Hey everyone, this is my first Pokémon fic and is definitely Amourshipping. While the title of this fic is inspired by the title of Chapter 1 in The Hobbit, the fics chapter titles are all inspired by Bible verses. Nevertheless, this story doesn't include any explicit religious or spiritual themes. If you cannot abide either of these things I wish you well and encourage you to find another story to read. Constructive criticism however is greatly appreciated.

This story is almost entirely complete and is approximately 60k words long. It is split into 16 chapters and a brief epilogue. No sequel is planned at this point, though I may write a follow-up one-shot or two. I plan on posting a few chapters a week until the entire story is published.

This story tries to stay as faithful to the general background, events, and even feel of the canon anime universe. There are some elements I have tweaked however and others where I have put my own spin. All this said, I have not seen the B&W side story episode involving Brock nor did I see the Cave of Mirrors prior to writing this story. Thus, nothing from either of them is incorporated into this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did Ash would actually age, wouldn't get beaten by a Level 5 Snivy, and certainly wouldn't know less about romance now than he seems to in the Original Series. As such this story is purely for enjoyment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.

This story includes events from the episode A Battle by Any Other Name. Plot elements and dialogue from that episode are also not mine. Chapters with such elements will be marked accordingly though individual pieces of dialogue will not be.

"Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." - Proverbs 25:25

There is something about winning that makes the good things in life seem better. Air is sweeter, food is tastier, and even the sun shines a little brighter. In the wake of his successful Cyllage City Gym battle, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town was enjoying every minute of this post victory rapture. Grant had not been an easy opponent, making the thrill of triumph that much more intense.

As Ash and his friends were making the long trek down from the Gym back to Cyllage City proper, the air was thick with excitement. Bonnie was as upbeat and giddy as Ash, gushing with emotion as she recalled Pikachu's harrowing Rock Tomb climb. Clemont added a number of insightful comments on both Ash and Grant's strategies, peppering in a few suggestions for improvement. Even Serena was contributing to the conversation, expressing admiration for Ash's determination and asking a question or two about Ash and Grant's battling techniques.

Yet as the day grew long and the Pokémon Center grew closer, the group lapsed into a comfortable silence. Even Bonnie quieted as the group simply enjoyed the fading light of the day and wondered what adventures tomorrow would bring.

With a whoosh the doors of the Pokémon Center slid open and the four young travelers walked inside, pausing just inside the doors. Serena spoke first.

"It's already about dinner time…what do you guys say we get something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me," Clemont replied.

"Me too," squeaked Bonnie.

"I'll join you guys in a bit," said Ash, "I want to send a quick email to mom, let her know I won my second Kalos Gym battle. Can you guys take Pikachu though? I'm pretty sure he'll be happier getting started on dinner."

"That's so sweet Ash," exclaimed Serena. "I'll bet your mom will be really proud of you!"

"We can take Pikachu Ash, no problem. See you soon," added Clement with a nod.

As the three others and Pikachu walked away, Ash went up to one of the public computers in the lobby and quickly logged into his email account. After clearing away dozens of junk messages and vowing for the hundredth time to check his email more often, Ash quickly scanned the past few weeks' worth of "actual" emails. There were updates from Iris and Cilan, a message from Professor Oak, and a number of others, all of which he would get to later. Just as he was about to start writing his mother, the subject line "Coming to Kalos" caught his eye and he quickly opened the email

Ash,

No idea when you'll get this; I remember how traveling can be, especially with you. But I wanted to give you a heads up that I'll actually be coming to Kalos soon. All Pokémon medical students have to do rotations at hospitals for a few months every year to get some hands on experience. As luck would have it I was placed in St. James' Pokémon Hospital, which is Lumiose City's largest Pokémon hospital. (Okay, so it wasn't exactly luck, they have a great program and when I heard you were off in Kalos I figured win-win)

Of course I'll be busy working most of the time, but I made sure to arrange it so I would have an extra week at both the beginning and the end of my time in Kalos. I've got my driver's license now so it should be relatively easy for me to get to you if you're anywhere near a city or town. I hope we'll be able to link up. It's been too long buddy!

-Brock

Immediate following the signature was Brock's flight info. Checking the calendar quickly, Ash chuckled as he realized Brock was due to arrive in Lumiose City in three days. Muttering to himself about being better late than never, Ash typed out a quick response.

Brock,

Great to hear from you buddy! It's definitely been too long. Sorry about the late response, been really busy traveling. Kalos is awesome! I've made some good friends, caught some Kalos Pokémon, and just won my second badge at the Cyllage City Gym. You'd love it, it's a Rock type Gym. It even has a real climbing wall; you've got to make it all the way to the top before you can battle. Glad your Gym didn't have one, I don't think I would have been able to make the climb back in the day.

If you can make it down to Cyllage City after your flight gets in me and my new traveling buddies can stick around here and meet you. Otherwise I want to head off to the next Gym and we can try to meet up after you finish at the hospital. Can't say for sure if we'd pass by Lumiose City while you're still there.

-Ash

As soon as he clicked send, Ash's stomach gave quite a rumble. Rubbing it with his left hand, he used his right to click out of his email. Sighing and adjusting his hat, Ash turned and walked to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. Striding in he quickly spotted his friends sitting at a table in the middle of the room. He also noticed that was already a plate of food waiting for them there. Hoping it was still warm, he quickly made his way over and sat next to Pikachu.

"Hey guys! Dinner looks good." Ash sat down and, in typical Ash fashion, immediately began digging into his food, devouring it with a gusto that rivaled a rampaging Snorlax.

"I was worried your food was going to get cold," Serena started. Pausing, she continued. "That took a while, is everything alright? Or did you decide to call your mom instead?"

"Uhh…" Ash muttered sheepishly, "Actually I kinda forgot to email her."

"What?! Then what were you doing?" Serena wasn't exactly surprised that Ash could be forgetful, but she was sensitive to this particular shortcoming. After all, she had remembered Ash with fondness for years and had gone out of her way to track him down when she had learned he was in Kalos…only to discover he had almost completely forgotten her.

"Well, that's the good news. I actually got a message from Brock."

"Isn't he the first Gym leader you traveled with?" Clemont interjected.

"Yeah. We traveled together all over Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. After we finished our Sinnoh journey he started studying to be a Pokémon Doctor. Actually, that's why he emailed. He's going to be working at St. James' Pokémon Hospital in Lumiose City for the next few months."

"Really? Well, I'll have to let dad know. I'm sure he'll be happy to show Brock around the city."

Bonnie's face lit up and she started flailing wildly. "Yeah! Our dad has lived in Lumiose City forever, he can definitely help your friend out!"

"Thanks guys, I'm sure he'd love that. All three of you have been such a big help since I've come here."

All three of Ash's Kalos companions smiled and thanked Ash for the compliment. Serena had a bit of pink in the cheek at this and hope fervently that no one else noticed.

"The better news is you might get to meet him soon. He's due to arrive in Kalos in a few days but has a whole week here before he starts work. I wrote back asking him to let me know if can make it here after his flight gets in. If he can, I said we would stick around here for a bit longer. That is, if you guys don't mind."

Clemont nodded his head and adjusted his glasses. "Sure Ash. I for one look forward to meeting another of your traveling companions. Former Gym Leader and aspiring Pokémon Doctor…sounds intriguing."

"Sounds great!" Serena flashed Ash a brilliant smile.

Bonnie beamed. "So cool! I can't wait to ask him to share a bunch of really embarrassing stories about you!"

"Now Bonnie," started Clemont.

Ash put up his hand, motioning Clemont to stop. "No need to worry Clemont. Believe me, there are plenty of stories to tell." Turning down to his partner, Ash continued. "Did you hear that Pikachu? Brock's coming for a visit!"

At Pikachu's joyful response the entire group laughed. The foursome continued to eat and chat, taking it easy after a long day. As the meal wound down, each member of the group became increasingly gripped by excitement at the prospect of Brock's visit. Yet while the others chatted about it excitedly, Serena was lost in thought. One thing kept going through her mind: this was her chance. In traveling with Ash she had heard about all his previous traveling companions…but she was particularly interested in learning more about the female ones.

Misty, May, Dawn, Iris…she'd heard the names and even seen pictures. All of them were beautiful and Ash had something positive to say about all of them. And she had precisely zero clue as to whether or not Ash had ever liked or dated any of them. For all she knew he could still be dating one of them. She'd been too shy to ask Ash her questions directly…as dense as he was, he was bound to pick up on something that obvious.

Brock's visit would present a golden opportunity. Not only would it look perfectly natural to ask him about Ash's past adventures, but even if he did clue in to her motive, he would only be here for a few days. She wouldn't have to stand the embarrassment or pressure of him knowing for too long before he'd be gone and things would go back to the way they were. Excited at the prospect, Serena began to rehearse in her head precisely how she would subtly wheedle the information out of Brock.

There was, of course, no way for Serena to know that Brock's visit would bring a sea of change to her and Ash's relationship and that things would never be the same again.

This chapter is a bit short to start out. Will have up the next chapter relatively soon to help balance this.