I forgot to say Happy Fourth of July! I'm sorry! Anyway, I own nothing but the idea and the Valaries. The lighters are the long kind, not the cigarette kind.


The next day, Ash was running around getting ready. He got enough things to eat and drink for that night, he got out some chairs, he was sticking random cans into a cooler when the doorbell rang. He ran to answer it, almost tripping on the ties of his apron. He refused to tie it. When he opened the door, he immediately shut it again. Harper and Charlotte Valarie. Before he could lock the door, Harper pushed the door open. She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "I see you're a stupid chief now," she said.

"Oh shut up Valarie."

"She's just telling the truth," Charlotte spoke in her mouse voice,"look at you. You're wearing an untied apron...it's obvious you need help."

"What do you want?" Ash ignored her comment.

"We want to see of you're still up for the challenge...do you have a team?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, and they'll be here at seven. Now if you'll excuse me, mousy," he nodded to Charlotte,"and Miss. Wanna-be-awesome, I have some cooking to do." Ash shut the door and locked it, he could hear Charlotte's muffled mouse voice say,"We better see you out there, Ketchum." Ash sighed and muttered,"Twenty years old and I'm still getting bullied..."

It was six fifty and Ash was pulling the cooler outside. He already set up some chairs and had a table layed out. He was ready for a night of explosions. He opened the trunk of the car and went inside to find some lighters. While he was inside, he heard the doorbell ring. When he answered it, there stood his best friend Misty Waterflower and Leaf. "Hey guys!" he smiled.

"Hi Ash," they said.

"You think we'll win?" Misty asked. Ash shrugged,"I hope so." Misty nodded and Leaf asked,"Where do you want us to go?"

"Just sit in one of the chairs, they have your names on them." They nodded and let the front door. Ash started looking for the lighter again. He finally found it and headed outside, just in time to see Drew get off his motorcycle with May behind him. "Hey guys!" Ash called, waving the lighter in the air. They waved back. "Just go and find your seat, it has your name on it!" he pointed to where Leaf and Misty were. The nodded and walked up the driveway. Soon, the others were here, others being Gary, Dawn, and Paul. They were all sitting in the chairs Ash made them and he began passing stuff out and explaining things.

"Okay, so Mist, you get the big explosions that go in the tube and the box." Ash handed her a blue lighter and she nodded. "It's what Jasper is doing."

"Gary, you get the kind that pops, you know, the loud kind...I don't know what they're called..." Ash handed him a gray lighter. "It's what Emmett is doing."

"Dawn and May, you guys get the kind that explode with that high pitched sound...the annoying one. With all the colors," Ash handed them pink and red lighters. "It's what Harper and Claire are doing."

"Leaf, you get the kind that spins and the kind that shoots out, but it doesn't make too much noise." Ash tossed her an orange lighter. "That's Stella's job."

"Drew, you and me got the rest," Ash handed him a green lighter. "That's Charlotte, Milo, and Oliver are doing."

"And Paul, you can just light the sparklers, since you don't want to do anything," Ash handed him the last lighter. "Everyone got it?"

"Yeah!" all but Paul smiled. "Got it Paul?" Ash asked. He shrugged. "That's a yes, alrighty then, let's have fun before the Valaries ruin it!"

"You're a little too late, Ashy-boy," Gary pointed down the street. The Valaries were coming their way, obviously not expecting Ash to have the courage to try to beat them. Charlotte walked up to him. "Ketchum..."

"Valarie."

"I see you have lived up to your word and brought a rather...sad looking group..."

"Hey! You don't make fun of my friends!" Ash shouted.

"It's way too easy," Stella said, tilting Misty's chin up. "I could say a million things about carrot-top here."

"Leave Misty alone," Leaf cut in.

"And you are?" Stella asked.

"Leaf Green...and I believe you are insulting my friend..."

"I can insult you too." Leaf clenched her fist and was about to swing when Gary hopped up and stood in between the fighting girls. "Let's not start a war here," he said. By now, most everyone was arguing with someone else. May was yelling at Claire, Drew was getting insulted by Emmett, Harper was interrupting what Dawn was saying, Ash was speaking to Charlotte, Milo and Jasper picked on Misty and an irritated Paul. Oliver decided to back Stella up and said,"We didn't start this fight, spike."

"Who does that to their hair anyway," Stella pointed to Gary's hair. He frowned and crossed his arms. "And who dresses as that Stella girl from the Winx Club?" Leaf asked, pointing to Stella's hair. It was in two pony tails and it was a yellow color.

"I don't...it's just natural." After about five minutes of yelling and agruing, Paul get fed up and got up. He pushed every Valarie back and forced his friends to sit. "Hey-" Charlotte was about to speak, but Paul interrupted.

"Shut it, chipmunk." She didn't say another word. "Now if you want to argue, fine, but that is a waste of time. If this is supposed to be a stupid game, then are you going to play or shout at each other about it? Valarie, go back where you came from, got it. Ketchum, if you can't force some scrawny, over prided, group of mice away from you, that is completely sad. So are we going to move it or not?" he asked. The Valaries looked at each other for a minute before leaving swiftly. Paul sat back down and put his elbow on the armrest and propped his head up. Ash looked at him and smiled,"Thanks buddy."

"Whatever. Are you going to start this mess or not?"

"Yeah! We'll go first! Mist! Set off one of those big ones!" Ash bounced up and down, pointing to his car. Misty nodded and grabbed one of them from the trunk. She ran out to the middle of the street and set it down. She pushed the button up on the lighter and pulled the trigger. A small flame came out of the top and she put it on the fuse. When it began to sparkle, she ran back up to the driveway right as it shot out. It flew into the air and exploded, causing red and green lights to shoot into different directions. Everyone, but Paul of course, looked up in awe.

"I love fireworks!" Ash cheered.


They are meant to act young. I rushed. I'm trying to do something. My plan is to update every story on my birthday, which is today. It's one AM and I want to finish this quickly.