So I decided that perhaps this story needed one more chapter, an epilogue. Three drawings accompany this chapter, they are marked with asterisks and correspond with the following links (just remove the extra spaces in the addresses and "dot" with a period, or send me a message and I'll help you out):

* = theedeathmaster dot deviantart dot com/art/Ashley-and-Dahlia-374948621

** = theedeathmaster dot deviantart dot com/art/Overlooking-Cycling-Road-374949842

***= theedeathmaster dot deviantart dot com/art/Misty-374950289

-SSJ

It was the final round of the Champions league. A league established by none other than Ash Ketchum after he had won nearly every badge in existence at the time. To enter this competition, one must meet at least one of two qualifications. One must either have won one of the league championships or have collected over 60 reputable badges. The latter was an approved qualification because Ash had seen fit to approve those who had proven their skills, which were required to earn badges, but did not have the necessary luck to win a championship. This way the hard working trainers also had a shot. The final contestants this time were the current champion, the beautiful black haired Ashley Ketchum, and the challenger, none other than her orange haired, 9 month younger sister*.

"You ready Dall? You're about to see what it's like to fight the best of the best."

The orange haired 14 year old had worked hard to reach this place, and while her 15 year old sister was one of the youngest trainers to ever hold the title of 'Champion of Champions,' she hadn't been slouching in her own attempts to reach this plateau of competition either. She had won her first championship right after getting her 60th badge only a few months ago. In this competition however, every single battle including the qualification rounds were very intense battles, as is to be expected of at this level of competition. 'Dall' was ready, and a light shined through her earrings as she sent out her first Pokémon.

Ash and Misty sat in a room overlooking the battle area. Next to them was the interviewer, Ms. Cherry. The camera started rolling as soon as they were all set.

"Good evening folks, today I bring you an exclusive interview with none other than Master- I mean founder of the Champions League, Ash Ketchum, and his wife Misty, a former gym leader herself."

"Glad you caught yourself there, Cherry, I might've gone crazy otherwise, haha!" Ash joked.

"Now Mr. Ketchum, why do you dislike being called a Pokémon Master so much?"

"Please Cherry, just Ash is fine. I don't like being called a Master because of the old label that went with it when I was growing up; I accept that I am considered such now because the definition has changed but when I was a kid it meant being the one to "catch 'em all". That's just not how one proves oneself as a Master, it's impractical and improper."

"How so?"

"Some Pokémon are required to roam in the wild and not be under the exclusive partnership of one person. In fact the stability of our planet requires that for certain Pokémon. Some of them are known to us as 'Legendaries,' but some aren't even under that qualification."

"I see. I've also heard that you don't like being called Mr. Ketchum in your interviews or anywhere really. I thought I'd test it out but why is that?"

"Well when you have adventures as a kid and everyone calls your by your first name, you just feel weird if that changes. The only exception I take to that is to my kids who call me variations of dad, and my wife who calls me whatever she wants."

The interviewer chuckled to herself. "Well that's nice. Misty, you used to be the gym leader of Cerulean City didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. My sisters did so before me and after I started my family. But it's been handed down to their daughters now, and they run it very well."

"Speaking of daughters, your two eldest girls are just starting their match. And there's one very interesting thing I've noticed since they're on the same field right now."

Ash knew his daughters best, so it interested him to know what observation this interviewer could've made from just that.

"They have different colored hair! Ashley has long black hair and Delilah has wavier orange hair. How in the world is that possible?!"

Like a Professor, Ash explained it all. "Well you see, hair color is determined by two alleles, which are the genetic determinants. Misty brings a pair of orange alleles, while I have one orange and one black."

"But you only have black hair, Ash." Cherry was confused by the biology speak.

"My mother was the same way, she's a brunette but was a carrier for orange. So you can have a gene and not express it as is the same with me. My dad obviously passed along his black allele. The reason my hair's black is because black is dominant over orange, as is brown and most others. Ashley has black hair because she received the black allele from me and the orange allele from Misty. Dahlia received an orange from both of us."

"Dahlia?" Cherry was confused.

"Oh, Delilah is how we've been introducing her up until recently, it's actually a funny story I can tell you about later. But her legal name has always been Dahlia and it's fine to call her that now."

"I look forward to hearing that story. So it's a fifty-fifty with what your kids' hair color could be?"

"That's right. Now if you really want this to get complicated, I could talk about the much wilder variations concerning Pokémon codominance, incomplete dominance, phenotypes and…"

"No, we don't have quite that much time I'm afraid!" Cherry said trying to not let his super science overwhelm everyone without a doctorate. Ash had taken into research after his everyday wild adventures were over. He had decided that becoming a part time researcher was the best way to keep learning more about Pokémon while living at home with his family.

"While we're on the subject, what are the hair colors of your other kids?"

"Rebecca, our five year old, has black hair, Michael has orange, and Ashton is unique in that he chose-"

"OH my god speaking of kids, I can see that you're expecting, Misty. We know you have a large family but how many does this make now?"

"This will be our sixth child." Misty said.

"WOW!"

"Yeah, that's usually the reaction we get." Ash admitted.

"But why six?"

Misty recalled something Ash said years ago. "He said he'd remember six names at best."

"Hmm, this doesn't have anything to do with the fact that a trainer is only allowed to carry six Pokémon at a time does it?" Cherry jested along with Misty.

"Oh that's hardly fair, it's not like I forgot all their names once I got my seventh Pokémon and beyond."

"Of course not!" Cherry shared a laugh with Misty.

"Misty, it seems like we'll have to have many more kids to convince Ms. Cherry otherwise."

"How long have you two been together now?"

"Well I like to count it from the first day we met, so twenty three years." Ash replied.

"Why don't you tell me about your earlier days? I think everyone's heard the 'bike borrowing' story already."

Misty picked up from here. "There had been sexual tension for a while. We were teenagers before we knew it. The injury Ash got when he was eighteen was what finally brought us together."

"The Hyperbeam right? It's such a fascinating story. Two youngsters become accomplished trainers and eventually a couple while growing up together. It's very romantic. Any secrets you want to share?"

"Lots and lots of sex." Ash pointed out.

Ms. Cherry was a bit taken aback. "Wow, really?!"

Misty added "We couldn't have six kids otherwise."

"Only two of our kids were total surprises, Dahlia and Ashton. The others were expected by at least one of us" Ash added.

"At least?"

"Just remember you asked, Cherry." Ash seized the opportunity. "We always knew we'd end up with Ashley because we were going non-stop with our multi-daily activities. Dahlia was our first real surprise, because she was conceived immediately after Ashley was born, and it turns out that's the most fertile time for a woman." Ash continued to recount how Ashton was conceived on that one rainy night, Michael's more nature themed creation, and how Ash surprised Misty with Rebecca.

"And then there's the tale of Lilynette." Ash continued.

"I'll bet. My gosh, you've got such interesting sex lives. I'm practically jealous!"

"It's quite the life. There's all the sex of course, but being a parent is very fulfilling too." Misty chimed in. "The doctor who helped me diagnose my first pregnancy calls us 'biologically successful' for having so many."

"Well it sounds like it takes a lot of backbone to be married with children. And you guys do it in stride like a couple of naturals. Now you had one more tale to tell didn't you?"

"Yes, it was about six months ago…" Ash began.

It was the Indigo league championship and Ash and Misty had come to watch, along with Pikachu who had come for a visit. It was Ashton's first time here; it had been quite a journey here since the start of his adventure only a short while ago on his 10th birthday. He had learned a lot by watching his older sisters and listening to everything Pokémon, much like Ash had when he was a kid. He was facing a female opponent who had sent out a Gyarados; in response he sent out Chandelure.

"Ash, isn't Chandelure both Ghost and fire type? What's our son thinking?"

"Oh Misty, you just don't understand his strategy. Do you know how he made it to this competition so fast? He's a genius. From the start he's been training his Pokémon to toughen up their weaknesses. Remember the first Sandshrew trainer we came across? He had it swimming laps in a pool! Although not nearly as harsh, Ashton's been using similar methods, particularly in battle to get his Pokémon's defenses up." Ash explained.

"Oh, I see. And I'm sure his opponents are caught off guard a lot of the time."

"They never see it coming. Although once his reputation gets high enough, word will get around and they'll know what to expect. So I've told him to change it up a little and not be known for just one thing."

"You always seem to talk to him about these things in your video calls, while I'm the doting mother always worried about if he's eating right."

"Haha, reminds me of my mom always telling me to remember to change my underwear! But you learn pretty fast out there. If you're not eating right with all of that traveling, you don't travel very far day to day. It's a good thing we don't embellish too much funding into his account, otherwise none of our kids would have learned money management."

Misty recalled one particular incident. "I still remember Del calling us in middle of the night asking for lodging money. When your only choices are a snowy night in the woods or the only hotel in sight for miles in middle of the night, you learn quickly not to spend all of it on fancy Pokémon food."

Ashton's opponent tried to go for the obvious and the Gyarados unleashed a Hydro Pump attack.

"Well one thing I like is his new hair color, if only to make it easier to pick him out in a crowd." Ash said.

"Oh I bet you do, he wanted to dye half of his orange hair into black just to be a bit more like you. He looks up to you more than he lets you know." Misty replied. Ash smiled. Ashton looked quite like his father, only orange haired, now he had quite the vibrant look.

Ashton knew how to counter a fast water attack on instinct by now. "Ok Sandy, use Minimize and follow up with Confuse Ray!"

Sandy the Chandelure followed through and Gyarados was taken aback.

"Grr, Gyarados, stay focused and use Hyper Beam!" The opponent called out. The Gyarados charged up his beam but fired in the wrong direction. The beam was headed straight for Misty.

"Pikachu!" The old friend of Ash's leapt out in front and attempted to block the attack by surrounding himself with a high charge which acted as a defense mechanism. This deflected the beam but it didn't cancel out all of the force. Pikachu was shot back at high speed, directly into Ash who had also moved into the path of the attack to protect his wife. As the dust settled, they came to.

"Aw crap, are you okay Misty? Pikachu?"

Pikachu was dizzy but mostly unharmed; his special defense was high enough to absorb any impact to his body because of the charge. Ash had been hit in the lung by his airborne Pikachu, it had knocked the breath out of him and probably cracked a rib or two. Ash checked behind him to where Misty was.

"Misty. Misty! Are you alright?!"

"Ugh…yeah. What happened?"

"Looks like another runaway Hyper Beam, where are you hurt?"

"What do you mean another? Was there a first one? Who are you anyway?"

Ash didn't like the sound of that. "Oh no."

They went to the infirmary to get checked out. It was confirmed that Ash had a couple bruised ribs and Pikachu was mostly fine. But Misty was still being analyzed.

"C'mon doc, is it what I think it is?" Ash questioned the doctor.

"I'm afraid so, it's a case of retrograde amnesia. The extent of which seems to be extensive in terms of how much she remembers, but how severe it actually is only time will tell. She should remember the basics within hours or days, but people, events and such are more of a mystery."

"Ash, why are you so old?" Misty asked.

"Old? I'm only 32, Mermaid."

"WHAT?!" Misty then passed out.

"Oh no! Doc what's wrong?!"

"My, it seems she doesn't know what the date is, it is possible that she has a state of mind from her past. I'm going to recommend you to a specialist I know who's more familiar with amnesia recovery. She'll be able to treat Misty with more personalized care. Her name's Dr. Catherine."

"Ok, thanks doc."

After Misty woke up only a couple minutes later, they left. Misty was quiet on the way back home. They lived at Ash's mom's house now. Ashton was still at the tournament, oblivious to who had been in the way of that attack, probably preparing for his next battle, otherwise he would have called. Ash let her eat dinner and asked if she had any questions, she decided to just sleep for now and not think. Ash understood that she must be confused, and it was probably best for her to rest right now anyways. The next day, Ash took Misty to the specialist that had been recommended. After a few minutes alone with her, the doctor invited him into the room.

"So what's going on doctor, can you help her?"

"Yes, I believe I can. Though this healing will be completely up to you and Misty, we don't have any drugs that can cure amnesia unfortunately."

"Does…does Misty know what date it is?" He asked under his breath.

"Yes, I have told her. Her mind is however remembering people and events as if she were ten years old."

"Oh man, how should we proceed?" Ash inquired with complete seriousness.

"She knows who you are but I don't believe she knows of your current relationship status. She thinks that you're still traveling together on your Pokémon journey."

The doctor continued to explain techniques on how to help restore her memory. It was best to take it easy at first. Ash recalled how she was at that age, particularly with him. It might be a little tough explaining that they were married now. He thought it over on their way back home.

"Ash, are we…married?" She asked.

"Huh?! What makes you say that?" He hadn't expected her to bring it up.

"Well there's this ring on my finger, and the fact that we're adults and living together."

"Oh, yeah I suppose that's a huge giveaway. Why don't we discuss this once we get home?"

Misty had a lot to think about just then. She was married. Just the other day she recalled having been on their journey together. The more she thought about it, the more distant those memories seemed. She could now recall faces she didn't recognize but it was all too unclear. When they finally got home, Ash poured her some water and they sat down by the dining room table.

"We're married, Misty. We have been for fifteen years now."

"Wow."

For the next few minutes they sat in silence while she mulled this over. The front door opened just then.

It was Ashley. "Hey, what are you guys doing here? Isn't Ashton's next match in a couple hours? You guys are usually the first ones there. I was on my way over there too but thought I'd stop by to pick up my old hat."

"Ash…who's that? And who's Ashton?" Misty whispered to him.

Ash responded to Ashley's question first. "Yeah honey, we'll be heading out soon."

Misty's eyes lit up. This was their daughter. Misty got up and walked over to her.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"You're…my daughter?" She asked, eyes watering up.

"…Yes? Mom, did you lose your…" Ashley chose not to say the rest, it had suddenly dawned on her that it was her mother who had probably been on the receiving end of yesterday's incident.

Misty hugged her daughter and Ashley hugged her back, with tears of her own.

"Mom, I hope you're alright." She whispered.

"I will be, now go on, I've got to talk with…your father." She wasn't quite comfortable saying a sentence like that so easily. Ashley left with one last look behind her; it would be a long walk to the stadium. Misty then immediately got back to questioning Ash with renewed interest.

"So Ashton, he's our son?"

"Yes."

Misty then thought to herself 'Wait, if we've got kids then…'

"So we've um…you know…kissed and stuff?" She asked, her eyes flickering to Ash and back to her hands.

"Um, yes?" Ash answered, not sure exactly what she was asking.

"You know what I mean, we…slept…that is we've you know, done stuff together…"

"Oh, yes we do that."

"How can you say that so easily?!"

"Misty, we've been married for fifteen years and we haven't missed a day. Heck we've hardly missed a mealtime."

Misty's face got extremely red at that comment. They weren't just married and had kids, they were very busy parents. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. Ash looked on and tried to imagine what she must have been thinking. It couldn't have been that much more different than what he would have thought at that age in this situation, but it was an impossible situation for a ten year old.

In the bathroom, Misty got a good look at herself in the mirror. She really was older.

"Well, at least I've still got a ten out of ten body. With two kids too, that must have been…" She stopped herself there. It was only two kids right? She left abruptly, determined to learn more. It was hard taking it all in but she was still as curious as if someone was telling her a fortune that would undoubtedly come true. No, she was already in this life, this was her life. She had to remember.

"Ash, how many kids do we have?"

"Five."

Misty sat down. She looked at her hand and tried to conceive it in her mind. She had as many kids as she had digits on that hand. She showed her hand to Ash.

"We have this many kids?!"

"Yes, want to see a picture?" He stood up and walked into the living room. He picked up a frame with a fairly recent family portrait inside.

"You already met Ashley, she's 15 now. Dahlia or Delilah is our second daughter, she's 14. Ashton is 10, Michael is 8, and Rebecca, who we call Cookie, is 5."

"I can't believe it, I have five kids with Ash…wait Cookie? How's that a nickname for Rebecca?" Misty tried to wrap her head around it all but was hung up on this detail.

"Actually you came up with it. Cookies are her favorite food, so you started calling her that. She took an instant liking to it."

"She…sounds so…ADORABLE! Oh my god my daughter is that cute? Cuter than Ashley? No, I can't compare my own kids! What in the world am I even supposed to say to them? I'm 10 years old, even if I'm really 32! Wait Dahlia has two names too?"

"It's alright Mermaid, we'll figure everything out. We should concentrate on the best ways to get your memory back until then."

"Oh, you called me that again." She turned a bit red. "Do you always call me that?"

"Often enough, think you like it?"

"It's so…embarrassing. I don't mean I don't like it. It's just that I'm not used to all this. I don't even know what I like anymore…I mean I guess I don't…not like it."

"I figured as much." Ash said with a humble smile.

Misty got up and put her emptied glass away. "I'm so confused. What am I supposed to think?"

"It's alright Misty, you don't have to strain yourself. Jut let it come back naturally." Ash walked over to her and held her shoulders. Misty turned around and hugged him.

"Misty?"

"Well I should at least be able to manage this much. Just don't act all embarrassed, you're supposed to be used to this, right?"

"Yeah." Ash hugged her back. Just then, her right leg shifted a bit behind his.

"Oh, what am I doing?!" She hadn't realized it immediately, but she was in a rather suggestive position with him now.

"Oh, the doctor spoke of this. It's muscle memory." Ash said.

"You mean I'm doing this automatically?"

"Yeah, even if you don't remember everything, you've done certain things so often that some part of your brain still retains the reflexes and reactions to doing them instantly without thought."

"Oh…" She only felt a little embarrassed compared to what she thought she should have. This felt somehow comfortable, his body against hers. Although physical contact with Ash was still too much for her to think about.

Ash then kissed her on the forehead. "I usually kiss you in some suggestive ways, but I'll settle for this." And as he did so, a flood of emotions and other thoughts opened up in her mind.

"Misty? You ok?"

"Yeah, I just felt so lucid there, I think I remember some stuff. I'm not sure what though."

"Well that's good! Hey we should head out now if we're going to catch Ashton's match."

They headed into the car and set off.

"Ash that felt…really nice. I think I might be getting used to this. I don't exactly remember everything but it's beginning to feel right."

"Maybe spending some time with the kids will help too."

"Where are the rest anyways?"

"Ashley and Del will meet us at the stadium. Rebecca and Michael are at my parents' new place."

"So we live at your old house now?"

"Mostly, we used to live at your house, if you remember it…but we moved here once I bought my parents a new place. Oh and my dad retired, which is why he's there all the time now."

"What's that about my old house?"

"Yeah it's not too far away, but we only go there once in a while, just us two. It's where we first made love so I guess we couldn't just get rid of it. Our traveling kids crash there too if they feel like taking a break. But if they're spending more than a couple days then they just come to us."

Ashton's match was interesting but rather quick, he advanced to the semi-finals.

"Wow, he reminds me of you when you battle." Misty commented.

"Yeah, you've told me that before. Though he's got a real winning streak going."

"Do you think the doctor is going to give us any more news tomorrow?"

"It depends I suppose. You said you felt more comfortable when we were touching earlier, so that must be a good thing."

"I hope so." Misty could tell that this older Ash was more mature and collected; it made her feel more comfortable in atmosphere alone. Now it didn't seem that surprising that she married him after all.

After dinner, Ash came up with her to their room.

"Um, Ash?"

"Oh don't worry, I'd just like to sleep next to you, if you think you'll be ok with that."

"I…guess we can try that…" Misty wasn't too sure but she thought she'd give it a shot anyways. They had slept in close enough proximity on their travels together, but not in the same bed usually.

"You seem a bit tense compared to earlier." Misty noticed.

"Don't worry about it. I just want you to get better is all."

"Oh c'mon, you can't say that and just not tell me!"

"Well if you insist, I'm a bit…pent up."

"Oh!...Well I can kiss you goodnight if you want." She realized that it must have been stressful concerning himself with her wellbeing along with five kids. She kissed his cheek and then laid herself on the bed, oblivious to what he really meant. He too settled in.

"Goodnight." She said and after a pause, he replied in kind. It was weird to him that their habit had changed all of a sudden, usually they only sometimes said that if they remembered to. A night of activity usually half results in their mutually timed resolution, so there wasn't always a need for words. Ash figured she was probably asleep after a while, but he was still feeling restless. It was the second night he would be sleeping without sex.

But the fact was Misty wasn't asleep. It felt too strange to have him next to her. It wasn't that he was there, but it felt like something was out of place. She remembered he had told her how often they had intercourse, and obviously this was one of the places they did it. Her muscle memory earlier had resulted in her embracing him in a suggestive fashion, could this be another time that she was simply not doing what she was used doing for so long? She could tell that he wasn't sleeping yet either. She turned around and let her hand slowly reach over to his chest.

"Misty?"

"It feels like something's missing. I think this is it."

Ash placed his hand on top of hers. "Misty, we can't do that. It doesn't matter if I go a few days or weeks or however long it takes until you're completely recovered."

"Ok Ash, maybe you're able to do that. But I'm not sure I can. We're both used to our lives as they have been, and I can feel that. I don't think I can just sleep like this."

She motioned herself over to his side and placed her right leg over him so that she was on top. "This is embarrassing but it feels like a familiar position." She put her head against his chest.

"Misty…I know this is a familiar position and that you're usually really comfortable with it, but at this point in time, it's just really not a good idea."

She could tell what he meant, his lower region was warmer and beginning to outline against her.

"Oh I'm sorry! I did that without really thinking. I'm…" Ash didn't let her finish the rest of that, he sat up a bit and kissed her forehead once more. To him, it felt like he hadn't done so in a few years. After Misty's head was done spinning, she found that she was under him now.

"Sorry." Was all he said and left the room. He couldn't do anything other than that without feeling guilty, so he had to. She couldn't remember what it was like to do it with him, but she was in his warmed up spot of the bed now and her head was only just now able to recompose itself. Soon after, she fell asleep feeling just comfortable enough.

In the morning, she found that he had come back and was asleep in her spot. She got up and prepared for the day. At breakfast, she had to ask what had happened last night. "What did you do last night?"

"Oh sorry, I kind of lost my head and did that to you-"

"No, after you left."

"Oh. Well I figured it was best if I expended some energy. So I did a bunch of push ups and went to run a few miles."

"I guess that would tire you out, especially in middle of the night."

There had been something else bugging Misty about last night.

"Ash, what's with the bed?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know. But do I usually sleep on the right side near the clock?"

"…No?"

"You sound uncertain."

"Well…technically it is 'your' side of the bed, but that's just not how it plays out in reality."

"It sounds like simple logic…but there's another sexual aspect to this isn't there?"

"You're catching on quick. Yea, we usually end up on my side by the wall. So the impressions on the bed are bigger on my side since we're both usually there."

"I think our lives are way more physical than I'm capable of imagining. And I don't know anything about being a mother." She thought about what could help. Something with the family would at least let her see what her role as a mother and wife were supposed to be like. "I don't suppose there's some film of the family all together is there? Maybe it would help to see how I usually am."

"Sure, we've taken our fair share of videos. Let's go watch some." They went to the living room and Ash sifted through the cabinet under the TV. He went through a number of discs before picking one out.

"Most of the earlier ones were shot by me. It was only later that we could get Ashley or Dahlia to use the camera properly."

After watching the video, Ash seemed to recall the event like it was just yesterday. Misty was thinking about what she said in the video and seemed to be pondering something.

"Well, any of that help you out?" Ash asked, hopeful.

"I'm afraid not much. It's like watching a video of a perfect family day. It's hard to see myself as such a mature wife and mother. I also can't believe how affectionate we are. Ashley was filming that right? She's obviously aware."

"Oh yeah, well they all are. We save the more suggestive touching for when we're not right in front of them. But kissing and waist holding aren't things we hold back on anywhere."

"Well I suppose that makes sense. I just hope we've raised them well enough not be promiscuous themselves."

"Absolutely. We've taught them that we only do this because we're married. Well technically we started before we got married but our relationship was much more obvious in that we would. Don't worry about that too much, we're raising our sons and daughters right. Kids hide things but believe me we'll know when any of them has a girl or guy friend they care about."

"Hmm, it sounds like you really know your parenting. When are we going to meet them all anyways?"

"Actually, after today's doctor's appointment, we're all going out to support Ashton's first league competition. He's gone really far in his first one already. And you know how the stress can pile on in those things so this is a sort of breather for him before the finals."

They met with the doctor together this time, and she had some good news.

"Well it sounds like things are progressing quite well. Your prognosis is good."

"Is there anything we should emphasize in particular?" Ash wondered.

"It would be best to do something that would be meaningful to you both or associated with powerful memories or emotions. An activity you do often for instance."

"…" Ash didn't know how to respond.

"What?" Misty didn't think it would be a hard thing to pursue. Ash decided to clarify. "Something meaningful with emotions that we do often…that would be sex."

"Oh…OH!" Misty realized the obvious truth. Dr. Catherine felt she had to interject with her professional opinion. "That could work, considering how many kids you have you must be a busy couple. But there's no established precedence for this type of situation."

"What do you mean, doc?" Ash questioned.

"I mean statutory laws come to mind but technically she could be either or. She's mentally somewhere between the age of 10 and her actual age. At the very least, allow me to only suggest it as a last resort. The reason I wouldn't eliminate it is because after a prolonged amnesiac state her mental blocks could become harder to overcome as she becomes accustomed to this as her lifestyle. Give it a week before you try it."

After getting back home, Misty got to thinking whether she could have her memory back within a week, or if either she or Ash could last that long apart in the first place.

"Ash, I don't think I can meet all the kids at once today. I could only barely handle Ashley."

"Misty, you did fine, besides I think if we bring Ashley and Del up to speed, they can help manage the others."

"Maybe..."

"What, you don't think they can handle it? Believe me Mermaid, they were older at the age of six than we were at the age of ten. They're smart girls."

"It's not…well I suppose I should have some faith, you know them better than I do."

"Oh you know them too, we just have to help you remember!"

Ashley was the first to arrive home, as was usually the case. Dahlia came soon after. After Ash explained to his daughters what the situation was, it was Misty's turn to be surprised.

"I figured as much, we'll have to be a bit strategic about this, Dall." Ashley responded first.

"I can keep Cookie and Mike distracted if need be, I'm not too sure about Ashton though. He'd probably catch on." Dahlia replied.

"Wow…our daughters are pretty smart, and quick on the uptake." Misty said.

"I told you so." Ash replied confidently. Ashley and Dahlia giggled.

"We should go pick up Cookie and Michael, Ashton will meet us there." Dahlia commented as she and Ashley left first. Ash and Misty left not too soon after and walked to the picnic grounds in Pallet town. The area on top of a hill with plenty of space, there were trees here and there for shade on the hotter days. A couple of old wooden tables also sat there, but most people preferred to use a large cloth and sit on the ground.

"Sorry, I probably should've been the one to make the food." Misty said as they arrived.

"Haha, what are you talking about, I didn't even tell you about this until today. Well you knew about it for a while but not since your amnesia. It's nothing to worry about anyways, it's not the first time I've prepared food."

"That's probably true."

"You're usually doing it something like 90% of the time. I usually pitch in if you've gotten sick or there's some occasion. Of course if we go to Brock and Suzy's, it's him doing the cooking."

"Brock married Suzy? I think I remember her."

"Yeah, they've got a couple kids of their own now. Speaking of kids, here are ours now."

All five of them arrived together, Ash figured that Ashton must have caught up to the other four on the way over. It was an enjoyable picnic for the most part. Ashton did seem to notice that his mother wasn't exactly who he was used to but kept quiet. Either Ashley and Dahlia had let him in on the details, or he decided to save the questioning for later. After everyone was full and the day started winding down, they packed everything up.

"C'mon Dall, we're going." Ashley called out to her sister. Dahlia was at one of the tables checking her Pokégear. These days they really did do everything from keeping sync with the Universal 'Dex database to being a vid-phone and more. She was looking up more information on amnesia, apparently her mother was coping fairly well according to the research she could find.

Dahlia finally caught up to Ashley who lagged a bit behind waiting for her. "Hey, sorry I was just looking up some things in case Ashton had more questions."

"Yeah, he's taking this seriously. I hope he knows it was an accident and not his fault or anything." Ashley replied. The sisters had indeed told him about their mother's condition.

Rebecca had heard what was said, but focused on one thing in particular. "Ashley! You called your sister Dall, her name is Del or Delilah! You can't forget your sister's name like that!" She was clearly upset by this. Dahlia decided to explain this herself.

"No Cookie, see my real legal name is Dahlia. But when I was younger than you even, Ashley teased me so I demanded everyone call me Delilah from then on. But she still called me Dall so…it looks like I got used to both." She shrugged.

"Oh...can I call you Dahlia now too?" She asked with sparkling eyes. Her older sister had a new sounding name, and it was pretty cool.

"Of course, Del, Dahlia, or Dall, it's all good with me."

"Yay! Dahlia, Dahlia, I like Dahlia!"

"So, our Dahlia is back. That's great news!" Ash said.

They all arrived home and took a breather. Ash asked the youngest two if they wanted to spend another night at their grandparents'.

"No! I want to stay with mama!" Rebecca responded sternly.

"I think I want to sleep in my bed tonight." Michael said in agreement. Ash didn't want the two to catch on if possible; he simply didn't want to worry them.

"Hey guys, me, Dall, and Ashton are going to stay at the other house. Don't you want to join us?" Ashley suggested.

"Hmmmmm, is it because of the kissy faces?" Rebecca asked back.

"…the what now?" Ashley was confused.

"Mama and papa like to make kissy faces a lot I know that but I asked Mikey why they do that when they're supposed to be sleeping at night too. Mikey said they do more than kissy stuff but he wouldn't tell me what!"

"Well Misty, it looks like our Cookie's gotten to questioning our nighttime activities." Ash said. He knew that their daytime debauchery was discreet at the best of times; although there were instances in which the kids had caught them in the act if they went to far out in the open or if their bedroom noises had gotten loud enough. That usually ended in giving them the talk and it just happened to be around the age of six so far. After which, if the kids had seen them around the house or heard them in middle of the night, they either kept quiet, laughed, or slowly backed out of the premises. At least in this case Michael had left it at 'kissy faces' instead of trying to explain it himself.

"Mommy and me promise to tell you a little later ok? Right now it's close to your bedtime so why don't you go with your big sis and everyone for a sleepover?"

"A sleepover? Ok!" And just like that, she took off with Ashley and Dahlia with Michael not too far behind. One sibling remained however.

"Is something the matter, Ashton?" Misty asked.

"Mom…I know it was you that got hit by that attack during my match. Ashley and Del thought I should know."

Ash could tell from the tone in his voice, Ashton was blaming himself.

"It's my fault. It's my fault that you got hurt." He said in a low voice.

"Ashton, you couldn't control what the other trainer or Pokémon said or did. It's not your fault." Ash explained.

"No, I knew the Hyper Beam was forbidden in open seated stadiums, I should have told Sandy to intercept the attack while it was charging up so no one could be hurt."

"Son, you can't think like that, things happen in the heat of battle very fast."

"Even if I didn't order the attack, I feel guilty. I was there and in a position to stop it somehow…I promise I'll make it up to you somehow, mom."

"Ashton you don't…" Misty started.

"I know you've been visiting a doctor and I know dad will help you through this. But I'm going to win this tournament for you!" Ashton declared and left the house rather quickly.

"Ashton!" Misty called after him, but to no avail. Ash understood what it meant to be fighting for someone else, and Ashton now did as well.

"Ash, do something, he can't just battle his feelings away!" Misty told him.

"No, he can't. Not if you don't get better." Ash was still looking at the door but now turned to her. "And you heard him, I have a very clear job to do, and that's to help you the best I can." He walked over to her and pulled her closer to him by the waist.

"Ash…"

"You showed the concern of a mother. You're not a child nor do you have the mentality of one. You just don't have all of your memory."

Misty looked him deep in the eyes, she definitely didn't feel quite like this before. This felt truly familiar but the magic ingredient was missing. She then kissed him. It was akin to their very first kiss to start, it followed a similar pattern too. But the kiss changed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and it all felt like something she did a week ago. Misty then stopped the kiss and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"So that's what it took…" She spoke.

"Misty?"

"I remember, I remember everything."

"You…you have your memory…?" Misty now looked him in the eyes with a much more familiar look. There weren't questions in her eyes anymore, not even one. Ash lifted her off the ground a little as he brought her up for a hug, his chin resting over her shoulder this time. "I'm so glad. I'm so glad, Misty." He said. A very, very great weight felt like it had just been lifted off his back. A couple tears ran down his face. Misty ran her fingers through his hair in a comforting manner. "There's nothing to worry about, I'm here, Ash."

After he let her down, she wiped his cheeks with both of her thumbs. "I'm sorry, I know it was hard for you. I remember everything that happened up to now too, everything you did." Ash had shown remarkable self control. He was willing to torture himself to keep from affecting her in some way he couldn't foresee. However, Ashton's words had rung out to him, he couldn't hold back for being too afraid. He had to do what he could to get her back. And she was back now, her own volition had responded to his determination.

"Hey, why don't we go for a walk? It feels like I haven't been out in a while if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Ash said. They went outside and walked around. Over the years there had been some changes to the town, mostly a few more neighborhoods and some asphalt to replace some of the dirt road. They walked on the sidewalk and headed toward one of the few dirt roads heading up into the steep hills. The sun would be setting soon.

"You know, I've only been to this particular hill once. I usually never went this far out as a kid." Ash said.

"Oh, then this should be an interesting walk." Misty replied. It wasn't long before they reached what Misty was hoping for, a scenic view of Pallet town. As an added bonus, on the other side they could make out what seemed to be a very long bridge.

"Hey, isn't that Cycling Road?" Misty spoke.

"Yeah, and all those lights ending there must be Fuchsia city." Ash replied. "Though they turned Cycling Road into a larger bridge quite a while back. I suppose the Skyarrow in Unova was inspiration. Of course Cycling Road is much longer so they need more suspensions. They even kept the name 'Road.' There are a number of refreshments along the way and especially at each end. It's certainly gotten popular."

"Well you certainly know a lot about it."

"I heard Dahlia telling Ashton about it a while ago, before he crossed it. You know how trainers love battling there."

Ash sat down behind her and placed his hands on her lap. A nice breeze passed through, now it felt like Misty hadn't really gone anywhere at all; the walk must've been what both of them needed. Ash got up and tried to make out how far he could see, it was a nice view from here and within good walking distance. Since Michael was into scenery and space, they could come with a telescope sometime. Misty looked on at Cycling Road, they had only been there a couple times since getting married, it would be nice to go back with the kids next time.

"Hey I've got an idea, why don't I take a picture of this spot, it's our first trip up here after all." They got up and he stepped back a few paces to get a good view. He manipulated his fingers like a director and a holographic interface outlined what his picture would come out like.

"Wow, I haven't seen that in a Pokégear before." Misty said looking over his shoulder.

"It's the same holographic tech they have in stores these days, but this is a prototype for the 'gears. A perk of being on the research side of things is occasional field testing."

"Well promise you'll get me one."

"Will do."

Ash took the picture. "We should show this to the kids later."

Misty liked the picture, Ash had managed to get it just as the sun lived up to the distant city's name and a brilliance of fuchsia colored around it.**

They got back to their spot and not long after, the sun disappeared completely. They sat there for a while, just making out far away cities from their distant glow. They also looked up at the clear night sky and at the stars. Often, when they found time to themselves, the couple liked to talk about many things; varying from how best to approach a topic with the kids or reminiscing about the old journeys they had or whatever new had happened that day. But times like these were particularly precious as well. Just being next to each other, enjoying life, didn't require words. Just the feeling of her hand, her body, just listening to her breathing was so important to him somehow. To care so much about this, it was a very deep love he had for her and her for him. After some time like this, he began to nuzzle her neck and moved his hands up her waist slowly.

"A-Ash…we should continue…back at the house."

"Don't wanna." Ash kept on going.

"It's just…going to be kind of weird walking back."

"How so?"

"We'll be tired, and I'll be a bit…messy."

"And today's also your…" Ash, like a good husband, was well aware of her cycles.

"Are you ready for another little face around the house?" She asked happily, she definitely was ready in more ways than one.

"I'd be overjoyed, Misty." He said. He loved all of their kids, and he had plenty more love to give.

"Well, for once Ash, we're both planning a baby ahead of time." Misty stated. Ash moved his hands up her hips and using the curve of her body, lifted her shirt off and tossed it to the side.

"We're really going to do it here? I mean we didn't even bring a blanket…" Misty said, looking around. The grass was about three inches tall here.

"Well it's a bit different from Viridian Park and the outskirts of Stone town, but we'll be fine. We're at one with nature." Ash replied, though they hardly remembered their crazy outing by Stone town, save for the aftermath. Misty indulged him and took off the rest of her clothes and placed it all in a bundled pile. Ash tossed his clothes next to hers.

Ash embraced and kissed her, immediately going for her tongue. Their bodily warmth did much in the now lowering temperature. It was a good thing they were extra aroused from the abstaining, the faster they got moving the more they would heat up. Misty was definitely feeling the heat from her nether regions. Because it was her time of the month, it was more comfortable doing it outside even in cool weather. Misty got down on all fours, despite her hesitation to get on the ticklish grass.

"We don't really ever do it in this position, how about it?" Misty beckoned. Ash complied happily and positioned himself behind her. He also noticed the grass tickling his legs, but soon it wouldn't be noticeable. He rubbed himself up and down against her labia. She was plenty wet as expected and so he entered. He could now feel her great inner warmth as he moved deep inside and his frontal body met with her backside. Misty melted with his warmth in return, to her, he felt like the source of her heat now.

Ash started a pace which she matched, it was a somewhat different feeling since they had barely done it this way. He was already close since he had been saving up so much. Misty nearly forgot where she was but there was a small squeak in front of her that caught her attention for a split second. She looked forward to see a Spinarak, it had wandered over probably to investigate the noise. While she had gotten used to bug Pokémon slowly since Caterpie, it was still her initial reaction to panic. Ash noticed this as her clamping of him now was rather panicked. The Spinarak ran away once the mesmerizing rhythm ceased.

"Haha, I guess that little guy was what caused you to quiver like that."

"Oh, it ran away though…" Misty replied, now with a little more composure.

"Well I'm pretty close but…I'd rather look into your eyes so how about we finish up at home?"

"I'd like that." She replied.

"Well, it's a good thing I did all that extra training in the meantime then, this is a piece of cake." Ash said as he carried her down the path in a jog. Despite the journey itself not being too long, they had spent a good deal of time at the hill. It was probably into the early hours of the morning. "Ash, you don't have to carry me you know…"

"I know, but until you go jogging with me, you won't be able to keep this pace up. And I'm in a hurry to get you home."

She realized he was probably right, biking worked a bit differently than running. She'd have to impress him by getting even better at running one of these days, but regardless, it was nice to enjoy the ride in his arms anytime.

Ash took them both upstairs and laid her on the bed.

"Hmm, I think I'll take a shower, don't want to get the bed grassy." Ash said stepping into their bathroom. As he started the shower, she followed him in.

"I got even grassier since I was mostly on the ground, besides I can't let you be the only one to grab a relaxing hot shower." She took off her clothes and stepped in. Ash took care of his front while she helped out with his back, she then worked on her front. Ash stepped up from behind and took hold of the round body sponge from her. He took over, running it over her chest and let the water pass over the both of them. Misty closed her eyes and let him do the rest; it was nice to let him do these things once in a while. He didn't mind at all, in fact he relished it, he'd do anything for her. He washed her all over and after they were both clean, it was time for round two.

He hung up the sponge, and she anticipated his next move in excitement. He took her by the waist and pressed their bodies together. He then slowly motioned both of them to the side wall. Now he could get a real good look at her face closely. The look on her face was of knowing sublimity; she was genuinely content and happy, to be here right now, with him***. It was one of those moments he wished could last forever, because it was that look on her face, that small smile straight from her heart that meant so much to him. She knew what made him happiest too, and she could always tell because of how easily he gave it away. When she was this happy, the look on his face was of breathtaking surprise followed by his own wondrous smile from the heart. What made him so happy was her happiness. It was a loop they couldn't nor wanted out of. It was why they made love so often; because so much attention to each others smiles made them long to touch each others lips, and it always proceeded from there.

He lifted her up using his hands to support her bottom. He knew she was ready from the way she moved her body, even her smallest gestures were ingrained into his mind. He still looked into her azure eyes to make sure she was ready, getting lost in them and her in return. A small but sharp anticipatory gasp let him know she wanted him that instant. He obliged and entered her in the same second. He definitely knew how to time that as well, she came instantly.

A few seconds later, she was able to speak again. "You always know how to do that." She said, smiling. She kissed his cheek and he started a medium pace right away.

It was interesting to be in this position for her, he did virtually all of the work while she used his shoulders and back to hold on. It was like being taken for the sexiest kind of ride. Considering how long it had been since he came last, he wasn't going to last long. She seemed to sense this, as he was grunting more and more frequently. Fortunately, his juice was a catalyst for her pleasure as well.

"Misty!"

"A-Ash!"

He released the largest load he had in a while, all that waiting had paid off, not that it had ever been difficult to get her pregnant. She came for the second time. A few seconds later, Misty felt a familiar feeling.

"That did it, you're real good at that you know. But it's never been a reason to stop." She said.

"Hmm, I'm thinking of making you wetter." Ash said after catching his breath.

"I somehow doubt that's possible." She said, she was already drenched down there, even more so since their climax.

"Heh, that's not what I mean." He said. He bent his knees and brought himself down to the tub floor slowly with her perfectly balanced on top. He was flat on his back and they were both once again rained on by the shower. He reached back with one arm and switched the downpour to sprinkle.

"You're so fit. I love it." She said, unthinkingly giving his member a squeeze.

"Come jogging with me next time."

"I'll cum with you right now." She replied and placed her hands on his chest and started moving.

'Interesting position.' Ash thought, this way their faces were closer as she moved her hips in an elliptical manner. Each time she pushed down, her hands pushed against his chest, none of the energy she hit him with was lost. Had he not a chest of muscle, it would have knocked the breath out of him. She sped up slowly and her face changed more and more dramatically. He could tell she was close to climax.

"Ah, Misty!" He gasped and came before her. She relished in it for a second and as he pushed into her, she also came.

"Aaash!" She cried out with her back arched. She shook on top of him and her walls contracted in rhythm, pulling more of him in to absorb in her deepest parts. After a few seconds she collapsed on top of him. They rested a few seconds longer before Ash secured her hips and stood them both up.

"Hey, lets go to bed." He said. They dried off and did just that, it had been a long day.

Misty turned on her side to face her husband. "Ash, what do you think we should name him or her?"

"I have a feeling we've got another daughter. Lilynette seems nice, spelled with a 'y' like Lily."

"That's a great name."

"Yeah…" Ash put his hand on the curve of her side and traced it down to her hip.

"Now three times couldn't have been enough."

Misty smirked, they would be lucky to wake up by noon.

Fortunately the finals were in the evening, so they weren't going to miss that by sleeping in this one time. Unfortunately, the kids weren't going to let them have it that easy. The doorbell rang at a not too early 11 am. Misty put on her silk robe and went to answer. It was Dahlia who greeted her.

"Dahlia? Did you forget your key?" Misty asked, a bit groggy.

"No mom, I just know better than to barge in when no kids are at home. We all know what happens when the kids are out. But…" Dahlia considered the scene. It was 11 am, her mother was groggy and in her pink silk , there was only one possibility.

"You got your memory back!" She exclaimed. "Everyone will be over in about 30 minutes, I left early to warn you guys just in case."

"Good to know you're thinking about your parents." Misty said, a bit abashed. Dahlia got settled in the kitchen with some food while Misty and Ash got ready. Misty came down with a small box.

"Hey mom, what do you have there?"

"Actually, it's for you. I know you'll be in the Hoenn Conference next month and thought it would bring you good luck."

Dahlia opened the box. "Wait mom, these are yours." It was the family's diamond earrings Misty's sisters had given to her during her wedding.

"Your father said he thought they went well with orange hair, and I think so too. Do your best and you'll see your sister at the Champions League next year too!"

"This means so much mom, I'll save them for those special occasions." Just then the doorbell rang once more. The rest of the kids minus one made themselves at home. Rebecca went for the cookies while Michael tried to persuade her of better brunch alternatives, to no avail of course.

"Where's Ashton?" Misty asked.

"He went off somewhere, said he had some planning to do before the finals." Ashley said. "Nice to see you're all better, mom."

"Now how did-" Misty started.

"It's all in your demeanor." Ashley stated matter of factly.

"You girls should be detectives." Misty replied, Dahlia and Ashley shared a laugh with their mother. A few hours later, they all headed out for the stadium.

The finals were fierce but they eventually came down to Ashton versus a trainer specializing in dragon types. Ashton's first choice was Golduck while the opponent sent our Dragonair. Golduck used Dig and went underground straight away but unfortunately, the enemy Dragonair used Earthquake to cause massive damage, and subsequently Golduck was an easy target after it managed to barely get back above ground. Ashton recalled Golduck.

"Ugh, I didn't know Dragonair could use that move!" Ashton grimaced.

"Most can't, but Dragonair can learn slam, and it just took some extra training to turn that into Earthquake. Don't underestimate Dragon types!" The female opponent responded.

"She's confident, that's good." Ashton said under his breath and sent out Electabuzz.

"I guess you didn't hear what I said, but that's fine with me if you want to learn the hard way! Dragonair, use Dragon Rush!" The Dragonair sprung straight at Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, step forward and use ThunderPunch!" Ashton commanded. Electabuzz did just that and hit Dragonair square in the face.

"Oh no, Dragonair! Quickly, use Wrap!" The Dragonair didn't respond however, apparently having been paralyzed from the impact and shock of the punch. Even with the shed skin ability, it would be a few seconds before this Dragonair regained her composure.

"Electabuzz, use Strength!" Electabuzz pumped up its muscles and knocked Dragonair out. Ashton's family watched the match from the audience.

"Wow, that's some technique, I can't tell if he just adapted to the situation or got lucky." Dahlia said.

"He can't control what the opponent will do next, but he definitely knew how to react there." Ashley commented. The rest of the match was fairly even, but in the end, Ashton prevailed with Sandy being the last Pokémon standing.

"So Sandy pulled through in the end. I can't believe he started out with a Litwick." Michael said, usually the quiet one.

"Yeah, Litwicks aren't common at all around here, most are found in Unova but he just happened to find one wandering about in the woods. He said they became friends when he offered to help the little guy find his way out of the woods, but they started their journey together instead of parting ways. I guess Sandy took a liking to him for being so nice." Ashley explained.

"I hope I start out with a unique Pokémon like that!" Michael said.

"Me too!" Rebecca joined in.

"You've still got a few years to go, Cookie." Dahlia said, patting her head.

"Yeah, but I know which Pokémon I want to start with already!" She replied. "A Charmander!"

"But that's…" Michael was about to explain the error in her logic but decided not to. "Charmanders are pretty cool." He said instead.

"I know, they're cute too, that's why I want one." Rebecca finished the conversation. The prizes were being awarded to the competitors now; the league badge was issued to the top competitors with Ashton's being golden. As he was awarded the badge, he asked for the mic.

"I just wanted to dedicate this win to the most beautiful person in the world, my mom!" The audience cheered and whistled. Everyone around her at least seemed to know who she was, causing her to blush.

"Hahaha! He's not going to have any problems getting ladies, I can say that for sure." Ash laughed.

"Wow, now that's a tale of family management, Pokémon competitions, and conception!" Cherry said, having listened to the whole tale contently.

"It was a strange experience, but it ended with us only becoming closer together."

"Believe me, it was weird experiencing it. Even with my memories gone, I still got used to you, we're practically made for each other."

"I still can't believe you're able to just tell when you conceived, right there in the shower!" Cherry recalled.

"Yeah, it goes back to the pheromones we were exposed to with the Vileplume so long ago. They didn't change any of our behavior, just her sensitivity to perceiving this type of event in particular." Ash explained.

"Interesting indeed. Are you really sure you want just six kids though?" Ms. Cherry asked in jest.

"Who knows." Misty replied.

"Don't you?" Cherry wondered, not having expected a serious answer.

"Well, with Ash, you never really know."

"Yeah, but the same goes for you, Mermaid…Haha, I guess we never know when one of us might give more heed to passion."

"Eh, hehe…" The interviewer blushed. "Well, I think that nickname you have for Misty is really sweet."

"Yep, she's my Mermaid." Ash said, laying an arm around her. It was only ten more minutes before the match below was over and a new champion was crowned.

"Wow, I can't…I can't believe it. I won. I WON!" Dahlia jumped with joy.

"A hard fought victory, congrats Dall, you deserve it." Ashley said. Dahlia went over and jump hugged her sister, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. Ashley returned the hug. "Haha, ok I love you too." Ashley kissed her on the forehead, earning an "Awww!" from the audience.

"Aww, that's some sisterly love right there." Cherry said. A few minutes after the prizes were handed out, the sisters and other siblings who had been watching from front row seats joined their parents in the skybox where the interview was taking place.

"So, Ashley, what are your plans now that the competition is over?" Ms. Cherry asked.

"Well, I've accomplished my goals as far as battling goes. Maybe I'll try Space R&D."

"Research and Development? Wow, that's a change of pace!"

"Michael got me interested, him and dad found a really cool spot to look at the stars by our hometown."

"Any words of wisdom for your sister, the new Champion?"

"Yeah, be ready for Ashton next year, he already has the title of Kanto Champion and looks ready to take Jhoto soon."

"It looks like we were thinking the same thing sis, we both earned this title but he seems to be a prodigy all unto himself." Dahlia replied knowingly.

"All this talk about battles, whew. What about boys, do you have a boyfriend you're keeping from your folks, Ashley?" Cherry teased.

"Hmm, well the thing is it's pretty hard to find a guy who can live up to the standard my dad has set." Ashley said.

"We've extensively discussed the subject." Cherry said, failing to hide a hint of embarrassment. Ash decided to chime in. "Just don't worry about perfection too much honey, try to be happy, that's what's important."

"Dad, did you just call yourself perfect? Well I agree, you're the best dad in the world."

"Right now, twenty years from now, even fifty years from now, you'll still be my baby girl. Don't expect any less love." Ash said, giving a big hug to his eldest daughter.

"Hey, you're no exception, get over here Dahlia." Ash beckoned.

"I love you guys too." She said, joining in. Rebecca, Michael, and Ashton joined in too.

"Hey, we're a kid and a Mermaid short."

"Mom come here, it's a family hug!" Rebecca said. "But what other kid do you mean daddy?"

"The one in mom, Cookie!" Michael answered.

"Oh, of course!" She remembered all of a sudden. Misty joined the group hug, getting a look at all of her beautiful children, happy as can be.

"That was an enlightening look into the lives of the famous Ketchum family here at the Champions League." Cherry said. "But we'll probably have to cut some of that adult content." She said, whispering to the camera guy.

"But we're on live." He whispered back. Ms. Cherry had forgotten since she was so engrossed in the story Ash told.

"Oh…well anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!" She said directly to the camera. "Oh that just sounds perverted!" She said to herself in a loud whisper. But it was an easy recovery because of what was right in front of her now.

"Look at that everyone, the picture perfect family." Cherry said, the camera panned back to the family of eight. They posed for the camera, with all of the kids putting one hand on Misty and Lilynette. Ash stood behind Misty and put both of his hands on her abdomen as well. "I love you Misty, my Mermaid."

"And I love you Ash, my everything." She said tilting her head back and catching his lips.