99.
chapter ninety-nine:
the electrifying
expectations,
and pinky
promises of a
sunset teenage story!

"Why weren't you on stage with us, Ash?"

I found myself growing smaller and smaller under the intense stare of my father, Pete Ketchum, now demanding answers for my disappearance from the fashion drama.

"I was backstage, um, doing stuff."

"And what stuff was more important than staying by my side?" I couldn't handle the arched eyebrows, the narrowed grey orbs, or how his temple throbbed alarmingly, threatening to burst a vein in red rage.

My heart clenched in dejection, and I lowered my gaze to my shoes, shifting on my feet. "I'm sorry."

He let out a disappointed sigh. "Ash, look." I almost winced when he placed his hands on my shoulder—not because I was hurt, but because I had done something to upset him. "It's not a matter of being present by my side, but a matter of being present elsewhere, endangering your life and putting me in a double concern-hold."

I looked up sharply to note the expression of knowing splayed across his features. "You knew?"

"Your lovely girl, Serena, filled me in. She had her pot of concern overflowing by the time you returned, which I presumed was when I ran into you."

"Oh," I mumbled, embarrassed. "You can say I'm too reckless to handle a company, haha—"

"But where did you get the said recklessness from?" The comment caught me off guard, but his wink sent me spiraling out of any sanity I had left.

Relief eased in when he laughed, any look of apprehension having dissipated. He smiled warmly, engulfing me into a half-hug that filled my heart with the feeling of family—one I had been missing for ages.

We broke the embrace a minute later. Then, as if talking about the weather, he said something that had me thinking all day and night. "Maybe, if you finish your studies, bachelor's or master's, or whatever you want to do, you'll one day be the CEO of our business."

"And I, your dad, will watch you proudly from the sidelines, exclaiming to any and every customer that you're my son, the one who raised himself to be like no one ever could: a heart of valor that rivaled a lion's, a soul of kindness sweeter than a nurse's."

"Gods, Ash. Are you going to continue or drop out?" May exclaimed for what was the hundredth time for her. For me, however, it felt like the zeroth.

"Damn it, May. Life's gotten so good."

The brunette sighed, then started in a threatening voice. "Are you or not?"

The results had been bombed on us the next day, right after Lisia and Serena left for Hoenn to pursue their modeling and designing part-time careers, respectively. With an elating surprise, I was left in jubilation at the straight A+'s and A's in all the subjects: I had passed!

The only subject I had an O in was the English language, which seemed believable to me. I didn't mind the other scores, though. They turned out better than what I had originally anticipated.

"Of course, is that a question?" I blurted out, unable to stop the grin when the girl joined in too.

"Yes! This year, we set Misty and Gary up on the greatest dates they'll ever go to!" she declared, and was silenced the next minute by the said girl growling.

"You forget our existence in a conference call, May," Misty grumbled. Having passed out with flying colors, she still wasn't pleased. Pleased with us.

"Chill, Misty," I intervened, nodding when May showed a thumbs-up.

Dawn, being Dawn, was back at her antics again with a wave at random for no reason. Nevertheless, we waved back. Like we always do, I found myself thinking fondly, enjoying the warmth that came with the simplest of things done by the people you cherished.

"What's after bachelor's, lads and lasses?" Gary piped up, making his presence known. Misty was the first to answer, followed by May and Drew.

"Masters, genius."

"Gonna take up hotel management!"

"Competitive exams, become an auditor, you know?"

Gary cheered before adding his reply. "I wouldn't require anything, not even a job, but Gramps insists I do a master's. Yeah."

Dawn waved again, this time a bit awkwardly. "I am not sure about mine yet. Maybe travel a little bit, then set sights on journalism. I wish to stray away from this commerce line, geez!"

Laughter rang out at the expression of her disgust, before it died down, expectant of my answer. "Um." Running a hand through my hair, I tried to think of a suitable answer. May beat me to it.

"How about a designer's course in fashion? It'll help your dad."

Drew scratched his chin in response. "I don't think you can do a master's in it, now that you've already chosen commerce. The only other thing is to get out of the current course this year and start over from the first year in designing. The most probable alternative would be to take up diplomas, if at all you wish to get into what May suggested."

That got me thinking, even several minutes after the call ended. Sure, taking up designing would help run the business, but I would have to redo my first and second years again, this time without my friends or Kalos. If I had been presented this opportunity a year prior, I'd have gladly taken it up, even if it meant repeating another year, but now...

Now that I'm eligible to do my final year in Kalos High, taking a decision to leave the institution that had been the turning point in my life would be one hell of an important one.

Taking decisions? Consult Serena.

In five, I was a stuttering mess trying to piece together words that would be the least coherent for the honey-blonde to understand.

"If you were to ask me, I'm definitely getting into design. The opportunity that Lisia has presented me in Hoenn is too compelling to turn down. I only have to take up one diploma, and should I succeed, get into a master's of fashion design!" she exclaimed, her ambitious side showing. I briefly wished I could be like her.

"I'm sure you'll do great at it, girl."

"Yeah? Thank you, Ash!" Her smile slid off her face in a moment of curiosity as she leaned forward toward the screen. "What are you planning after Kalos High?"

"Er, that's the thing." And I proceeded to tell her everything: how Dad had offered me an administrative position in the company, how Drew's idea had messed up my mind, and how I didn't wish to leave Kalos High after everything that had happened. Serena listened to me patiently, and only spoke up when I paused.

"In that case, go for a master's in business administration. You can hire designers, but can you hire a trusty CEO?"

It rang the bell perfectly, clearing the fog of puzzlement that had encroached into my mind. But the seed of separation, the one I dreaded, would be planted should I follow her advice. And so, I voiced it.

"I'll be leaving for Sinnoh after the final year, and if you're going to Alola, it'll be two years without each other." Serena's face fell, but she managed well to mask it quickly. "Either way, I'll be rooting for you, Ash."

I gave her the biggest grin I could muster. This was the future we were working for. A future in which the both of us could smile and spend several sunlit years together, talking about anything and everything. But in order to do so, we had to let Fate wrap us around its thumb.

We had to oblige to being separated so that our future would deviate from all the teenage nightmares we had been through.

And so, at that precise moment when the sun met the horizon in a splash of vermilion hues, I took another oath—one that had her blushing and smiling all the same. Another oath that Ash Ketchum would live by.

"No matter what happens, I will root for you, Serena, and wait for you too. This is a pinky promise."

~ fin ~

— 💌 —

Hey guys!
The story of Teenage Nightmare has finally come to an end after an exhilarating adventure of ninety-nine chapters, plus one prologue!

I thank everyone, especially all those twenty-thirty loyal readers of mine and the very sweet four to five loyal voters to have made this possible! I really appreciate you all, and hope that this journey is just as unforgettable to you as it was to me! The story lives on because of you all!

Stay tuned for the epilogue that captures the true ending of this book! ;)

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x