Lifting weights, Ash Ketchum let his gentle brown eyes follow the reporter who paced several feet away from him. Part of his stare was incredulous, seeing as he'd done this several times; having a reporter follow him around all day to watch his daily routine, and he didn't exactly care for it. He may have been a Pokémon master, but his life wasn't that exciting. The other part was amusement, as the reporter seemed to be very flustered in his presence.
"Everything okay?" Ash asked lightheartedly.
"Huh?" The reporter, named Beckett, shot her head up from her notepad to look at Ash. Her sandy blonde hair swung furiously, and she stared at Ash with big gray eyes that seemed to mimic a Stantler caught in the headlights. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Perfectly…fine."
"Did my wife scare you?"
"No, not at all," she lied, biting her lip. Before they left the house, Misty had given the young blonde a death stare; a warning to keep away from her husband.
"Whatever you say," Ash shrugged.
Beckett looked down again, but soon raised only her eyes to Ash. He was still lifting his weights, staring ahead of himself intently.
"Okay, let's see…" Beckett thought aloud, tapping her head with her pen. Ash smirked as the young reporter tried to think up some more questions to ask him. Sometimes, he found it fun that people became so nervous around him. A majority of the time, however, he wished that wasn't the case. He was a perfectly nice guy; people just got star struck too easily.
"Ah!" Beckett raised her writing utensil in victory, "I've got one!" Ash gave the girl an expectant look, waiting for the question. "Do you like working out like this? Or do you only do it for your fans? You know, to look good?"
"I like it," Ash shrugged, "I've pretty much been doing this same exact regiment since I was sixteen. My Pokémon need to be in tip top shape, so I should too."
"Interesting," Beckett mumbled as she scribbled on her notepad. Ash snickered again and put the weights down. "What?" Beckett tilted her head.
"I've just always been curious," Ash began as he sat down on the bench press, "how come people are so interested in my daily life? I mean, you're witnessing it. It's not that great. I mean, it is great in that I'm really happy! But…it's nothing out of the ordinary."
"Just the fame factor," Beckett responded. Ash twisted his mouth but said nothing in return. He lay down now, and began to lift the heavier weights, causing the young reporter's eyes to widen again, but this time in amazement. "How much can you lift?" Beckett gaped.
"Uh…pretty much three hundred," Ash replied.
"That's insane!" Beckett shook her head.
"Eh, not really," Ash chuckled, "it's easy for me. This is only for my intensive training, so I don't lift that amount too much. I don't want to get too muscular."
As Beckett continued to write, she asked, "then what do you lift when it's not intensive training?"
Sitting up, Ash answered with a smirk, "my wife. But she's a light weight. I mean, you saw her. She looks like a pole."
Beckett was now giving him an odd look.
"Okay, when I do that, she hits me," Ash admitted, "but I think its fun!" Giggling some more, Ash added, "she's really cute."
"You talk about her a lot. You really love her, huh?"
"Yes," Ash nodded.
"How long have you known her?"
Ash smiled at that. Beckett hadn't asked it in a reporter fashion. Her tone was gentle and curious. She didn't want to know this for her story; she just wanted to know.
"Since we were ten," Ash blushed a little, "she liked me from the start. It took me a little bit longer to realize my feelings. But once I did…I fell so hard. I was so in love with her. In fact, I never wanted her out of my sight."
Beckett was showing a bubbly smile, clearly adoring Ash's sweet little love story.
"None of that has changed, you know," Ash's eyes sparkled as he walked out of the gym. Beckett shook her head furiously to snap out of her daydream, and she hastily followed after the handsome Pokémon master.
"That's…so cute!" Beckett giggled gently, "and you two look so cute together. She's very beautiful."
"Tell her that," Ash looked at the reporter, "seriously. Misty, while I love her dearly, has just a bit of a vain side. If you tell her that, she'll probably stop giving you her patented glares of death."
Beckett blushed at this, and Ash laughed. If there was one thing he liked about being shadowed by reporters, it was that they generally kept the paparazzi away. Nothing else seemed to do the trick, and trying to convince Misty to change her profession from gym leader to journalist had not ended well.
As soon as the two returned to the house, and Ash opened the door, a loud scream of joy pierced the air, causing Beckett to jump, and Ash to smile boldly.
"DADDY!"
Ash kneeled down in order to grab the little figure running towards him. Standing back up, he held the little girl over his head, causing her to giggle profusely.
"Hi princess!" Ash cheered. He lowered the toddler to his face, and she began to touch his face with her small hands. Beckett moved closer to Ash again and looked closely at the girl. She had big, dazzling eyes that were colored like emeralds. Her hair was a fiery red, tied up in pigtails, and her cheeks were graced with a gentle pink color.
"She's so beautiful," Beckett murmured, almost inaudibly. But of course, Ash heard it. He adored his children.
"Yeah," Ash nodded, "she looks just like Misty."
As Ash pulled the little girl's hair out of the pigtails, Beckett questioned, "What's her name?"
"Michelle," Ash responded, brushing his fingers through her soft hair which just touched her shoulders.
"How old is she?"
"Two."
"Two?" Beckett raised her eyebrows, "but you're only twenty three!"
Ash nodded, before adding, "It was…a surprise. But I love them so much. More than all the stars in the sky. Right baby?"
Michelle nodded. She then looked curiously at Beckett with her green eyes, and back up at her father.
"Come on Shelly, say hi!" Ash urged sweetly. Michelle whined a little bit and buried her face into Ash's chest.
Beckett smiled at the sight of Ash cuddling his little daughter. Just a short time ago, he appeared like the handsome superstar everyone assumed he was, showing off his strong physique and patented charm. But this was most certainly a side most people would not expect from the seemingly invincible master. He was so sweet and gentle, so caring. As Beckett scrolled through Ash's words in her head, however, she suddenly became confused.
"Ash?" She piped up.
He turned to Beckett and, with a heartwarming smile, asked, "What's up?"
"Well, before, when you answered my question about her age in relation to yours, you said 'them.' Do you have more than one child?"
Ash nodded again.
"You do?" Beckett looked surprised.
"It's okay," Ash laughed, "only one more. They're the same age; twins."
"Oh," Beckett breathed, "well then, that makes sense! Where's your other little one?"
"Hm," Ash pondered this, before asking, "Michelle, do you know where your brother is?"
"Playin' wif Pikachu," Michelle moved her head away from her father's chest so he could hear her, "in his room."
"Let's go see him," Ash looked back at Beckett, "follow me!"
He led the blonde girl up the stairs, with Michelle looking over his shoulder at her.
"Hello there!" Beckett cooed to Michelle.
"You're pretty," Michelle commented shyly.
"Aw, thank you!"
"My Mommy is pretty too."
"Yes, she is."
Ash walked into one of the rooms, and just as Michelle had said, a young boy sat on the floor, happily playing with his father's Pikachu.
"Hi Aiden," Ash grinned at the boy.
He looked up, and Beckett was a taken back at how much the boy looked like Ash. They had the same unruly, ebony hair, and the same, kind brown eyes. They even had the same lopsided smile.
"Daddy," Aiden's eyes sparkled, "Pikachu an' I are havin' fun!"
"I see that buddy!" Ash sat down on the floor, putting Michelle down next to him.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped into his master's lap, rubbing against his chest.
"Aw, hey there Pikachu," Ash scratched behind the electric mouse's ear, making the little thing quite happy.
Beckett giggled quietly. Aiden looked curiously at her, and then touched his father's leg. Ash looked at Aiden, who was still staring at Beckett. Ash laughed and moved the boy closer to him.
"She's nice, it's okay," Ash smiled at the toddler. Aiden nodded now and sleepily laid his head down on Ash's knee.
"I think its naptime," a voice chimed from the doorway.
Beckett spun around, but Ash didn't bother to look up, already knowing who it was. Beckett, meanwhile, was shaking nervously a little.
Misty had one hand resting on the door frame, an adoring smile on her face as she looked at the children with shimmering emerald eyes.
"No mommy," Michelle whined, but then yawned. Still, she gave her mother a deathly serious look.
"Yes, come on now," Misty held her hand out. Michelle scoffed a little, but got up and walked over to Misty, who picked her up and gave her a little kiss. "Ash, will you take care of Aiden?"
"Sure thing Mist!" Ash brimmed, "alright Aiden, it's naptime!"
"No!" Aiden cried, shaking his head furiously.
"Yes," Ash giggled, lifting him off the ground, "I'll tuck you in, okay?"
Aiden groaned as Ash put him into bed, but as soon as the covers were up, the little boy was fast asleep. Smiling, Ash ruffled the boy's hair and turned back to Beckett.
"Let's go downstairs," Ash whispered. Beckett nodded and followed behind the Pokémon master. Once they got down, they saw Misty sitting at the kitchen table, writing something.
"What are you doing Mist?" Ash asked as he offered Beckett a seat.
Eyeing the girl a little, Misty responded, "just some stupid thing for the league."
"You think everything the league makes you do is stupid," Ash laughed.
"Because it pretty much is," Misty smirked mischievously.
Laughing some more, Ash asked "so Beckett, you wanna ask me some more questions?"
"Uh, sure. Yes!" Beckett nodded, still afraid of Misty.
Ash smiled and sat down next to Misty, giving her a little pinch under the table.
"Ow!" Misty hissed and glared at her husband.
"You're freaking her out," Ash whispered, "stop with the dirty looks! She doesn't want to get with me."
Misty grumbled to herself and folded her arms.
"Continue," Ash turned back to the young reporter.
"Right! So, Ash, how do you plan on taking on the big Lava Conference tournament?"
This caused Ash and Misty to look at each other confusedly.
"A tournament?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, what?" Ash raised an eyebrow, looking back at Beckett.
"You…don't know about this?"
Ash shook his head.
"Ah, I'm breaking news to you?" Beckett shrieked a little, "wow, that's amazing! Anyway, yes. The Lava Conference is up in the Heat Stone Islands. Some of the best trainers in the world take part in this tournament, and rumors had been circulating that you'd be competing as well. But, I guess not, considering you didn't know about it," she laughed nervously.
"The best trainers in the world?" Ash broke out into a huge grin, "I've got to compete!"
"So, you are going?" Beckett asked.
"You bet!" Ash nodded, "and I'll win too! I'm gonna start thinking up new strategies right away, and some intensive training!"
"That's great!" Beckett cheered as she scribbled into her notepad. Misty was giving Ash a somewhat incensed look.
Ash could feel Misty staring at him, so he turned and gave her his sweetest look, "I'm sorry Mist. But this sounds amazing! I've just got to compete! I haven't been in a serious tournament like this for awhile."
"That's fine," Misty sighed, but then narrowed her eyes, "but I'm not staying here."
"Wait, what?" Ash tilted his head. Beckett looked up from her writing and watched Ash and Misty's little episode like a tennis match.
"I am not staying behind here again. The twins and I are going to come with you."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean…they've never been that far away from home before…"
"So this'll be their first big adventure. Whatever you want to call it. But our anniversary is coming up, and I think I'd actually like to spend some time with you," she said the last part with a playful smirk.
"Okay then, fine," Ash shrugged, "come along. You can have a nice little vacation with our children while I work myself to the bone."
"That sounds perfect!" Misty giggled, "But seriously. We're going. I'll have my sisters watch the gym."
"Your sisters?" Ash scoffed.
"They've gotten better with age, Ash," Misty scolded.
"Only slightly," Ash mumbled.
"Whatever! At least they don't just hand out badges anymore."
"Fine," Ash sighed, but then brightened up as he turned to Beckett, "so now I have breaking news for you! I will be competing in the Lava Conference tournament! And I'm going to win too!"