Today was, for me, a pretty sad day: Sun and Moon officially came to an end in the dub. It came to an end in Japan a couple of months ago, and I was equally as emotional about it back then. In fact, the series ending in Japan a few months back inspired me to write this little story, but I decided to hold off on sharing it until the dub finished as well, since it does contain some spoilers from the finale!

Sun and Moon meant a lot to me, so I wanted to write something that evoked the spirit of the series and to show my appreciation for the happiness it had brought me and many others.

And Your Dreams

The birth of Ash and Misty's twin children had been a joyous occasion for many people. The parents, naturally, were at the top of the list. With each day that passed, both Ash and Misty were in total awe of what they had created. They could stare at the little ones forever, and still not believe that they were both real and actually theirs. Those two tiny beings were better and more precious than any battle, any trophy, or any title that Ash or Misty had ever won. With that in mind, they knew they had lots of family and friends who were also excited and who already adored the children. Because of this, the young parents were eager to introduce the twins to everyone they could possibly think of.

Today was particularly exciting for Ash and Misty, as they were receiving three special visitors to see the twins for the very first time: Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, and their precocious six-year-old daughter Alexandra, who nearly everyone called by her nickname: Lexi.

Ash had been waiting for this day since they had first found out Misty was pregnant. When they'd shared that news with Kukui and Burnet, the Alolan couple's reaction had been so fervent and over the top that they'd actually awoken their own daughter from a nap. From then on, Kukui and Burnet had checked in on Ash and Misty quite frequently, promising to travel to Kanto as soon as the babies arrived.

The Pokémon Master smiled at the memories; not just the ones from the past few months, but also the ones from years ago, when he'd been living in Alola with the professors. They had been like his second family; loving and caring for him when he was so far away from home, in a region he was totally unfamiliar with. Leaving them had been incredibly difficult, but that blow was softened when Ash learned not long after that Kukui and Burnet were expecting a child of their own.

That child, of course, was Alexandra; bestowed with a tree inspired name, just like her parents, but one that poignantly began with the letter A…in Ash's honor.

Lexi had been Ash's first experience with a baby. He was too nervous to ever hold her, but he did think she was very cute, and as she got older, he greatly enjoyed visiting and playing with the girl. And it was those two things: Kukui's paternal influence and Lexi, that made Ash just a little less nervous to become a father himself.

When the Alolan family arrived at the Ketchum home in Cerulean City, Ash and Misty were busy tending to the twins, preparing them for the exciting day that lay ahead of them. While Misty dressed Aiden in a brand-new outfit, one that had been promptly sent by Kukui and Burnet after learning the twins' sexes, Ash cuddled Michelle, still in her pajamas and waiting to be changed into her own gifted clothes. Pikachu had parked himself by Aiden's head, keeping the baby distracted and content in order to make Misty's job easier.

It was in the middle of all of this that the doorbell rang, Pikachu's ears immediately standing at attention. Ash grinned, quickly kissing Michelle's temple before placing her in her crib.

"That's got to be them!" He cheered, causing Misty to look over her shoulder. "I'll go answer the door."

"Thank you," Misty sighed, pulling a pair of navy blue and white striped pants over Aiden's legs. "It shouldn't take me too much longer to get these two dressed."

Ash smiled and strode over to Misty, kissing her cheek. "Take your time." He then turned his attention onto a curious Pikachu. "Want to come with me, buddy?"

Pikachu seemed to think about it for a moment before quickly shaking his head and pointing at Aiden. "Pi, pika Pipika."

"I should've seen that one coming," Ash chuckled. Pikachu had essentially appointed himself the twins' bodyguard and was usually quite wary to leave them. "Guess I'll just head down there myself!"

He walked out of the babies' room, hurrying down the stairs and parking himself in front of the door. Reaching out, Ash made quick work to twist the lock and pull the door open, soon coming face-to-face with none other than his former teacher and host.

"Professor!" Ash greeted, his eyes managing to light up even further.

"Hi there, Ash!" Kukui replied just as warmly, the excitement evident in his voice. "You look like you're using flash on repeat!"

"I do?" Ash asked before laughing. "I thought Misty was the only one who'd be glowing!"

Kukui's smile widened at this. "It does seem disingenuous that they never extend that to the father, doesn't it?"

Ash smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Not really sure what that means, but yeah!"

Now Kukui's chuckle became a bit more nervous, but Ash failed to notice. His eyes shifting around, Ash suddenly changed the subject, questioning, "where's Professor Burnet and Lexi?"

"They're just unpacking the car," Kukui answered. "Lots of gifts to bring in, after all!"

"More gifts?" Ash murmured, his face paling. "You guys didn't have to do all of that! You've already sent more than enough!"

"I don't think that such a thing exists when it comes to these particular babies," Kukui calmly argued with a light snicker.

Ash sighed, but the smile never left his face. "Well, come on in! It's a little bit cold out there, especially compared to Alola. I'm surprised you didn't wear a jacket!"

Kukui threw Ash an incredulous look but stepped into the house regardless. "This weather's nowhere near cold enough to wear a jacket!"

"You said the same thing that time we went to Mount Lanakila for that sled jumping competition," Ash mused, closing the door behind him in order to keep the cold out.

"Right, and this is nothing compared to that," Kukui teased.

Ash smirked and walked towards the stairs, Kukui following behind him. "Misty is just getting the twins ready. She should be done soon, but I'll probably go check on her while we're waiting on everyone else."

Kukui chuckled as he leaned against the bannister. "I might as well warn you; Burnet is going to cry when she sees those babies."

"That's okay!" Ash assured him with a laugh. "I did too, the first time I saw them."

Just as he began to climb up the steps, however, Ash was interrupted by a sudden, serious comment from behind him.

"Ash, wait…I wanted to give you something."

The young man stopped walking and spun around to face Kukui. "Really? What is it, professor?"

Kukui smiled and reached into the pocket of his lab coat, pulling out four minimized poke balls. Ash took one look at them before his eyes widened.

"Are those…?"

"Rowlet, Lycanroc, Incineroar, and Melmetal," Kukui confirmed after Ash had trailed off. "I think they should stay here, with you."

Ash slowly looked up from the spheres to Kukui. "Are you sure? They all seemed so happy with you guys in Alola! And I know Lexi loves them."

"She does," Kukui agreed, nodding his head. "They're all very good with kids. And you have your own now! Besides, it was Lexi who came up with the idea."

Ash's lips parted. "Really?"

Kukui grinned, continuing, "she said she loved playing with them so much that she knew Aiden and Michelle would too. She insisted we bring them with us so you could all be a family together, just like we've been."

The shock on Ash's face gave way to genuine joy. As his eyes filled with tears, he stepped off the stairs and reached out, allowing Kukui to drop the poke balls into his palm. Once he had possession of them, Ash closed his hand around the spheres and held the fist close to his heart, his smile widening.

"I can't wait for Aiden and Michelle to be old enough to play with them," Ash declared, beaming at Kukui. "And in the meantime, I know these four will have the best time with all of my other Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab!"

"I'm positive they will," Kukui concurred, his own smile managing to widen.

"I'll have to thank Lexi once she and Professor Burnet come inside," Ash murmured. "She sure is a sweet little girl!"

"She's been talking up a storm about the twins to anyone who'll listen," Kukui chuckled. "Something tells me she thinks those two are like her little siblings."

"Hey, I think that's nice!" Ash warmly replied. "It's good to know they have so many people who'll love and look out for them."

"Ash! Ash! Ash!"

The Pokémon Master looked around Kukui and laughed. The front door was once again open, and Lexi was charging towards him, Burnet following closely behind.

"Hiya, Lexi!" Ash greeted, kneeling down to meet the girl. Before he could do anything further, Lexi jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving it a tight squeeze.

Burnet sighed laughingly and glanced over at her husband. "As usual, I never stood a chance of getting to Ash first."

Kukui snickered. "How can you ever expect to beat our daughter and her quick attack?"

"I'm so excited to meet the babies!" Lexi squealed, pulling away so Ash could see the golden flecks sparkling in her hazel eyes. "Can I go see them? Please?"

"Yeah, Misty and I will bring them down in just a sec," Ash assured her, reaching up to pat the child's head. "Hey, your dad was telling me you asked to bring these guys to me."

Ash held out his other hand and opened up his fist to show off the four poke balls that were nestled in his palm. Lexi took a small step back and beamed at the young man, quickly nodding her head.

"Uh huh!" Lexi confirmed. "I want the babies to be able to play with them like I always do! Papa says they're too little now, but they won't be forever!"

"You're right, and very thoughtful, too" Ash agreed, his smile widening. "I'm so grateful you brought my old buddies along! And I know Aiden and Michelle will be too, once they're able to play with 'em."

Lexi giggled and tilted her head, her dark brunette ponytail swinging behind her.

"Okay, sprout," Kukui teased, bending down beside his daughter. "Why don't we cut back on the charm and let Ash get the babies, huh?"

"Papa, Ash asked me about the Pokémon, so I was just answering him," Lexi replied quite seriously, holding her hands behind her back.

"I know you were," Kukui chuckled. "Thank you for that!"

"Or, let me say hello to him first, at the very least," Burnet half pleaded, throwing her husband and daughter a playful look.

"Oh, yeah!" Lexi giggled, blushing ever so slightly as she hopped out of her mother's way. "Sorry, Mama!"

"Guess we got a bit carried away," Kukui added, winking at an amused Lexi.

Burnet sighed, although she was sporting a big smile. She walked up to Ash and gently held his face in her hands, beaming at him as she delicately stroked his cheek.

"You're certainly all grown up now, aren't you?" Burnet asked whimsically.

"I guess so?" Ash replied timidly. "I know I'm a dad now, but sometimes I still feel like a kid! I guess it hasn't fully sunk in yet, as much as I love those two."

Burnet giggled and lowered her hands so they were instead resting on Ash's shoulders. "That's normal. Besides, no one ever said you couldn't feel like a kid when you have kids yourselves! Just look at Kukui."

The aforementioned, and bewildered, professor blinked, while Lexi started to laugh wildly. Ash had soon joined in, albeit more calmly than Lexi, before nodding his head.

"That's fair!" He agreed. Nodding his head towards the stairs, he continued, "speaking of which, I think I should go check and see if those two are ready for their big debut!"

"Yes, please!" Burnet cried, pulling her hands back and clasping them together. "I can't wait any longer!"

"Who's the kid now?" Kukui snickered. "You sound just like our daughter!"

Lexi huffed at the comparison. "Mama only sounds like me because I'm just like her! Right, Mama?"

Burnet giggled and knelt down to grab her daughter's hands. "That's right, sprout!"

Watching Burnet and Lexi caused Ash's heart to flutter. It sent his thoughts hurtling into the future, imagining how Misty and Michelle would be together once the little girl was Lexi's age. And of course, there was Aiden too! They both already loved Misty; that much was obvious based on how they cuddled up to her and gazed at her like she was their entire world. But how would it evolve as they both grew up? What kind of interests would they have in common? Would their personalities sync up? Ash could only imagine.

"Ash?"

He was brought back to reality with Kukui calling his name. The Pokémon Master glanced around the Alolan family, noticing that they were all staring at him. His space out must've been pretty bad. Laughing nervously, Ash rubbed the back of his neck and cried, "sorry! Yeah, I'll just go…see what Misty's up to!"

And with that he stumbled up the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet with each step. Lexi snickered at the sight and glanced between her stunned parents, muttering, "he's so nervous!"

XXX

By the time he'd managed to stagger to the twins' room, Ash had nearly fallen on his face.

Pikachu, still perched on the babies' changing table, nervously watched the scene, while Misty appeared slightly more alarmed.

"You look insane," she informed him point blank.

Ash stood up straight, letting out a puff of air that blew his dark bangs. "Thank you."

"What's got you so worked up?" Misty asked, tilting her head. "Kukui and Burnet normally calm you down…not this."

Although a bit hesitant at first, Ash finally admitted, "it's just…I was watching Burnet with Lexi, and I couldn't help but to think about you and Michelle. That mother-daughter bond sure is something."

Misty hummed, her smile widening. "How sweet! Burnet is a wonderful mom. She reminds me so much of yours! I hope I can be half as good as they are."

Ash grinned encouragingly at his wife. "Of course you can! You're already doing an amazing job!"

Misty blushed and looked away. "I'm glad you think so…"

"Oh, wait! I have to show you!"

Misty picked her head back up and found Ash hurrying towards her, his hand stuffed into the pocket of his jeans. When he pulled it out, he opened his palm up and showed Misty its contents.

"Poke balls?" She murmured, leaning in to take a closer look.

"Not just any poke balls," Ash refuted.

Misty stared at them for a few more seconds before slowly gazing up at Ash, her lips parted. "Wait…these aren't…"

"My Alola Pokémon," Ash finished once Misty trailed off.

At this, her eyes widened. "Kukui brought them for you?"

Ash shook his head. "Lexi did. Apparently, she was very insistent that Aiden and Michelle should get to grow up playing with them the same way she did."

Misty cooed, looking back down at the spheres. "That is so precious! Lexi is just the sweetest little girl!"

"I know it's going to be a while before they can actually play together, but Aiden and Michelle already love Pikachu, so I'm sure this will be a thrill for them one day!" Ash crowed.

"I'm sure it will," Misty agreed. The baby that was currently under her and Pikachu's watch gurgled, causing Misty to look over at her and smile. "You know we're talking about you and your brother?"

She lifted Michelle into her arms, having just changed the little girl into her own outfit that had been gifted by Kukui and Burnet. Michelle mumbled again before resting her head on her mother's shoulder, causing Misty's smile to widen.

"I'm guessing they're both ready?" Ash asked. "Everyone downstairs is so excited to meet them!"

"They're all good to go!" Misty confirmed. "Do you mind grabbing Aiden for me?"

"Sure thing!" Ash chirped. He walked over to Aiden's crib and lifted the boy out, beaming at the bewildered little thing. "Aw, look at the little sailboat on your shirt! That's so cute!"

Pikachu jumped off of the changing table and landed skillfully on the floor, scurrying out of the room.

"I think we took too long for him," Misty giggled. "Better follow!"

Ash nodded, but suddenly cried, "hold on, just a second!"

Misty appeared bewildered, but soon understood as Ash took a small step forward to delicately kiss her on the lips.

"Let me know if this becomes too much for you, kay?" He pleaded, his voice gentle and caring.

Misty smiled lovingly at her husband, getting a similar one back. "I'll be fine. But thank you for looking out for me."

"Always," Ash replied, nodding just once.

And with that, the young couple left the room, walking in the same direction that Pikachu had just went in. As they went down the stairs, they were able to see that the yellow mouse had situated himself in Lexi's lap, gratefully accepting the girl's petting. Burnet was sitting beside the girl, happily chattering away to the mouse Pokémon.

"Sorry we took so long!" Ash apologized as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, no worries," Kukui assured him. "Burnet and I know how hard it is to get one baby ready, so I can't even imagine what it's like with two!"

Upon hearing her name, Burnet looked up from Pikachu towards her husband, but then changed her direction to Ash and Misty. As soon as she saw the babies in their arms, she let out a short gasp before quickly covering her mouth. "Oh, sorry! That was too loud!"

"It's alright," Misty giggled. "Ash is much louder than that! I'm starting to think that these two were just born used to it."

Burnet stood up and approached Ash and Misty, leaning in to get a closer look at the babies. Although it was hard for anyone to see it at the angle she was standing, Burnet's eyes were filling with tears. "Oh…they're so beautiful! And tiny!"

"I wanna see!" Lexi cried, grasping Pikachu in her arms and jumping off the couch. She ran up next to her mother, standing on her tippy toes so she could better see the twins. "Aww, they're so cute!"

"Do you want to hold them?" Ash asked.

"Can I?" Lexi gasped.

"Sure you can!" Ash chuckled. "Right, Misty?"

The gym leader smiled and nodded her head.

"Why don't you go sit on the couch?" Kukui suggested to his daughter, having stood up to move closer to everyone else. "It'll be much easier for you to hold them there."

"Kay!" Lexi trilled, hurrying back over to her previous spot.

Kukui chuckled and sidled up next to Burnet, finally getting to study the babies himself. "Wow, look at these two! Those sure are some very good-looking kids!"

Misty giggled and gently rubbed Michelle's nose while gazing at Aiden. "Hear that? Everyone thinks very highly of you two!"

"Gotta agree with them!" Ash boasted, winking at his amused wife.

"How are they treating you guys?" Burnet asked, reaching out to gently stroke Aiden's cheek. "Do they sleep well?"

Misty sighed before laughingly responding, "not really. Aiden's always hungry…he's up to eat about every two hours. And Michelle just hates to be left alone, so she wakes up crying an awful lot."

"And when one of them cries, it always wakes up the other," Ash added.

"Fascinating," Kukui marveled, rubbing his chin. "I wonder if they'll have their own language with one another as they get older. I've read a lot about twins doing that!"

"That'd be pretty cool," Ash mused. "Right now, I don't think they even recognize each other. Sometimes if you put them next to each other, they'll get cuddly, but Misty thinks that's just a coincidence."

"It's very cute," Misty explained. "I just think they're probably too young to know what they're doing yet. After all, they'll cuddle against anything that's close to them. Me, Ash, Pikachu, a stuffed toy…they just like snuggling!"

"Scuse me…can I hold the babies now?"

The adults all looked towards Lexi who was sitting on the couch with Pikachu by her side and an impatient look on her face.

"Oops, sorry, Lexi!" Ash apologized. "Yeah, you can hold them now!"

He went to sit on Lexi's opposite side, the one that wasn't occupied by his Pokémon partner. The little girl beamed at him, obviously ecstatic that she was finally getting her chance to see one of the babies up close.

"Make sure you hold his head up, okay?" Ash requested.

"Got it!" Lexi chirped, immediately folding her arms so Ash could place Aiden there.

Chuckling, Ash placed Aiden in Lexi's arms, making sure that his head was in the right spot. Once he was sure the boy was settled, Ash moved his own arms away and just gazed at Lexi and his young son. The little girl was in awe of the baby, her hazel eyes shimmering as she took in every single one of his features.

"Well, what do you know!" Burnet crowed. "She's speechless!"

"Pretty rare for our daughter," Kukui chuckled.

Lexi finally looked away from Aiden, setting her eyes solely on Ash. "He's so warm!"

"Isn't he?" Ash laughed.

"And soft, too," Lexi giggled, glancing back down at Aiden. "You must wanna hug him all day!"

"I do!" Ash confirmed. "It's a good thing he likes that kind of stuff."

"You like hugs, Aiden?" Lexi asked the baby. He gurgled and opened his eyes, staring right back at Lexi. She gasped and whipped her head towards Ash, who smirked in response. "He heard me! See, he's looking at me!"

"That means he likes the sound of your voice," Ash informed her, reaching over to rub under his son's nose. "He does that for me and Misty all the time! That's his way of showing you he's listening."

"Aw, you're a good listener!" Lexi cooed.

Misty, who had been watching the girl from across the room, giggled. "Lexi really adores Aiden!"

Burnet, who was holding and fawning over Michelle, hadn't seemed to hear Misty. Kukui did, however, and grinned at the redhead. "She's great with younger kids! You should see the way she lights up whenever Koa is around."

Misty's smile widened. "Right, Mallow and Kiawe's little boy! I know he just turned a year old."

"He did," Kukui confirmed, nodding his head. "So now he's starting to walk and talk and be able to play a bit more. He's a pretty calm kid, so you don't always know what he's thinking, but he seems to really enjoy Lexi's company."

"I can see where she gets it from," Misty quipped, nodding towards Burnet. "The way she looks at Michelle…"

Burnet was babbling to the baby in her arms, rubbing their noses together every once in a while. At one point, Michelle sneezed right in Burnet's face, but it did nothing to deter the researcher. Instead, she just playfully gasped before cooing, "oh, what happened, baby? Did that tickle you?"

Kukui turned from Burnet back to Misty, a genuine smile on his face. "They both have the purest of hearts. It warms mine to no end."

Although she agreed, Misty wouldn't let it stop there. "They really do. But…so do you."

Kukui was taken aback by this. Not because he didn't take it as a compliment (he did), but because of how powerful it really was…and how little he'd been expecting it.

"M-me?" Kukui stuttered.

This got a sweet giggle out of Misty. Professor Kukui was one of the most confident people she knew, so whenever he managed to get flustered, it was quite amusing. Although, it was usually Burnet doing the flustering.

"Yes!" Misty laughed. Sobering up a bit, she glanced over at Ash and continued, "I always thought Ash would make a great father. He's just so sweet, and he's always been so good with kids. But he didn't see that in himself. He was scared. All because he never had a father to look up to when he was growing up. Until he met you."

Kukui was still wide eyed when Misty turned her head back towards him, and her smile widened once again. "You were the closest thing he ever had to a dad. He keeps telling me that having you in his life, and knowing he can always go to you, makes things a lot less scary for him when it comes to the babies. And the way he's bonded with Aiden and Michelle so far…it's exactly how I'd always imagined him with his own children." Stopping to ponder that for a moment, Misty blushed a bit and concluded, "actually, it might be even better."

Having grown teary, Kukui pulled an unsuspecting Misty into a tight embrace, causing her blush to intensify. Ash just happened to look up and see that exchange, grinning almost foolishly.

"Aw, look at you two!" He crowed.

Lexi looked up from Aiden, and when she saw her father hugging Misty like there was no tomorrow, she was a bit more puzzled. "Papa sure is being weird…"

The comments from Ash and Lexi caused Burnet to look up as well. Her reaction, however, was a bit different. "Kukui! You're going to hurt her!"

"I'm fine!" Misty assured her with a nervous laugh.

Regardless, Kukui let go of Misty and instead held onto her shoulders, beaming at the younger woman. "Thank you, Misty."

"Of course," Misty replied, her smile widening. "I mean every word!"

No longer interested in what her father and Misty were doing, Lexi turned her attention onto her mother and called, "Mama, let's trade! I want to hold Michelle, too!"

"Sounds fair to me," Burnet giggled, walking over to her daughter. "I'll hand her to Ash first, okay? Once you give me Aiden, then you can have her."

"Kay!" Lexi chirped.

Burnet handed Michelle over to Ash, watching as his face lit up. The baby girl, she noticed, only had eyes for him, and for the first time, Burnet saw the baby's mouth twitch into the faintest of smiles.

"Mama, what're you doing?"

Burnet quickly shook her head and realized Lexi was staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," Burnet apologized, smiling sheepishly at her daughter as she gently took Aiden. "I just got a little distracted, that's all!"

Although she was still confused, Lexi spun towards Ash, gazing down at the baby girl in his arms. "Wow, she's so cute, too!"

"She is, isn't she?" Ash chuckled.

Lexi grinned and nodded her head. "Does she have a nickname? Like me?"

"A nickname?" Ash repeated, inclining his head.

"Yeah!" Lexi giggled. "You could call her…Shelly!"

Ash thought about the nickname, humming as he did so. "Shelly, huh? I like that!"

"You don't have to call her that all the time," Lexi continued. "Michelle's an easy name to say! I like my name, but it can be hard for people to say sometimes. It's got too many syllables!"

Ash scrunched his nose up and looked towards Burnet, mouthing: "syllables?"

Burnet giggled at this. "She just means it's a little too long. I suppose she's not wrong! Although, Kukui and I have no problem saying Alexandra."

"Duh, because you guys are smart!" Lexi quipped. "And also, you wouldn't give me a name you couldn't say."

"Well, you're right about that," Burnet laughed.

Glancing back up at Ash, Lexi pleaded, "can I hold Shelly?"

"You're really hanging onto that nickname, aren't you?" Ash teased, causing Lexi to nod. "I'll hand her over. Hold her just like you did with Aiden, kay?"

"I know!" Lexi chirped. "I will!"

As soon as the little girl had a hold on Michelle, her smile somehow managed to widen. The baby, on the other hand, appeared a bit hesitant, but didn't protest any further than that.

"Hi, Shelly!" Lexi cooed. "You're such a pretty baby!"

Ash chuckled as his daughter relaxed and let out a throaty noise. "Michelle loves to be called pretty! Not exactly sure how she knows what that means, but she does! She makes that cute little sound anytime anyone calls her that."

"It's probably because her daddy calls her that all the time," Misty giggled.

"Ah, who could blame him?" Kukui chuckled. "She's a very pretty little girl!"

Burnet giggled and remarked, "don't act like you didn't do the same thing with Lexi!"

Kukui smirked and shrugged his shoulder. "Well, she was also a very pretty baby. In fact, she's grown into quite the beautiful young lady, if I do say so myself!"

Lexi scowled as she began to blush. "Papa, don't embarrass me!"

"Oof," Misty huffed. "Six is now old enough to be embarrassed, huh? Ash and I are in big trouble."

Looking back down at Michelle, Lexi pleaded, "don't ever let your daddy embarrass you like that." Turning her attention onto Ash, Lexi added for good measure, "don't embarrass her!"

Ash nervously held his hands out in front himself. "I'll try not to!"

"Lexi, don't tell Ash what to do with his own babies!" Burnet playfully scolded.

"It's fine," Ash chuckled. "I don't really know what I'm doing anyway."

Lexi's eyes widened at Ash's admission. "You don't?!"

Ash smirked and shook his head. "No one ever really knows exactly what to do before they have a baby, I think."

The young girl, however, didn't seem convinced. "I bet Mama and Papa did!"

"Not so fast, dear," Kukui laughed. "You have a little bit too much confidence in the both of us!"

"I do?" Lexi squeaked.

"We didn't have a very good idea of what to do with you when you were first born," Burnet explained. "Of course, we knew that we loved you, and that we'd do anything for you. But it was scary at first, because we didn't have any experience with a baby!"

"Whoa," Lexi breathed.

"I think you two just blew her mind," Misty mused, smirking at Kukui and Burnet.

"Harder to do than you'd think!" Burnet sighed laughingly.

Smirking, Lexi looked back up at Ash and continued, "You know what you're doing! You just gotta be more confident!"

Chuckling, Ash patted the young girl's head and replied, "thanks, Lexi. I'll do my best!"

"You always do," Kukui hummed, a big grin on his face.

Ash looked up from Lexi and Michelle and towards the professor, a surprised expression on his face. When Kukui just nodded his head, however, Ash relaxed and smiled right back at him.

His second family. Right there with his own family. Everyone happy, smiling, laughing. The room was peaceful and full of love. It was nothing Ash could have ever imagined only six years prior, but it was all he could have ever dreamed of.

All of his dreams, the ones he'd chased and the ones he hadn't even realized he'd wanted, had really come true.

Thank you all for reading and, in turn, celebrating the culmination of this beautiful series with me. Here's to the future, and your dreams!