AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hello everyone and welcome to the next installment of Alpha and Omega. A few quick announcements before I can let you read the actual chapter.

First, I'm still taking suggestions for Pokémon that Ash will capture. As of right now he will be capturing six including Fearow. I've decided to close down Serena's requests as she is up to five.

Second, as I've said before I am open to suggestions regarding Spain themed chapter ideas, so let's hear them if you've got them. I will give you this little piece of information, Ash will be participating in the running with the Tauros. So now you have the to look forward to.

I'm sure I've got more I can say, but my mind is drawing a blank right now, so... If you like my work please vote, feel free to comment, and please share this story with your friends. I now present to you chapter 5, enjoy.

Ash and Serena arrived in Viridian City and were walking down a street to the Pokémon center. Ash had told Serena about his first day as a trainer, and she agreed that it didn't make sense for that Fearow to hold a grudge for so long. Ash knew there had to be more to it than he knew, so he was determined to figure it out and befriend Fearow.

Soon they arrived at the Pokémon Center and walked inside to the front desk.

"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center, how may I help you?" Asked Nurse Joy.

"We just need our Pokémon healed," Ash said as he and Serena pulled out their pokeballs.

Nurse Joy pulled out a tray for each of them and placed them on the counter. Ash and Serena places their pokeballs into their trays, but Ash stopped when he got to Fearow's.

"Nurse Joy please be careful with this one. I just captured this Fearow and he's very violent," Ash explained.

Nurse Joy's eyes got wide.

"Did you just say that is a Fearow?" Nurse Joy asked.

Ash nodded. "Yes, I caught him in the Viridian Forest on our way from Pallet Town," Ash replied curiously.

"Young man this Fearow has been terrorizing trainers in the Viridian Forest for years. I have seen so many new trainers in horrible shape, saying a Fearow and a whole flock of Spearow attacked them out of nowhere. Even officer Jenny tried to handle it, but she just came back in just as bad of shape. Even experienced trainers would go after it, but were just overwhelmed by the numbers. For you to have captured it you must be very skilled," explained Nurse Joy.

"You could call me skilled, but today was just luck. We were nearly killed by that Fearow and his flock. If my Pidgeot didn't show up with a whole flock of pidgey and pidgeotto we would have been done for," Ash replied.

"Regardless, luck or skill, thank you for making Viridian forest safer," Nurse Joy said as she took the he pokeballs and walked off.

Ash and Serena sat down to take a rest from the walk as they waited for their Pokémon. After a little while Nurse Joy returned with their pokeballs, the Pokémon inside all healed up and ready to go.

"Your Pokémon are all healed and ready. The Fearow was difficult, so be careful. Since you said you came from Pallet Town I'm guessing your Pokémon are with Professor Oak, I recommend sending Fearow to his lab. We tried feeding him to get him to allow up to heal him, but it didn't work. In the end Chansey had to use sing to put him to sleep just so we could heal him. Atleast at Professor Oak's lab they are better equipped to handle such a violent Pokémon," Nurse Joy stated.

"Thank you Nurse Joy, but I'll keep him with me, I'll just get one of my other Pokémon just incase," Ash replied.

Ash then went to one of the Pokémon transfer machines and called Professor Oak's lab. He explained the situation, and then added Noivern to his current team. Ash figured Pidgeot would be enough, but an extra flying type would be beneficial, and since Noivern wasn't from Kanto, Fearow would be less likely to know what to expect. Upon completing the transfer Ash and Serena left the Pokémon Center and headed to the Viridian City Mall.

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"Oh wow," Serena said with stars of amazement in her eyes.

They had just arrived at the Viridian City Mall, the biggest in the region, and one of the biggest in the world. Serena saw the mall and started thinking of all the different stores inside. Ideas for new outfits, accessories for her and her Pokémon, and of course the things they needed, all ran through her head. Ash looked at the mall with dread, hating the idea of shopping. He then looked over at Serena and lightened up a little bit upon seeing how excited she was. He might have hated shopping with a passion, but he loved seeing Serena happy more, so he buried his personal opinion deep within himself and put on a happy face for Serena, not wanting to ruin her fun.

"Come on Serena, I'm pretty sure the inside of the mall is a lot more exciting than the outside," Ash said as he took Serena's hand and lead her to the entrance.

Serena walked along side Ash, and then noticed they weren't heading to the general mall entrance. Serena's heart sank as she realized they were walking to the entrance specific to Outdoor World. Outside was an overhang being supported by pillars that looked like tree trunks. Under the overhang were all different boats and all terrain vehicles of different sizes. It wasn't a bad looking store, but not Serena's style, so wasn't expecting to find anything cute here.

"So I was thinking, since Outdoor World should have almost everything we actually need for our journey, why don't we get everything we need here first, then we can go through the mall and do any other shopping you would like," Ash explained.

"Ok, that sounds good, but are you sure? I know you don't like shopping?" Serena asked.

"I'm sure. As long as your happy I can be ok with it," Ash replied.

Serena then gave Ash a quick peck on the lips, happy that he was willing to do this with her, but promised herself not to put Ash through this every time.

They proceeded into the store and got right to it. They grabbed a cart and went to the first area that had stuff they needed, the cooking section. They purchased new pots, a folding table, utensils, bigger water bottles, and an environmentally safe dish soap. They both got new sleeping bags, and to Serena's surprise they actually had a pink one that she liked. They looked at the adult two person tents, however Ash couldn't understand how that was supposed to be big enough, as when he laid down his feet were pushing against the end. So they got a four person tent instead, which would leave them with plenty of room. They grabbed bags and cans of food for themselves, as well as Pokémon food. They also grabbed new backpacks, which were bigger than either was used to due to fact that they both had to carry more than they were used to.

They eventually left Outdoor World and went to a clothing store with the intent on buying Ash a new outfit for their travels. Serena did want to shop around for herself and her Pokémon, but she liked the idea of helping Ash pick out his outfit. She understood the kind of clothes he usually wore, and picked out something that looked good on him and he found comfortable. Ash ended up with a pair of black and red sneakers, blue jeans, a black and blue jacket with white short sleeves and the Pokémon League symbol on the left part of the chest, and to top him off, a red, black, and white cap with a white pokeball symbol on the front.

Ash did pick out some fingerless gloves while Serena was looking for a jacket for him, but then he thought about how much he was liking holding Serena's hand, and put them back. After that they stopped at pokeworld cellular, and purchased two Oranphone XSs and cases, and put them on the same plan.

"Ok, I think that's everything we need," Serena said as she checked the phones off of a list.

"Well I guess we can do any other shopping you'd like now," Ash stated.

No sooner those words left Ash's mouth, his stomach rumbled. Serena giggles at this.

"How about we get ourselves some lunch first," Serena suggested.

Ash chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Sounds good. To the food court," Ash replied as they started walking.

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Ash and Serena made there way through the mall towards the food court. They didn't need a map, since Ash knew the quickest way there. Shortly after leaving for the food court Serena saw a photo both. She then grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him over to it. They sat down inside and took several photos, one with them kissing, one just smiling, another with them smiling with them holding each other close, and one where Ash picked Serena up and placed her on his lap as they gazed lovingly into each others eyes. Once done they got two strips of photos, there love for one another clear in each photo.

As they continued to walk Serena made note of several stores she wanted to visit and where they were for after they ate. Luckily the mall made it easy to find the different stores by breaking them all down into different sections on the maps and making it very clear what section people were in as they walked. Eventually they were walking by a cooking supply store with a huge line going out the door.

"What is going on there?" Asked Serena.

"I don't know, maybe a sale," Ash assumed.

"More like a book signing," said a voice.

Ash and Serena turned to face the voice to see a young man wearing an orange v-neck shirt and green pants, with spiky brown hair and slanted eyes.

"Hey Brock, great to see you again," Ash said as he walked over to Brock and gave him a bro hug.

"Like wise," Brock replied, then looked over at Serena. "And who might this be?"

"Oh sorry. Brock, I'd like to introduce you my girlfriend Serena. Serena this is Brock, he traveled with me through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh," Ash introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Serena. I've heard a lot about you," Brock said as he shook Serena's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. I guess I should thank you. Ash told me you were one of the people who helped him understand some things that lead us to becoming a couple," Serena replied.

"Well you don't need to thank me. Ash is like another brother to me, so I was happy to help. That kiss must have really been something to crack that dense shell of his," Brock replied, causing Serena to blush.

"So Brock, what did you mean by a book signing?" Ash asked as he gestured to the line.

"Oh right. The chef Mario Linguini is doing a book signing for his newest cook book, to help promote his newest restaurant that just opened this week in Viridian City," Brock replied as he pulled out and showed his signed copy.

"Well that makes sense," Ash replied.

"So what are you two up to?" Asked Brock.

"Well we just bought a bunch of stuff for for our travels. We're going to the Torrent region in a few days," Ash replied.

"We're actually heading to the food court now to get some lunch. Would you like to join us?" Offered Serena.

"Sure, that sounds good. Besides I'd like a chance to get to know the girl that won Ash's heart," Brock replied, causing Serena to blush at the thought of winning Ash's heart.

"Just don't try hitting on her. I remember how you were with all the girls we met on our travels," Ash commented as they started walking.

Brock chuckled. "That was the old me. I've got myself my own girlfriend now, so I don't hit on the other girls anymore," Brock said proudly.

"Really? Who's the lucky girl?" Ash asked curiously.

"Lucy," Brock replied with a blush and a bright smile.

"Wait, Lucy? As in Pike Queen Lucy from the Battle Frontier?" Ash asked surprised.

"The one and only. She makes her way to Viridian City every week, which works out great since I'm doing my residency at the Viridian City Pokémon hospital. Every time she comes to town we get to spend some time together, and as of last week, she started staying at my apartment when she comes," Brock replied happily.

They made their way to the food court and decided to split a pizza from one of the restaurants. They didn't have any ready due to being so busy, so they gave them a pager and told them it would buzz when the food was ready. They then sat down at a table, where Brock asked how they became a couple, and was quite surprised to hear Ash was the one who made the move.

The pager then vibrated, and Ash volunteered to get the food for them. Brock kept his eyes on Ash until he knew he was out of range to hear.

"Ok Serena, we need to talk before Ash comes back," Brock said urgently.

"About what?" Serena asked nervously.

"Since you know about me talking with Ash about your kiss, I take it he also told you about Misty?" Brock asked.

Serena nodded, still not sure where this was going.

"I need to warn you, if you meet Misty, be careful," Brock stated.

"I don't understand, why do I need to be careful? I thought you were all friends?" Serena asked.

"We are, but Misty wanted more from Ash," said Brock.

"She was in love with him!?" Serena asked surprised.

"Yes. Now I know that she doesn't stand a chance against you with Ash, and she knows this too, but it doesn't change the fact she doesn't like you. When we had our talk about you with Ash, Misty acted like it didn't hurt her and gave her honest opinion as his friend, which was in your favor, but it broke her. She was considered one of the top Gym Leaders in the region before that, but after it all went down hill. She started losing all her gym battles, and lost a lot of respect as a Gym Leader. From what I heard from her sisters she snapped and almost attacked a challenger who made some snide remark after he beat her. After that her sisters took over and sent her on a vacation to clear her head," Brock explained.

"Ok, so is she in Torrent?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. First her sisters sent her to Unova, then they said Misty went to Sinnoh, then Johto. Misty is jumping from region to region, and there's no telling where she is now, or where she will go next," Brock explained. "Normally I don't think she would do anything to you, but now, I don't know what she's capable of."

"I don't understand, why can't we just tell Ash?" Serena asked.

Brock looked up and checked on where Ash was, and saw him at a table with their pizza talking to some people. Knowing he still had some time, he looked back over to Serena and continued.

"You know how Ash is, he's a good guy who will do anything for his friends. So who knows how he'll react if he learns that he's ultimately the cause of a friends suffering. I know he wouldn't leave you because he clearly cares about you a lot. But he would probably try and fix it, and right now the best thing he can do is stay away from Misty," said Brock.

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Meanwhile, while Brock and Serena were talking, Ash had picked up the pizza and started back to their table. As he did this he saw a table set up with a sign that read, "WIN A ROMANTIC EVENING FOR TWO", along with two people standing by it.

"Hmm, Serena and I are a couple, but we haven't even been on a date yet. We're going to be leaving for Torrent soon so I don't have a lot of time to plan something. Maybe this can help," Ash thought to himself, then walked over to the table.

"Hello, so what's the deal here?" Ash asked the young man by the table.

"We're hosting a raffle for Mario Linguini's new restaurant Babbo. A romantic evening for two completely free," the man explained.

"That sounds good, when's the drawing and when can I book it if I win?" Ash asked.

"The drawing is actually in a few minutes, and you can book it for as early as this evening, or anytime we're opened," the man replied.

"Great, sign me up," Ash replied.

Ash filled out a card with his name and cell phone number, and put it in a box.

"Good luck sir, we will be doing the drawing within ten minutes, so you should find out if you won soon," the man said.

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Ash then walked back to the table, where he heard Misty's name as he arrived.

"You two talking about Misty?" Ash asked as he put the pizza down on the table.

"Yes, Brock was just telling me how she's been doing some traveling currently also," Serena replied quickly before Brock could look nervous.

"Really? That's great! What region is she in?" Ash asked.

"Not sure. She's been doing some region jumping, but last I heard she was in Johto," Brock replied sounding a bit nervous.

Ash noticed Brock's tone, but didn't think much of it. They then proceeded to eat pizza and share stories of their journeys. Serena particularly liked hearing of Ash's past travels before Kalos. After a few minutes Ash's cell phone rang.

"How could someone be calling you already? We just got these phones," Serena questioned.

Ash couldn't respond to her though as he had food in his mouth, and was finally able swallow right before he picked up.

"Hello?" Ash asked. "That's me. Great! How about tonight? Seven should be great! Ok, thank you, bye."

As Ash spoke Brock and Serena rolled their eyes as they thought it was a telemarketer catching Ash in some kind of scam.

"So Serena, one thing has been bothering me since last night when we became a couple," Ash stated after he hung up the phone.

"What's that?" Serena asked, completely confused as to where this was going.

"Well we haven't been on an actual date yet as a couple, and we don't exactly have a lot of time before we leave," Ash explained.

"Ash it's ok. We don't have to go on a date here. We can wait till Torrent," Serena said.

"Too late. I just made us reservations at Babbo for tonight at seven," Ash said with a smile.

"What?!" Brock practically yelled. "That place just opened. I've been trying to make reservations, but they keep telling me they're booked. How did you manage to just now make a reservation?" Asked Brock.

"I entered a raffle just a few minutes ago, and that was them calling to say I won," Ash replies.

Serena then grabbed Ash's head, turned him to face her, and gave him a quick yet loving kiss on the lips.

"This is so amazing, thank you Ash!" Serena said excitedly, loving the idea of going on an actual date with Ash.

"Thanks," Ash said as he blushed and scratched the back of his head. "So I was thinking, since were already in Viridian City, why don't we just spend the whole day here, then just get a taxi to take us back to Pallet Town after our date?"

"That sounds great," Serena said excitedly.

"In that case I recommend getting some new clothes," Brock added.

"Why?" Asked Ash.

"Well Baboo isn't a suit and tie restaurant, but it is the kind where you should atleast wear a collared shirt and Serena wears a nice, but casual dress," Brock explained.

"Well good thing were in the perfect place to find some new clothes," Serena said excitedly, eager to do some shopping.

"Hey Serena, how about this. Why don't I help Ash find something appropriate, while you find something, this way you can surprise each other on how you look before your date. We can meet back up somewhere here at the mall, then you two can get changed at my apartment. You can even leave your stuff there during your date," Brock suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, thank you Brock," Serena replied.

"Well I better call my mom and tell her not to plan on us being back for dinner," Ash added.

Serena's eyes then became wide as a nervous look appeared on her face.

"Serena what's wrong?" Asked Ash.

"I haven't talked to my mom since before you got back. I was supposed to call her to tell her our travel plans. Also, she has no idea that we're dating now," Serena replied.

"Ok, we'll just call her too then," Ash replied casually.

"You don't understand, I don't know if she'll be ok with us dating," Serena clarified.

"Why wouldn't she? I've met her before and she seemed to like me," Ash asked.

"That was with you as my friend. She's never been very ok with me and guys. I had another guy friend before and she thought he had a crush on me and completely interrogated him on his intentions with me. It was beyond embarrassing," Serena explained.

"Well, she got to know me before, hopefully that will help. But even if she does have a problem, we are legally adults now. Ultimately there isn't much she can really do about it except disapprove," Ash replied.

"I know, it's just, well, I want her to approve. My mom and I didn't have a great relationship before we traveled together in Kalos, but now we've gotten so much closer. I don't want to ruin all we built, but I don't want to lose you either," Serena said sadly.

"Well then if she doesn't approve, we'll get her to approve. We love each other, and after she sees how much we love each other, how could she not approve," Ash said sounding determined.

"Your right. Let's finish our lunch then make those calls," Serena said, confidence clear in her voice.

Brock looked at the couple and smiled, happy to see how good they are together.