Disclaimer: Don’t Own Pokemon!

A/N: Okay so here is the next installation and sequel to ‘Through Darkness Shines Love.’ 
Hope you all like it! By the way, this story takes place approximately 2 years after the 
epilogue of the last story. With that said, enjoy!

Ash: 35
Misty: 36
Brock: 37
Aly: 12
Andrew: 10

Prologue

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, you have a beautiful, healthy baby boy!” 
announced the doctor as he held the squirming bundle in his arms gently. 

The minute old infant was wrapped in soft blankets dyed light blue, which was a sharp 
contrast to the darkness of the little tuft of hair growing on top of his head. As soon as the 
infant was placed in his mother’s arms, however, the squirming ceased and he looked 
around curiously, as if examining the couple.

“Thank you, Doctor,” sighed 35 year old Ash Ketchum happily, shaking the doctor’s 
hand.

“Yes, thank you so much,” smiled a tired 36 year old Misty Ketchum.

“You’re both very welcome, would you like me to call in your children?” the doctor 
asked, referring to Ash and Misty’s other kids, 12 year old Aly and 10 year old Andrew.

“No, can you just give us a few minutes alone? I’ll go and get them in a minute,” 
answered Ash.

“Yes, of course,” smiled the doctor as he wiped his hands on a rag and turned to leave the 
Ketchum’s in peace.

Hearing the door close, Misty looked down at the bundle in her arms and smiled proudly. 
It had been a difficult pregnancy, with many complications along the way, but Misty 
knew she would do it all over again if only to experience this moment once more. She 
gently caressed the cheek of her third child and whispered softly into his ear, things that 
were meant just for him.

“Ash, he’s perfect,” she whispered, her gaze never leaving the small child’s.

“Just like his mother,” Ash countered, resting his head on his wife’s and giving her a 
quick kiss on the head, “I’m so proud of you.”

Misty merely nodded at her husband’s words and laid her head back down on her pillow. 
She had a small trail of sweat occupying her brow, but was too tired to wipe it away. 
Instead, Ash gently wiped at it with a nearby towel, trailing soft kisses onto her forehead, 
which eventually found their way to her lips.

“I love you,” he murmured in her ear.

“I love you too,” she sighed.

Both Ash and Misty’s gaze turned back to that of their newest addition to the family. Ash 
gently placed his finger in the child’s tiny hand in which he responded by grasping it with 
as much force as a newborn could muster. Ash could only smile.

“He’s gonna be a strong one…I can tell,” he informed.

“Just like his father,” added Misty, “He has your hair and your face.”

“But he has your beautiful eyes,” commented Ash.

It was true. The young child had developed his mother’s cerulean blue eyes that seemed 
to sparkle like diamonds even with his small demeanor. The ladies would definitely be 
after him when he got older, Ash decided.

“Ash, he still needs a name,” Misty reminded him.

“You’re right. Hmm…” Ash paused for a second to ponder this before speaking up, 
“Should we continue with our little tradition of naming our children with names that 
begin with ‘A?’”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Misty agreed.

Ash caressed his son’s cheek then smirked in anticipation at the expression his wife 
would portray when he said what he was thinking.

“I suppose Aki is out of the question then?”

“Ash!” Misty shrieked angrily, punching her husband in the arm hard.

“Ow! Damn it!” he yelped, grasping his now throbbing arm. He had sometimes forgotten 
how strong his wife could be…

Before Ash had time to react, Misty bestowed yet another right jab to the same arm she 
had inflicted pain on previously, a scowl adorning her face.

“Ow! What the heck was that for?!” he retorted, rubbing the hurt from his arm.

“The first one was for the stupid Aki comment and the second one was for cursing in 
front of the baby. Care to try for a third?” she countered, eyeing him from the corner of 
her eye.

“Aww, come on Mist. It was just a joke,” explained Ash.

“Oh really?” Misty mocked, finger under her chin, “Because I wasn’t laughing.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry dear,” Ash accentuated that last part particularly dramatically. 
Misty only rolled her eyes at this.

Several moments of silence ensued between the two before Ash was seriously 
contemplating whether Misty was truly mad at him. She spoke suddenly, however, 
startling him for a moment.

“Aiden,” she said confidently.

“What?” Ash asked dumbly, his mind being brought back to reality.

“His name Ash,” Misty explained.

“Who’s name?” he questioned, his mind still recovering from its minor shock.

Misty only shook her head and lifted her arms dramatically to show Ash the little bundle.

“Oh, the baby! Why didn’t you say so?” he shrugged.

Misty could only shake her head and let out a deep, loud sigh. Sometimes her husband 
could be so dense…

“I like it,” he announced, “Good choice dear.”

He gently kissed his wife’s lips, allowing her to fall into a state of bliss. This is why she 
loved him, she thought. She could get through the denseness if only it meant that he 
would love and protect their family forever. 

He was, Misty knew, her knight in shining armor and, at one point in her life, she had 
thought that his invisible armor had been penetrated. It had been nearly 17 years since 
that fateful rockslide had almost claimed Ash’s life, 17 years since she had lost all hope, 
and 17 years since she thought she would never love again. 

Now, years later, here she was, holding her now sleeping baby boy in her arms, her 
husband by her side. She had three wonderful children and life couldn’t be better.

She shuddered thinking about what would’ve happened had Aki and Marissa actually 
succeeded…

Ash, picking up on this sudden change, gently caressed his wife’s cheek, causing her to 
look up at him and into the eyes she had trusted for the past 25 years. They were warm 
and caring, as they always were, and held a hint of worry in them.

“Don’t think about it,” he soothed, “It’ll only make you upset.”

Misty simply nodded and sighed once more, “Would you like to hold him?”

Ash nodded eagerly and gently stooped down to scoop the small child into his arms. He 
carefully cradled the infant, rocking him back and forth, and smiling at him proudly. The 
baby, as if on instinct, slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times at Ash.

“Hey there little guy, I’m your dad,” cooed Ash gently.

Misty smiled warmly as her husband and newborn child bonded for a few minutes. 
Feeling the tiny weight lifted from her arms, she laid back on her pillow and closed her 
eyes, if only to gain a few minutes of sleep before she let in her relatives that were 
waiting just outside the door. 

“Mist?”

“Hmm?” responded Misty sleepily.

“You want to let the kids in now or get some sleep? They can wait until--”

“No, I’m fine. Go ahead and let your mother and Aly and Andrew in,” yawned Misty, 
“Once they’re done, we can let Brock and the others in.”

Nodding and handing the infant back to his mother, Ash left the room to fetch his family 
and announce the good news. Misty cradled him in her arms, reveling at how much he 
truly looked like his father. Perhaps he would share his courage and lust for adventure as 
well?

“Where’s that grandson of mine?” Delia Ketchum asked entering the room her arms open 
wide. When she saw the tiny baby wrapped in Misty’s arms, she let out a small gasp, “Oh 
Misty, he’s beautiful.”

As Misty handed Aiden to his grandmother, Ash stepped in, followed by Aly and Andrew. 
Their eyes went directly to the newborn in their grandmother’s arms and they surrounded 
her, playing gently with Aiden.

Misty sighed happily. Finally, her life was complete. Three beautiful children, a loving 
husband, what more could she possibly want?

Both Aly and Andrew walked over to their tired mother and engulfed her in a much 
needed hug, kissing her on the cheek.

“Hey you two,” smiled Misty, kissing the tops of her children’s heads.

“Hey Mom,” they both greeted simultaneously.

“How are you feeling Mom?” asked Andrew.

“Just a little tired, but I think I’ll live,” reassured Misty, “How do you like your new 
brother?”

“He’s so adorable!” squealed Aly, caressing the toddler’s tiny hand, “Have you chosen a 
name yet?”

“Aiden,” Ash and Misty confirmed.

“Well, little Aiden, you’ve been born to a very loving family,” cooed Delia softly, “He 
looks just like Ash when he was first born.”

Misty giggled at this, causing Ash to blush a little. 

“Really Grandma?” asked Andrew.

“Absolutely!” said Delia proudly.

After a few moments of soft laughter, Delia gave up the tiny child to his mother and 
grabbed her purse.

“Well, I better get these two home. When will you be able to leave Misty?” asked Delia.

“We’ll be home tomorrow,” answered Misty.

“You’ll be staying with her, I take it?” Delia prodded, directing her question to her son.

“Yeah, I’ll stay here the night,” nodded Ash, engulfing his kids in a hug.

Delia only smiled at this, knowing full well how much her son loved his family. She 
watched as he kissed his kids and as they, in turn, kissed their mother good-bye. 

She sighed, realizing how close Ash came to losing this life. Had evil prevailed, Misty 
would no longer be here and her son, she knew, would be a wreck without her. Nor 
would she have the grandchildren that she adored now. Misty, according to Ash, had 
sacrificed herself in order to save him, almost losing her life permanently in the process. 
And her own deceased husband, Satoshi, had given up his mysterious powers to save her 
and make Ash happy. Had he not sacrificed that, Delia didn’t even want to think about 
what would have become of her son.

“Alright, let’s go kiddos,” called Delia to her grandchildren.

They filed out of the room quietly. Delia hugged her son and daughter in law, shooting 
them both admiring smiles.

“Congratulations to both of you,” smiled Delia.

“Thanks Mom, we’ll call you on our way home tomorrow,” assured Ash.

Delia nodded at them then proceeded out of the room to grab the next group of relatives. 
No more than 5 minutes later, Brock, Dana, Brock’s wife of 5 years, Daisy, Lily, Violet, 
Togetic, and Pikachu marched into the room, squealing and gasping at the little baby 
Aiden.

“Oh my god, Mist he is like so totally cute!” exclaimed Lily who was now caressing the 
little baby’s hand.

Pikachu jumped up on Misty’s bed followed by her Togetic and awed at the tiny baby.

“Pika…” it cooed, looking up at both Ash and Misty.

“What do ya think pal?” asked Ash.

“Chu!” it replied, giving Ash a thumb’s up and approval.

“Chiku!” smiled Togetic as it began to caress with Aiden’s tiny hands, “Toge!”

“Well, I think the pokemon have already accepted him,” laughed Misty as Pikachu and 
Togetic continued to stare at the small bundle.

“Congratulations you two!” smiled Dana as she stole a glance at the tiny child.

“He totally looks like his dad,” added Violet as she played with the little tuft of hair 
growing out of his head.

“He has your eyes though Misty,” nodded Daisy.

Misty simply nodded, too tired to do anything else. Brock, meanwhile, gave Ash a pat on 
the back in recognition.

“So how’s it feel to have kid number three?” joked Brock.

“It feels…good,” replied Ash.

“Just good?” prodded Brock cheerfully.

“More than good…it’s…indescribable,” Ash finished, pausing for a moment to consider 
his words, “It’s hard to believe that I almost missed out on this life, that my life was 
almost taken away from me.”

Ash looked to Misty and draped an arm around her shoulders lovingly. Giving her a small 
kiss on the cheek, he gently took his newborn son and cradled him in his arms.

“You can’t think like that Ash,” explained Brock, “Just look at what you’ve got now. 
You have a wife, three healthy kids…you have a family to love and take care of.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just…”

Sensing the uneasiness in her husband’s voice, Misty drew herself upwards and gently 
stroked his arm. Ash looked up into the eyes of his beautiful wife and shot her a look of 
worry. She knew he would forever be worried about the well-being of his family, like any 
good husband, but his worst fear, she realized, was the reenactment of their dark and 
dangerous past. Neither of them would ever want to submit any of their kids to the 
horrors they once faced as teens and young adults and would do whatever it took to keep 
it that way. However, Misty knew her husband’s worries lingered beyond that point.

“Ash…we’re safe now,” Misty assured simply, “Aki and Marissa are gone…it’s over.”

Ash only nodded at her words and gently rocked Aiden until he fell into an undisturbed 
slumber. He walked over to the window and stared out at the open valley with which the 
hospital was situated. Brock quietly ushered his wife, Misty’s sisters, and the pokemon 
out of the room and, giving a light nod and a smile to Misty herself, left the room. 

“Ash?”

“Misty, did you ever think you’d reach this point in your life where everything was 
perfect?” asked Ash almost skeptically.

Misty simply stared at the back of her husband’s head and sighed aloud, “No…but don’t 
you think we deserve it? Look at everything we’ve gone through together. We almost lost 
each other…but look at where we are now.”

Ash reverted his gaze back to his son and smiled warily at his sleeping form. Little Aiden 
had no idea how close he came to not being born…nor did Aly and Andrew. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Thank you,” he finished, looking back at his wife.

“For what?”

Ash approached her hospital bed and stooped down to her level. He bestowed a light, yet 
powerful kiss on her lips and then lifted up and smiled.

“For giving me this family…and your love,” he whispered.

“Your love for me is thanks enough,” Misty smiled, caressing his cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he murmured as they shared yet another kiss, little Aiden sleeping 
peacefully in his father’s arms, completely oblivious of the world around him. 

A/N: Okay so there’s the end of the prologue and what should be the start of a totally 
awesome fic! I have all these thoughts and ideas in my head about what will happen and I 
am totally stoked about it! Please review and tell me what ya think! Thanks guys and 
AAML for life!