body at the time, thanks to a certain playful blue Pokémon, it still didn't help the fact that he still did that. "May and I agreed to keep that portion a secret from the kids as long as possible." He thought with a shudder. And yet even if the thought was embarrassing beyond belief, at the same time he couldn't stop watching his own thoughts due to the simple fact that even if it was him that was in the dress, the mirror only showed May in all of her beauty.

Jake was slightly confused at his father's reaction. In all of his life he had never seen him nervous. Even in the toughest situations, Ash always kept a clear head. Yet now his father is nearly unable to answer the question. "Do girls really have that much of an affect on us?"

"Dad?" He finally asked.

Snapping back to his senses Ash finally looked down at his son. "Sorry, but that's a better question to ask your mother." He said rather quickly. Calming down even further, he continued. "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

Looking back down at Umbreon, Jake's face started to turn a light shade of red. Although it was too dark for his father to see, Jake knew what was happening. "Well as we were traveling we keep meeting up with another coordinator at Alex's contests."

"And?" Ash pushed on, already guessing what was coming next.

"The coordinator's name is Samantha. She is kinda cute, for a girl that is, and…well…"

"Don't worry you don't have to go any further Jake, I think I know what's going on." Ash gave a small sigh. "I should have known that this talk would be coming sooner or later."

"Alright Jake, the best way to put this is that you should just go with whatever feels natural to you."

"Huh?"

"You like being around this girl, am I right?"

"I guess." He replied fidgeting a little in the process as his face turned a brighter red.

"Okay, so that's a start. How do you feel when you are around her?"

"Dad!" He protested.

"It's a valid question, and one that you don't have to really answer to me but one more for yourself."

Hesitating a moment, Jake continued. "O…okay, I'm not really sure how I feel." He replied truthfully.

"Just try your best; these things are never easy to comprehend, trust me on that one."

"I guess the easiest way to say it is uneasy, but not in a bad way. I actually almost like the way I feel when she's around. There are also times when I'm tempted to cheer for her instead of Alex."

"And why don't you?"

Jake just gave his father a stare.

"Good point, it would take a while to get back on her good side, especially after something like that."

"You have no idea; it would be far easier for you than it would be for me."

Chuckling, Ash got up and dusted himself off. "We should start heading back, your little sister won't be too happy with me if I miss tucking her into bed."

"Alright," Jake said while getting up as well. "And Dad?"

"Ya son?"

"Thanks." He said with a big smile.

"Anytime Jake," Ash said putting his arm around the boy. "Anytime."

May had just finished up with the dishes and put the rest into the dishwasher. Heading out of the kitchen she found her Espeon once again resting on the couch of the living room. Wondering only for a moment at why her companion seemed so content at relaxing so much lately, she went off to see where two of her kids were.

Walking down the hall she saw that one of the doors was slightly open. Smiling, May knew who was probably in there. Sure enough walking into the room she found Alex standing in the middle of the room admiring its contents. This wasn't the first time that May found her daughter in here.

This room was one that held a lot of value to Ash and May. Adorning the walls and filling the shelves were countless ribbons, badges, and trophies that the two of them have won over the years. Ash had designed this room as a type of study as well as the trophy room. Surrounding the awards were many books on topics that varied from Pokémon food to regional guide books. There was even a fireplace and a large mantle as the centerpiece for the room. But the most prominent feature was sitting on a single plaque right on the center of the mantle, two halves of a contest ribbon.

"You really like coming in here don't you?" May asked her oldest daughter as she sat down on one of the love seats.

Turning around, Alex smiled at her mother and nodded before walking over to join her. "No matter how many times I come in here it still amazes me how many things you and Dad have done. And here I am trying to best my own mother, when she is already one of the most well known coordinators in the world." Putting her head on May's shoulder, Alex just sat there looking at everything that her parents had accomplished.

Pulling her daughter into a slight embrace May was once again happy to have her children home, even if it wouldn't last. "You know, while all these awards are nice there is only one of them that is closest to my heart."

"You mean that ribbon that you and Dad won together?" Alex asked looking over at the plaque.

"That would be it. That ribbon isn't worth as much as some of the other ones that I have nor is it as pretty as some of them, but I would gladly give them all up just to keep that one ribbon. It's because it was the first real physical thing that attached me to your father that I treasure it for just that reason. I never let it out of my sight while I traveled without him."

Alex looked up at her mother, clearly not understanding what she was getting at.

"What I'm trying to say is that it doesn't matter how many or what awards you win. What matters is what you get out of them; friendship, memories, love, these are what you really gain when you win an award. So the number of sparkling trophies or shiny ribbons or even the number of impressive badges that a person has doesn't determine if they are a good trainer or not. What really matters is what they got out of it and where their dream will take them next."

"But I still have a long way to go to catch up to you, even under that reasoning."

"True enough, but no matter how you go about your quest you will learn that certain goals are more easily obtained than one might think. A goal is flexible, what is important to you now may not be as important years down the road. And as soon as you complete one goal another will arise to take its place. It's a cycle of ambition that keeps one moving forward. At one time I wanted to be nothing more than the world's top coordinator. A couple years later that became my number two goal in life, while it was still important to me there was something, or more specifically someone, who found his place as my final goal."

Alex smiled as she guessed where her mom was headed with this. "You're talking about Dad, aren't you?"

"The one and only, eventually the idea of becoming a top coordinator was nothing compared to trying to stay with your father. While you need to hold onto goals and strive for them, realize that priorities change as time goes on. So don't be so single minded on just achieving a single goal."

"Well I still see my goal at becoming a better coordinator than you as my number one, I'll make sure that I remember what you said Mom."

"That's all I ask dear."

The quiet atmosphere was soon interrupted by the pattering of paws on the floor. Moments later Raichu came running through the door and into the study jumping up onto May and Alex's laps, making himself comfortable between the two of them, cooing softly in the process.

"Rai, rai."

"Thanks a lot Raichu." Alex said jokingly, while rubbing his stomach a little roughly. It didn't bother Raichu one bit though, he missed these types of petting from Alex now that she was gone. "You just had to interrupt us."

"So if you're back Raichu, I'm guessing that Sarah is back as well." May asked the Pokémon while petting him softly between the ears as Alex continued her now less rough stroking of his stomach.

"Raichu."

"That's good to hear. Do you think you could tell me where Jake ran off to as well?"

"Chu, rai raichu."

"I wonder why he went out there." May asked nobody in particular. "Is Ash still out there?"

"Rai." He said while nodding his head.

"Then they should be back soon."

"Raichu, rai rai chu Raichu." The Pokémon finished up with a large smile on his face.

"Is that so? That would explain why she has been acting that way lately. Congratulations Raichu! That should help me with one of my own dilemmas tonight as well."

"Mommy when are you going to teach me how to talk to Raichu?"

May looked back at the doorway to see Sarah standing in a Torchic night shirt and holding her favorite Pokémon doll, an Infernape.

"Ya Mom, that's one thing that Dad never taught us either. Even if it is only with Raichu, I want to be able to understand what my Pokémon say as well." Alex protested as Sarah walked over to them.

"Well that you two, is a secret." May said with a large smile on her face.

"Oh come on." Both girls whined.

"I'm not sure if your father would like me telling you all of his secrets but I'll give you two a hint. How does that sound? But no telling your father."

The two girls nodded quickly and listened intently to what their mom was about to tell them.

"Alright then, to put it as simply as possible, to be able to understand a Pokémon you first must have to have a deep connection with them. One that goes beyond just the normal trainer/Pokémon bond. Once you are able to obtain that it should come naturally."

"I can understand Dad being that close to Raichu, but why are you able to understand him as well?" Alex asked.

"And I've known Raichu my whole life, and I still can't understand him." Sarah added in. "Come on Mommy, there has to be another way."

"Well there is the possibility of one other way working, but the chance of that happening is basically nil." May said truthfully

"What is that way Mommy?"

"And did you use that method to be able to talk with Raichu?"

"I can't go too deep into it, but to put it simply you build a bond off of one that was already there from someone else. To make it work this method needs a special condition to be met first. That's all I'm going to say, because either way you still need to create that bond in the first place."

"So you used Daddy's ability to talk to Raichu?"

"No dear, I actually used the first way." May lied. "It took a long time but I was finally able to converse with Raichu when he was still a Pikachu, isn't that right Raichu?"

"Rai rai." Raichu nodded his head playing along.

May didn't like lying to her children like that but she and Ash agreed that it was for the best. For now it was best to let them figure it out their own way.

"Alright enough of telling my best secrets to the world, its time for a certain someone to be getting to bed."

The three girls looked back at the door again to see Ash and Jake standing there, apparently listening in on a large portion of the last conversation.

"Come on Daddy, can't I stay up later just cause Alex and Jake are home again?" Sarah asked her father, nearly mimicking the same puppy-dog eyes that May and Alex had used on him for years. Unfortunately for Sarah, her father had finally found the means to resist those eyes after losing many a battle to them.

"Sorry dear but you need your sleep. You can spend more time with them tomorrow."

"Kay." Sarah said somberly as she gave her mother and sister a goodnight hug.

Sarah followed her father to her room with Raichu and Ninetales yet again walking close behind them. Opening the door to her room, Sarah ran and jumped into her bed. Ash and the Pokémon slowly walked over to her bed and pulled the sheets over Sarah.

Sarah looked up at her father and around her room. In the darkened room she could still make out the multitudes of Pokémon dolls that filled her room. Some of her most prizes ones were of her parent's Pokémon.

"Daddy, when will I get my first Pokémon?" Sarah asked, already starting to fall asleep as she snuggled into her sheets and holding tightly onto her Infernape doll.

"Soon enough dear, soon enough. Now get some sleep, we have some training scheduled for tomorrow so I need you alert and ready."

"Kay."

"Goodnight Sarah, sweet dreams." Ash said to his daughter as the three of them went to leave the room.

"Goodnight Daddy." She replied as Ash closed the door.

Walking back downstairs he found Jake and Alex sitting in the living room playing some video game with their two Pokémon watching. Ash never understood these games too much but it seemed as if they were playing some Pokémon battle simulator against each other.

"Where's your mom?" He asked the two kids.

"She said that she was going to bed." Alex answered without looking up.

"Alright, don't stay up too late you two. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight Dad." They said almost simultaneously.

Leaving the kids to play their game, Ash headed up to his own room. Walking into the master bedroom he found May already in bed reading a book with Espeon lying at the foot of the bed. Running past him Raichu jumped up onto the bed and joined his mate, curling up with her and making himself comfortable. In contrast, Ninetales calmly walked over to her usual spot on the floor and laid down for a good night's sleep.

"Are Alex and Jake staying up for a while longer?" May asked her husband while putting down her book.

"Looks like it," he responded heading into the mater bathroom to get ready for bed himself.

"Its nice having everyone back home isn't it?"

"As much as I've gotten used to them being gone, there's no doubt that it just feels better having them around again. Not only that but it seems as if they are growing up faster than we might have thought."

"How's that?"

"It seems a certain son of ours found his first crush sometime during this past year."

"Oh really? Who would that be?"

"Apparently she's a coordinator that Alex competes against fairly often."

"Well he has tastes like his father it seems." May said with a giggle. "What's her name?"

"Samantha I think he said."

"That's a pretty name." May gave a small sigh. "It seems like our kids are becoming more and more of their own individual selves. It feels odd that even though we are their parents we are staring to not know our own children as well as we used to."

"It will feel even more out of place once Sarah wants to start her journey." Ash said as he walked out of the bathroom with nothing but some flannel night pants on. Walking over, he joined his wife and their two Pokémon in bed.

"On that note, I learned some interesting information tonight." May said while putting her book on the nearby nightstand.

"And what would that be?"

"It seems like one of our own will be expecting an egg sometime soon."

"I don't think that I need you to specify more than that." Ash said looking over at the two Pokémon sharing the bed with them. "Congratulations you two."

"Raichu." Raichu said softly, seemingly already half-asleep.

"Espi." His mate replied in the same manner.

Cracking a smile Ash thought of the coming implications of the egg. "So if its okay with Espeon, then that means that Sarah will be getting her very own Pokémon soon. That's good to hear, Jake and Alex got their Eevee around their seventh birthday not to mention that Sarah was asking about just this issue before she fell asleep."

"I knew that you would be happy to hear about this, but there is one other thing that I should tell you as well. Okay, well you love the kids, right?"

"Do you even need to ask that question?"

"Right," May took a deep breath. "Even after doing this two times already, it still doesn't get any easier."

"Wait May, are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"Yes Ash, I just found out today that I'm pregnant." She said looking away slightly, after realizing that her husband was virtually speechless she continued. "I know that this wasn't really in our plans but I hope that…"

"That's fantastic!" Ash finally yelled, interrupting her in the process and waking the three Pokémon as well, pulling his wife into a giant hug.

"You're not upset?"

"How could I ever be upset about this?" He asked her rhetorically. "While it may be true that we weren't planning for this to happen, this is still the best news I've heard all day." He finished with his trademark smile. Just as she did all those years ago when they were first dating, May melted at the sight of it and finally started to return the hug, the signs of a few tears slowly making themselves known on her face.

"It makes me happier than words can describe at hearing you say that."

"I would never be upset about something like this May, you know that. But it looks like Jake just might get that younger brother that he's been begging for." Ash said as he turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over them.

"Maybe, but I know that Alex and Sarah will be hoping for something different." May responded while pulling herself into her husband's chest while his protective arms around her gave her the feeling of absolute safety. "I love you Ash Ketchum." She said at last as sleep started to overtake her.

"And I love you May Ketchum. You have made me both the happiest and luckiest guy in the world."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." He added in his mind. "A loving wife, three soon to be four happy children, and all of our Pokémon; what more could I ever ask for?"

As I said before, this would be the end of both the fic and the longest single chapter I've written. Again sorry if this seemed like an abrupt ending. If it helps, out of all of my fics so far this has the highest possibility of getting a sequel, most likely focusing on the continued adventures of the two oldest children, Alex and Jake.

This was a unique experience for me writing from a different angle of the Advanceshipping view. My next fic will probably be May's POV, continuing with my original pattern. Until then, thanks for reading and please review.