A New Kind of Journey: Kanto (Inconsistent Updates)

Chapter 11: The (Prospective) In-Laws

Ash woke up and looked at Serena, still sleeping peacefully on the other bed. He smiled at how cute she looked while she was sleeping. Making sure to be quiet so as not to wake her up, he got out of bed and got dressed, then went downstairs to grab some breakfast. He grabbed some pancakes, sat down, and started eating.

"-cuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are rumored to be moving once again," a voice said to his left. He turned, surprised, and saw three hazy pictures of the Legendary Birds of Kanto on the TV. "Many are worried that this may not be a good omen, as the last time they were discovered to all be active simultaneously, Kanto suffered severe damage. Professor Oak says that if we leave them be and avoid any hostile contact, nothing will happen. However, authorities say-" "What are you watching?" someone asked.

He turned around, startled, but relaxed when he saw Serena. "Nothing," he said. "Ohayou, Serena." "Ohayou," she responded without missing a beat. Ash blinked. "Wait, you know Kantonian?" Serena nodded, grinning. "I started studying it as soon as I left that summer camp. I thought I'd need it when I found you again." Ash's heart melted, and he got up and kissed her. Serena was surprised by this, but quickly returned it. "I love you," Ash said. "I promise I'll never forget you again." Now Serena's heart melted, and she simply stood there, hugging him.

"Oh my Arceus," Serena said suddenly, remembering something. "What's wrong?" Ash asked as she pulled back from the hug. "I still haven't told my mother we're together." Ash blanched. It had been years since he had last met Grace, but he remembered her as being a bit . . . overprotective. "Uh oh," he said. Serena nodded. Ash sighed and put his head in his head in his hands, then looked back up with a feeble attempt at a grin. "Well," he said. "We might as well get it over with." Serena shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready for this just yet," she responded.

Ash held her shoulders and looked into her eyes, then spoke in a clear, strong voice. "You are one of the strongest girls I know, which is saying quite a lot. I've seen you stare down way worse than this before, and I'm sure you will continue to do so no matter what challenge comes your way. I know you're strong enough to do this, and I love you for it, but if you don't feel ready to face your mom's response, whatever that may be, I won't push you until you do feel ready."

Serena's eyes teared up and she pulled him into a loving kiss. After several moments, she broke the kiss and smiled at him. "Thank you, Ash. I think I'm ready now." Ash grinned. "Well alright then." Together, they walked over to the row of video phones and sat at one. Serena entered her mother's number, and they waited. After a few seconds, Grace's face appeared on the screen. "Hello, who- Oh! Serena! How are you, sweetie? How's Hoenn?" Serena smiled somewhat weakly and said, "It was great, I learned a lot and met some amazing people." "Anyone special?" Grace asked, one eyebrow raised. Serena grimaced. "Well, that's what I'm calling about, mom." Grace's face seemed to fall a bit, then it hardened. "I see," she said simply.

She said nothing else, and Serena continued. "I left Hoenn a few weeks ago. I'm in Kanto now." Inexplicably, Grace's face seemed to light up a little. Serena cleared her throat and finished, "You remember Ash. He's my boyfriend now." Ash leaned into the frame and waved nervously. Grace didn't do anything for a few moments, then suddenly burst out laughing, causing Ash and Serena to recoil slightly. "Thank Arceus!" Grace said. "And here I was terrified that you'd fallen for someone else." Serena and Ash, now thoroughly perplexed, glanced at each other then back at the screen. "You . . . were?" Ash asked, speaking for the first time. Grace nodded happily. "She was so heartbroken when we had to return to Kalos after that summer camp all those years ago. I hoped you'd be able to meet again someday, and that opportunity came not four years ago when you saw him on TV. I've been praying for you two ever since. In fact," she said with a grin. "This means I won that bet I made with Meyer."

Ash was waving his hands in a 'slow down' gesture. "Hold on a second. You hoped we'd get together since we were kids, and you even made a bet with Clemont's dad that it would happen?" Grace nodded happily. "Of course, I mean, even Delia-" Ash was waving his hands again. "Wait wait wait. You know my mom?" Grace nodded again. "We've been friends ever since the camp. After you and Serena left on your journey in Kalos, I reached out to her again. Turns out, she had the same hopes." Now Serena spoke again. "So, in a nutshell, you're not mad?" Grace shook her head. "Of course not, dear. Whatever made you think I would be?"

Serena put her index fingertips together in a gesture that Ash found adorable. "Well," she began. "It's just that, in the past, you've always been really strict when it comes to me being friends with boys." "And why do you think that was?" Grace asked, nodding meaningfully towards Ash. Serena smiled and her eyes teared up again at the realization that her mother had been ensuring that she would never fall for anyone other than the boy she had first loved. "Thank you so much, mom! I love you!" "I love you too sweetie! And I wish the both of you the best of luck." The screen went black and Ash let go a massive sigh of relief. "That went better than expected, huh?" he asked, looking at Serena. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, a gesture he returned.

They felt eyes on them, and turned to see Makoto  walking toward them from the stairs. "Hey guys," she said. "Did I miss something?" Ash looked at Serena, grinned, then looked back at Makoto. "Nothing," he said. "Just talking to the prospective in-laws."

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I know I probably should have posted sooner, but at least it's not as bad as last time. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please remember to vote if you liked it, yada yada, you know the drill. Thank you all again for you support, and sayonara until next time.