Kalos High: New Beginnings

BONUS: Chapter 12 - The Proposal

The final entry in Kalos High: New Beginnings. Thank you all for a wild and bumpy two years.

Time Skip: 3 years later

With Ash

Man, should I really ask her tonight, the raven-haired trainer asked himself while looking at the ring in his hand. He had been like this for a few days now, questioning whether to ask her the big question or to wait another day to do it. For some time now, Ash had started to feel more than just love towards Serena. Every day they spent together brought them even closer, and he didn't want to let go of those moments anytime now. But what he really wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her until his last breath. That's right, Ash Ketchum had finally escaped his denseness. Now he just had to figure out how to ask the big question without blowing the secret. However, 7 hours of sitting around and reciting what he would say was not helping him. It only built the stress even more.

"Pi?" Pikachu turned his head to the side, confused. He hadn't seen his trainer like this ever.

"Aw, this isn't working," Ash sighed, sitting up. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, trying to address the situation. For as long as he could remember, his trainer was not the kind of person to be so stressed over something. The yellow mouse continued to stare at his trainer until Ash suddenly jumped up, throwing Pikachu off balance. "I got it! I'll ask her tomorrow night, when the moon is shining and we're taking a walk on the beach!" he exclaimed. Pikachu was so confused that he just walked over to his spot on the bed and passed out. Clearly, this was a rather strange night. 

Don't judge me on the intro song. It was either the English opening from Ultimate Journeys or sticking with 1 • 2 • 3. Besides, they're all grown up by now since it's a 3-year time skip.

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The very next morning: Enter Ash and Serena

"Pi! Pika pi!" Pikachu shook his trainer as he tried to get Ash to wake up. They were supposed to meet Serena at 8:00 a.m., but Ash, having tossed and turned all night, was still not awake even though it was already 8:30. "Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika!" the electric type screeched.

"Ah! I'm up!" Ash bolted awake, breathing heavily. That did the trick. "Hey, Pikachu, what time is it?" he asked. Then he looked at the time on his rotom phone: 8:30 am. "Oh man, we're late! We're so late! Serena's going to be really worried! Come on, Pikachu, let's go!" he cried. The raven-haired trainer raced around the room, brushing his teeth while trying to get his outfit, then rushed down the stairs and out the door, but not before he ran back to the house to pack the ring. By the time he and Pikachu arrived at the boutique, it was 8:50 and Serena was waiting for them by the front door. She must've been waiting for a long time, Ash thought to himself before heading towards her. 

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, racing towards her. Serena looked over and smiled as the electric mouse scampered around her shoulders and into her arms, nuzzling his cheeks against her.

"Morning, Pikachu!" she said. "Where's A-?"she started to ask, but stopped mid-sentence when she felt two arms wrap around her shoulders, meaning Ash had secretly walked through the crowd and planned to surprise her. "So, there you are, sleepy head," she said, turning herself over to kiss him. "Now, are you ready for some clothes shopping?" He nodded, trying to keep himself from groaning out loud. If there was one thing that he found difficult when it came to being in a relationship, it was the amount of time girls spent at clothes shops trying to pick out the cutest outfits. Of course, Ash could've ditched Serena and stayed at home all day, but he couldn't just leave her alone. Besides, he had decided that he would ask her the big question today after dinner when he'd take Serena on a walk near the beach when the moon would begin to shine.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!" Ash grabbed Serena's hand, pulling her inside the shop. They most spent most of the time picking out clothes for Serena to wear on other dates they went on, then chose one outfit for Ash, which looked quite similar to what he was currently wearing. Around 10:30ish, they went over to an arcade and spent at least 4 hours playing games and taking photos in the photo booth. After a while, Ash's stomach started growling to the point where Serena had to drag him out and lead him to a pasta restaurant to heal his "hangry" stomach from getting "hangrier". They spent the rest of the day walking around Kanto and trying delicious street foods. At exactly 5:30 which was dinnertime, Ash took Serena to an all-you-can-eat buffet, where they ate to the point where the raven-haired trainer couldn't eat or stand anymore. Once again, Serena found herself having to carry her boyfriend out of the restaurant, although she did think that he looked adorable in his current state.

Time-skip to 4 hours later at 9:30 pm

"It's so beautiful," said the honey-blonde haired trainer. She, Ash, Pikachu had just watched the sunset from on the beach. Now all they saw were the tiny bright lights of stars twinkling and the moon shining down on them.

"It sure is," Ash replied, but thought to himself, but not as beautiful as you. He continued watching the night sky and Pikachu running around in the spot next to him before feeling Serena's head resting against his shoulder. He smiled, and slowly wrapped his fingers around her hand. They sat like this for a while before Ash started thinking to himself.

Come on, Ash. Here goes nothing. It's your only chance. If you keep bailing out of it, you won't get another shot, he thought to himself before taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "Hey, Serena?"

"Hm? What is it, Ash?" Serena turned to face him, her cerulean blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"There's something I need to tell you," Ash said. He then stood up and pulled Serena up along with him, placing both hands onto hers and holding them. "For as long as I can remember, you've been the girl of my dreams for a long time now. When we first got together, I was so glad to know you as my girlfriend. Every moment I spend with you is an opportunity to deepen and strengthen our relationship. I've cherished every day that I see you with my heart, but... but recently, whenever I look at you and our relationship, I can't help but imagine what it would feel like if we took our relationship to the next level," he started. Serena stayed silent. She didn't where Ash was going with this, but she wanted to hear more. But Ash wasn't done talking yet, because he had more to say that was on his mind. 

"You shaped me into the person I am today and without you always there for me, I probably would've screwed up. It's you that I want. I want to be with you, and only you. The future I see isn't imaginable without you next to me. I want to stay with you for the rest of my life until my last breath," he finished. Serena was practically in tears by now. Then out of the blue, Ash suddenly got down on one knee. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small box. When Serena saw what was inside, she gasped. It was a small, diamond ring, the same one her mother wore on her finger.

"Is that ... what I think it is?" she asked.

"It is," Ash replied, grinning. "So, Serena Yvonne, will you marry me?" he asked. Huh, what do you know, I actually pulled it off, he thought to himself. However, his thoughts were interrupted when Serena bolted forward and kissed him passionately, tears now streaming down her face. They pulled apart after 30 seconds for air.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Serena exclaimed, burying her face into Ash's shirt. "Thank you ... for loving me. You are my one and only, the sweetest and most loving person I've ever met. My heart only belongs to you, because there's not a single day that goes by without me not thinking about you, and I'm grateful ... that you're the one that I'll spend the rest of my life. I love you, Ash Ketchum... I love you," she said in between sobs. Ash wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer before letting her go and slipping the ring onto her finger. Then, with one final kiss, they carried a sleepy Pikachu back home, hand in hand, unable to stay apart.

Because in Ash and Serena's minds, all they could think was each other. 

And that was all they needed.

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A/N: That closes Kalos High: New Beginnings. It's been an incredible 2 years, writing my first story and incorporating new story elements to make it my own, and of course getting tons of support from y'all. Thank you, guys, so much for giving so much support for this book. If it weren't for any of your opinions, I probably would've given up on this a long time. I'll be working on the follow-up to the book shortly after. Thanks again and have a good week!