Title: Indigo All Over Again
Posted: 04/11/13
Rating: K+

Main Characters: Ash Ketchum, Misty Waterflower
Shippings: Ash & Misty (PokeShipping)
Chapter Guest Stars: Tracey Sketchit, Daisy Waterflower, May Maple

Summary: Ash Ketchum has journeyed for many years. Through the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, he has learned many things. Now, being both a better trainer and a more mature teenager, he decides to return to his very own home region and compete once again to win the Indigo League. What surprises await him as he does so?

Disclaimer: I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.

© 2013, Reignstein, The plot of this story and any original characters belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.


CHAPTER TWO
"The Tomboyish Mermaid"
START


Sitting in the Waterflower Dining Room table felt so absurd to the seventeen-year-old Pokemon trainer. He's been to Misty's house before, but he had never actually stayed long enough to admire the décor and interior design that Daisy, Violet, and Lily must have put into the place. The blue colored walls, the white carpeted floor, and the beautiful wooden dining table. It possessed four white legs to stand on, with matching chairs as well. It was obvious that the Dining Room was just as spectacular as any room in the house. Ash wasn't even quite sure if he slept in a guest room or in a five star hotel room.

"How'd you enjoy the Water Bed, Ash?" Misty asked from beside him, causing said boy to turn away from looking around and focusing his sights on her. "Some people don't like the movement, you slept comfortably enough, right?" She continued, taking a sip of hot chocolate from her mug. Ash had already downed the mug that was given to him.

"I slept great, Mist." He answered. "But are all the beds in your house Water Beds?" Misty gave him a look that answered his question.

"When I first slept over here," Tracey suddenly spoke from where he sat opposite from Ash. "I couldn't get used to the bed at first, but now I sleep like a baby." Misty and Ash laughed. The teenage boy because of how Tracey's face looked so satisfied and joyful as he spoke, while Misty because of a different reason.

"I don't think it's the bed that lets you sleep like a baby, Trace!" The Watcher blushed.

Thinking about it now, Ash had only seen one guest room in the upstairs hallway. There were two doors—one pink and the other violet—to the right that he assumed to be Lily's and Violet's rooms. To the left, on the other hand, was a yellow door and an orange door that Daisy and Misty had gone into respectively. The soul blue door at the end of the hall was the room he was directed to, and Misty had called it their spare bedroom. He was a bit confused as to where Tracey had slept.

"Did you sleep on the couch, Tracey?" Ash suddenly asked, unknowingly disturbing a storm of witty comebacks from Misty. "I took the guest room, so where did you sleep? Did you sleep in Violet or Lily's room?" For the second time that day, Tracey blushed. Misty, on the other hand, laughed. Whether it was because of Ash's denseness to the situation or whether it was because of Tracey's reaction, it was up to her.

"I…ugh…well—"

"Ash, he's dating Daisy." Misty stated bluntly, the boy turning to her confused. "Daisy is his girlfriend, so obviously he would sleep in her room, on the same bed, arms wrapped around her waist as they made kissy faces with one another." Both males in the room blushed. Ash in realization, Tracey in embarrassment. A small laugh emerged from the Pokemon Trainer though, patting Tracey on the back once the blush vanished from his face.

"Well, you're one up on Brock!" He commented.

"Huh?" Misty suddenly said, raising her brow. "Brock's got a girlfriend too."

"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed, eyes bugging out and making him resemble Tracey's Venonat. It was a bit of an overreaction on his part. "What do you mean he's got a girlfriend?!"

Misty nodded in response, taking yet another sip from her hot chocolate. Tracey turned away and rubbed the back of his head, had he forgotten to mention that yesterday while he talked about Brock? Possibly. "He's dating a Coordinator from Pewter City. She's really nice, and May says that they look adorable together." She responded, Ash's eyes only widening all the more. How could Brock not have told him about this?

"Even May knew?!" Asked Ash.

"Everyone knows Ash." Misty answered. "He wouldn't shut up about her when they got together."

"He didn't tell me!"

"Maybe it slipped his mind." Misty defended. "Like how it slipped your mind to call me."

"You forgave me for that!"

Misty chuckled. "Either way, yeah, Brock has a girlfriend now. She visited once with Brock, and she's really pretty. I heard she even won the Kanto Grand Festival four times in a row! Can you believe that? May idolizes her." She decided to say, Ash's eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets as he realized something. Coordinator from Pewter City, winner of the Kanto Grand Festival, May idolizes the girl too? Well there was only one person that came to his mind.

"Brock's girlfriend is Solidad?!" Tracey perked up at the mention, snapping his fingers in recognition. He muttered something along the lines of: 'Right, that's her name', but Misty nodded with a smile to respond to Ash's question. The trainer did not see that one coming, and he felt rather faint. "Why wouldn't he tell me about that?" Ash muttered to himself, suddenly hearing the timer in front of Misty go off, signaling the end of the conversation until she returned.

The redhead stood and walked to the kitchen, Ash following her movement until she turned in the archway.

"Who would have thought, Misty could cook!" Tracey laughed, Ash forgetting about the Brock and Solidad ordeal for now. He would probably give Brock a call or visit him to ask. He wasn't like Misty who violently attacked people for doing something wrong or unexplainable. "Are you sure it's good, Tracey? I don't want to get an upset stomach!" Another laugh emerged from the green haired Watcher, shaking his head in response.

"Don't worry," He comforted his friend. "Brock basically made it a mission to teach her how to cook. He visited, saw that she was eating something out of a can, and dragged her to the kitchen to teach her about nutrients, cooking, and what not to and what to eat. It was funny, seeing Misty in an apron for the first time. She was so confused, and Brock talking as she read the manuals and recipes didn't help. He ended up with a mallet to the head that day, but she did learn how to cook after being taught for around four days." Ash laughed at the mental image, shaking his head. He would have wanted to have seen Misty in an apron.

"She still calls Brock every now and then to ask about stuff though."

"Trace, could you help me out here!" Misty called out. "Ash knock on my sister's room and tell her breakfast is ready, get Pikachu too!" She commanded, Ash saluting as he stood, both guys sharing a laugh as they did their assigned tasks. Tracey walked to the kitchen, while Ash walked to the living room and up the stairs to the hallway of five bedroom doors.

Deciding to grab his friend first, Ash walked to the end of the hall where the blue door was set. Inside, was a room that could rival any hotel. The walls were painted the color of the sky, a white carpet covering the entire floor much like the rest of the house. In the center of the room was a water bed, covered in blue satin sheets, the pillow cases matching the bed cover and blankets as well. Pikachu slept in the middle of the big bed, while Ash's things were placed on the wooden desk on the left of the bed. On the right was a nightstand with a lamp.

"Wake up, Pikachu." Ash said, nudging the Pokemon slightly. "It's time for breakfast." The mouse's ear twitched, curling tighter into a ball in refusal. It obviously still wanted to sleep, and Ash sighed. There was no reasoning with a sleeping Pikachu. "Just come down when you wake up and get hungry, okay?" There was a small grunt, and Ash took that as a yes before exiting the room and stopping in front of Daisy's yellow bedroom door.

Knock

Knock

Knock

The sound echoed in the hallway, followed immediately by a response of: "Yes?" from the bedroom's owner. She sounded chipper and awake, but Ash decided not to chance anything and stayed outside the door. "Misty says breakfast is ready!" He said through the wooden object, and Daisy answering with a simple call that she would be right down. Nodding his head and finishing the tasks at hand, Ash headed back down to the Dining Room.

"Where's Pikachu?" Misty had asked immediately.

"Still asleep, he'll come down when he wakes up." Ash answered.

The sight in front of him was something. There were four rectangular plates set up in front of four chairs, each filled with their own piece of friend salmon. Tracey was just finishing up putting the four bowls of rice beside them, and Misty was now placing glasses on coasters as, Ash assumed, Tracey got the juice from the kitchen refrigerator. "Did Brock teach you to plate, too?" Ash asked, reclaiming his old seat as Misty laughed and shook her head.

"Solidad did." She answered, placing the last glass on Daisy's spot. "She said that, like all things, quality is important, but making it appealing to the eye makes the people enjoy it more. I agree with her on that." Ash smiled. That seemed like something Solidad would say, and that also seemed like something May and Dawn would believe in. He assumed that it was a girl thing, but the food in front of him did look very appetizing. It smelled appetizing too.

Misty took her seat beside him, and at the same time, Tracey emerged with a pitcher of Orange Juice. There was ice in the pitcher, and so As assumed it was cold. The water dripping from the container was also a good sign. Taking his chopsticks and saying his thanks for the food, Ash dug in. In front of him, Tracey did as well. Misty followed soon after, pouring herself a glass of juice first.

"This is really good, Mist!" Ash called out, food in his mouth. Some things never change. "Just like how Brock makes it!" Ash continued, Misty smiling at the complement. Tracey agreed with Ash and complimented her as well, the girl just thanking them both and continued on with her meal.

Breakfast carried on in a light manner, with Ash telling Misty about his trips to Unova. Misty seemed eager to hear about anything and everything. She asked about Iris, asked about Cilan, asked about the Pokemon and the Oshawott that acted a lot like her Psyduck. He answered each question with vigor, and Tracey listened in and commented when he had something to say. Ash left out the teasing he had undergone, but mentioned the things that he was sure she would like. When he mentioned Icirrus City, Misty's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas Morning.

"It 's too bad that Iris is afraid of Ice Pokemon." Misty stated, frowning slightly.

"But I'm glad that she can face her fears when she needs to. Besides, she even gave a leeway to meet me because I like Water Pokemon and not Ice Pokemon." Ash smiled. His best friend always did get along with a lot of the people she met, and she seemed just as eager to meet the new people that had 'kept him out of trouble' as she put it.

"So, what about now, Ash?" Tracey asked, sensing the end of Ash's tale. "You're here in Kanto, and the Indigo League is about to start up. Are you planning to join?" Misty snorted from beside the trainer, causing Ash to turn to her before answering Tracey's question. It was obvious the redhead was trying to hold back laughter, and it was obvious that she had something to say on the subject. Raising his brow in question, Misty turned to him with a shake of the head.

"It's nothing." She said.

"Gotta be something." Ash answered.

Misty set down her chopsticks, taking a gulp of her orange juice. From the corner of his eye. Ash noticed Tracey shake his head in amusement and continue eating. Obviously his question wouldn't be answered till after Misty's amusement was solved. "It's not that I don't think you can win, Ash." Misty began. "I just think you're gonna have a harder time actually getting to the Indigo Plateau this time around." She continued.

"Why is that?" Ash questioned. "I did it when I was ten, and I'm a better trainer now than I was back then."

"I'm not saying you aren't." Misty countered. "I'm just saying that the Gym Leaders are stronger too. Forrest trained under Brock himself, and you've battled me already. I wasn't even at my best then. Sabrina's stronger than me, and I give out my Cascade Badges a maximum of twenty times a year. It's gotten harder to get to the actual League." The Gym Leader's voice held no malice, so Ash knew that she was not messing with him.

"Well, then I'll be one of those twenty you give it to." The seventeen-year-old retorted, taking a bite from his salmon. "You know that I let you win, so if I took you seriously, then obviously I would have beaten you." Tracey's sweat drop and Misty's vain popped. Ash was not watching what he said, and he was obviously missing the mallet if he wanted to see it so badly.

"I wasn't taking it seriously too, you know! Weren't you listening?!" She wasn't screaming quite yet, but the venom in her voice was quite evident. Ash took no notice of it this time though, and merely shrugged. "I could beat you now, like I beat you in the Whirl Cup when we were thirteen!" That struck something in Ash, cause he put down his bowl of rice and glared straight at Misty. Green met Brown as a clash of egos and stubbornness was, again, to happen. Just like old times, Tracey thought.

"If I didn't attack your Psyduck you would have lost!"

"If you weren't so stupid to do it, then maybe I would have!"

"You're just jealous I'm a better trainer!"

"Oh yeah?! You lost yesterday!"

"I let you win!"

"I didn't fight that hard! I would have beaten you even if we both took it seriously!"

Tracey dreaded this, for he knew that it was coming.

"WOULD NOT!"

"WOULD TO!"

"WOULD NOT!"

"WOULD TO!"

"WOULD NOT!"

"WOULD TO!"

"WOULD NOT!"

"WOULD TO!"

"Like, Shut up!" Came a fourth voice, stopping the argument and causing the two participants to turn to the archway that lead to the living room. "You're, like, stressing me out!" The blonde added, arms on her waist and glare—that looked exactly like Misty's—evident on her face. "Do you, like, know what stress does to me?!" She continued on, marching towards the two teenagers in the room. "It, like, gives me lines on my forehead!" Tracey wanted to laugh at the sight of the two teenagers, glaring at the person who had interrupted their little, petty, argument.

"Stay out of it!" Misty shouted. "We don't care about your face!"

"Well, like, you should!" The older girl countered.

Arguments continued on, with Daisy and Misty fighting about the importance of the older's beauty. Ash butted in and laughed at Misty when Daisy said a rather good insult. This, in turn, lead to Misty and Ash returning to their shouting match and Daisy rubbing her temples in annoyance. Tracey said nothing as he just continued eating, spotting a little electric mouse descend the staircase. An irritated electric mouse who had obviously been awoken from his sleep.

"Idiot!" Misty shouted.

"Loud Mouth!" Ash countered in return.

"PIKACHU!"

A flashing of yellow light, the shouting of anger and rage turning into that of pain and protest, and the smell of something burning. Tracey was extremely glad to have stayed away from intervening in the fight. When Pikachu had stopped his attack, Misty, Daisy, and Ash were all covered in soot from head to toe, and the Watcher tried hard to not laugh at the three of them. It served them right, but it gave Tracey a good sense of déjà vu. He had missed these moments more than he had let on.

"Pikachu!" Misty and Ash had shouted, while Daisy shrieked when she got a woof of herself in the mirror. With screams of how her hair was ruined, she ran to her room, leaving the echo of a loud slam as she closed the door. Pikachu jumped onto the table and began eating the food that was left for Daisy, leaving the two teenagers to argue who was at fault as to why they were electrocuted.

There was a wide smile that appeared on Tracey's face.

Now if only Brock were here to witness this too.


"So, Seaking," Misty asked, legs partially in the pool as she observed the other Water Pokemon do laps, "How's Goldeen doing? You think she'll be strong enough for the League?" The red fish Pokemon splashed around enthusiastically, obviously showing his approval about the idea. He had, after all, taken Goldeen under his wing as an apprentice of sorts. Though Misty, at first, was rather unsure of the idea, Goldeen seemed eager enough and it all turned out rather well. Goldeen was much stronger and much more confident in her abilities. Misty hated to admit that her sisters seemed to have raised their Pokemon very well.

"I bet she would have loved to have heard that compliment for herself." Misty teased, placing a hand on top of Seaking. She was sure that it was blushing underneath all of those red scales. "Should I be expecting eggs, Seaking? Are there any other Luvdiscs aside Caserin and Luverin?" Seaking splashed around nervously, and Misty chuckled at how uncomfortable the Pokemon had become. After all, she knew a lot about romance and those fleeting looks the two shared made it fairly obvious for anyone, well for anyone who wasn't named Ash Ketchum at least.

As a Gym Leader, Misty had many responsibilities. She needed to clean, attend to paperwork, and accept challenges from the few trainers that ventured long before the Indigo League. Training, however, was her most favourite task. Just bonding with her Pokemon in the pool and allowing them to have faux battles with one another was a most enjoyable task, and her Pokemon got stronger in the process. In Misty's eyes, that was what you called a win-win situation.

"Come on Seadra!" The redhead called out, cupping her mouth so that the Pokemon would hear her clearer. "You can go a little bit faster, I know you can." Misty was far from harsh when it came to her Pokemon, and they adored her so much that you would never think otherwise, but she was not one to settle. She wanted them to always do their best, reach their full potential you could also say. It was something that she learned while joining Ash in his travels. Training, bonding, inner strength, those were what mattered.

The seahorse-like Pokemon gave a cheery reply as it propelled forward and joined his friends in their laps once again. Gyarados did his within the aquarium, seeing as it was the only body of water big enough to hold him and allow him free movement. The dragon had sulked for awhile about that fact, but Misty had made sure to never make the monstrous Pokemon feel left out. It was, after all, one of her very own. A pride and joy, if you must.

"Azumarill, stop playing with Wartortle and focus on your training." The Water Bunny turned to the girl she called mother and pouted slightly, letting out an apology. Misty giggled at the cuteness of it all. "I know you want to play sweetie, but we have to train now, okay? I'll let you play with the others later." A chipper reply from Azumarill, and the Pokemon continued on with her training. Violet's Wartortle, in turn, gave Misty a thankful glance, obviously wanting to focus on training as well.

She watched each stroke they made, keeping track on all the things she needed to correct and all the weak spots that she spotted. Misty took her responsibilities to her Pokemon seriously. To help them improve, she needed to observe keenly and tell the Pokemon under her stead what they needed to improve on. As their trainer (and pseudo-trainer in the case of Violet's, Daisy's, and Lily's Pokemon), she loved her Pokemon and wanted them to be strong and proud of themselves. As proud as she was of them all.

"Dewgong, you're swimming to closely to Gol—"

"PSY! PSY!" A sudden call suddenly came out, a yellow duck-like Pokemon rushing to Misty's side. It held the same blank stare, but it seemed to be less clumsy and less dependent on other people or Pokemon. The redhead felt proud of Psyduck's achievement, and though the duck still didn't know how to swim and use his Psychic power, he was now able to use Water and Normal attacks with ease. She had Seadra and Gyarados to thank for that. If they hadn't roughed the duck up a little, it would not have learned anything at all.

"What's wrong Psyduck?" Misty asked. "Someone at the Reception Area?"

Though Psyduck was not all that capable in battle—against strong trainers at least—the yellow duck helped a lot by manning the Reception Area. When someone entered and forgot to ring the bell, Psyduck would be the one to call for her. When a trainer was looking for a battle while Misty was out or with another trainer, it was Psyduck who would serve them a glass of water or entertain them by handing them the latest issue of the Gymquirer, Trainer Zone, or maybe even Coordinator Monthly if they preferred. Daisy had even dubbed the little guy 'Misty's Little Helper', not that the youngest Waterflower minded though.

"Psy!" The duck answered, nodding as he pointed in the direction of the door.

Looking towards the entrance of the training area, Misty spotted a brown eyed seventeen-year-old walking towards her with a sheepish smile on his face. Pikachu was following close behind, watching all of the Pokemon train before him. "Hey Misty," Ash said, waving slightly as he stopped his movement and stood in front of her. She had to look up to see him though, seeing as she was sitting pool side. "Psyduck let me in." He added.

"Uh huh," She answered, clicking her tongue as she patted Psyduck on the head in thanks. The duck then scurried away, back to the reception room. "What exactly are you doing here? I thought you had stuff to do?" Misty had not intended for her words to sound so hostile, but she was still a bit annoyed by the events that the morning held. After all, she was just looking out for him and he had to get arrogant and brag rather than heed her advice.

"I finished them and thought I'd check out how you train your Pokemon." Ash answered. "Also to see if you have new ones."

"Pikapi…" Pikachu suddenly warned.

"Oh right," Misty rose her brow as Ash suddenly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm supposed to apologize for being a jerk too."

"Second time in two days." The redhead commented, smirking. "Are you trying to set a world record? Shall I refer to you as Sir Jerk-A-Lot, now?" Ash laughed at the joke, bumping Misty's shoulder with his knee slightly.

"Only if I get to call you Princess Loud Mouth."

Laughing slightly, Misty returned her eyes towards the swimming Pokemon. Looking at the lap counter above the pool, it seemed that they were close to completing their fifty warm-ups. Standing from the pool and drying her legs off with a towel, she took hold of Ash's arm and began dragging him towards somewhere in the back of the Gym. "Dewgong, make sure everyone finishes before playing around, okay?" Misty called out, the white sea lion-like Pokemon saluting with his fin.

"Where are we going?" Ash asked.

"To prepare food, it's almost lunch time for the Pokemon."

Checking the nearest clock he could find—it hung on the wall of the hall they passed, a Golduck at the center with its arms stretching out to show the time—Ash realized that it was nearing noon. Misty was right, and he hoped that she had something to share with his Pokemon as well. He had forgotten to ask Cilan for extra food, and Pikachu really shouldn't be eating ketchup all the time either. It wasn't good for him.

"It was a gift," Misty suddenly commented, letting go of Ash's arm as they reached a pink door. She took out keys from her shorts pocket to open it. "The Golduck clock. May sent it, thinking it would give Psyduck a bit of motivation." Ash smirked at the thought of May, enthusiastically, giving Misty a Golduck Clock and hugging the poor yellow duck to death. He had to admit though, when he had seen Psyduck at the Reception Area, he wasn't expecting it to go running and shouting for Misty. Apparently, it ran the entrance to the Gym now. A big feat for a Pokemon.

"Seems to be working." Ash added. "Psyduck seems to be doing great."

"That's cause he has a great trainer." The redhead, smugly, replied, turning to Ash as she unlocked the door. "Unlike your poor little Oshawott who has to be trained by you." Pikachu snickered from Ash's shoulder, and Ash glared playfully as Misty giggled and entered, what Ash assumed was, the feeding room. Or at least the room where they kept all the food, a storage room of sorts.

As Ash entered the room, he felt his jaw drop a couple of inches. Vast shelves were filled to the brim with jars, each glass container holding a different type of Pokemon Food and Berries. There were labels under each case, and Ash wondered how Misty, Daisy, Lily, Violet, and assumable Tracey, kept track of it all. To the right was a line of three glass refrigerators, where Ash assumed Misty kept drinks and other things that needed to remain cold. If he were a Pokemon, he probably would have went wild, and as if reading his mind, Pikachu suddenly ran to Misty in hopes of getting a small treat.

"Pikachu-pi!" Pikachu stated, rubbing against Misty's leg with a pout on his face. "Pika Pika." He added, making Misty laugh and pick him up slightly. She shook her head and apologized almost immediately.

"I'll give you some later, okay?" She added. "My Pokemon need their food, especially Gyarados."

Ash's sweat dropped. He understood that a little bit too well.

"So, Misty," The black haired boy began, approaching her as she began setting out labeled bowls. Some were yellow, some were pink, others were violet and orange. He assumed that it represented whose Pokemon was whose. "How can I help?" He asked, Misty turning to him with eyes that obviously held confusion.

"Don't touch anything." Misty answered. "I brought you here to help me carry these, seeing as Trace isn't going to."

Again, Ash's sweat dropped.

"Come on Mist," He tried to persuade her. "I can read, and the stuff are labeled anyway. How hard could it be?" Why was it that Ash suddenly feared for his life when Misty smirked at him. Dark clouds descending upon her like she had an evil scheme ready to unravel itself? Probably farfetched, but with Misty, it was possible.

"You sure about that, Mr. Pokemon Master?" Misty asked, eyes scrutinizing him as the smirk never went away. For the sake of his pride, though, Ash nodded and Misty turned around to hand him the yellow bowls. There were four of them.

"Daisy's Pokemon are Dewgong, Shellder, Seaking, and Luverin." Misty began, talking in a tone that reminded Ash of a school teacher discussing the different types of Body Systems. "They only like eating Citrus Berries because that's what Daisy used to feed them before I took over the Gym. They restore energy, so at least its healthy for them." She continued on, pointing at the jar filled with the yellow fruit to Ash's left. "Give them only three each, got that?" Ash nodded.

"Next," Ash was beginning to regret this decision already. "Violet's Pokemon are Wartortle, Slowpoke, and Magicarp. She feeds them Dry Poffins—" She rambled on, pointing behind Ash to a jar filled with the blue Pokemon Food. "—to increase their beauty, she says. Give them two each." Misty pointed towards the violet bowls, explaining that he would be the one to handle them after he filled Daisy's Pokemon Bowls.

"How about yours and Lily's?" He decided to ask, Misty shaking her head in response.

"I'll handle them." She said, turning her back towards him as she made her way to the fridge. "Omanyte, Seel, and Krabby only eat Chancey Eggs, because Nurse Joy gave them to my sisters to help with taking care of their Pokemon. Lily was the only one who used them, so it's mostly her Pokemon who eats them. I'll handle that cause I have to scramble the eggs before serving it."

Ash observed as Misty walked over to the fridge, three pink bowls in her hand as she took out three Chancey Eggs from one of the shelves. As she walked over to the stove, Ash decided to do as he was asked and placed three Citrus Berries in each of the yellow bowls. The sound of light sizzling of the eggs was the only noise in the room, and Ash had to admit that they smelled delicious. Cilan, or was it Brock, did tell him that Chancey Eggs were nutritious and delicious for both humans and Pokemon.

Setting the yellow bowls aside, Ash picked up the three Violet Bowls and walked over to the case of the blue colored poffins. He remembered his attempt at making the treat, and he had ended up with nothing but burnt food. Brock and Dawn were at least good at it, and Dawn's Pokemon seemed to enjoy the sweet ones that she made. Realizing, slightly, Ash never did know what Pokemon his food preferred other than Pikachu's addiction to ketchup. He should probably ask Brock about it at some point, seeing as Misty seemed to have everything organized when it came to her own Pokemon.

A soft sound of jar popping open took Ash away from his thoughts, causing him to turn towards Misty. She had eleven orange bowls beside her, and a jar of normal looking Pokemon Food on her knee. He assumed that it was her Pokemon that ate it, seeing the color that the bowls symbolized.

"That's a lot of bowls, Mist." Ash commented softly.

"I have a lot of Pokemon." Misty provided.

"Any new ones I haven't met yet?" He continued on, closing the Dry Poffin container.

"Probably around two or three." She answered.

"And what do your Pokemon eat?"

"Only the best of course!" Misty's voice perked up, turning to Ash with a wide smile. It seemed he already knew what she was going to say, especially cause he had said it with her. "Brock's Home Cooked PokeFood!" they both exclaimed.

"Do you mind if my Pokemon had some?"

"Not really." Misty answered. "But feel free to have them pick what they want in here. Who knows maybe they'll enjoy a berry or two, or a poffin even." Ash thanked his best friend as he looked around, shaking his head and deciding that he would stick to Brock's food instead. At least he trusted that his Pokemon were getting the right nutrients if they ate that.

When both teens returned to the training area of the Gym, most of the Pokemon were already out of the pool and chatting amongst themselves. Ash spotted a familiar Corsola and Politoed, and he also saw Goldeen swimming with Seaking. He also saw two Luvdiscs, and assumed that one of them was Daisy's Luverin. Seeing as Misty hadn't mentioned the other, it was also safe to guess that the other one was hers. One of the two or three Pokemon she said that he hadn't met yet.

Following Misty, he layed the food down on the floor. He watched as he approached every single one of the Water Pokemon, Dewgong being the first to notice her and calling everyone's attention. It seemed that it was her second-in-command, and Ash laughed at the thought of Dewgong with a whistle and a hat much like Officer Jenny's.

"You all tired?" The Gym Leader asked, receiving many calls of agreement from the Pokemon. Even Gyarados seemed to have exited the Aquarium and was now lounging in the pool with Seadra, the Luvdiscs and Goldeen with Seaking. "Great, so you've all worked up your appetites." The redhead continued, the Pokemon all nodding. "Well, what are you waiting for? Lunch is ready." Ash tried to stop himself from laughing at the sight of all the Pokemon taking a bowl and passing it around. Seadra and Gyarados seemed to be enjoying their food without much complaint. Ash could have sworn that Gyarados was smiling too…well, as close as a Gyarados got to smiling at least.

Surveying the room, he tried to see if there were any other Pokemon out of the ordinary. Walking back, Misty had explained to him how Violet was given the Squirtle from one of the Starter Pokemon three years ago, seeing as it chose her as a trainer much like how the Squirtle from Pallet had chosen May. She also explained how Lily's Krabby was a gift from an admirer, while the Omanyte had just begun following the rosette around and Lily had decided to take the poor thing in. Misty was, yet, to tell him, though, about the new Pokemon she possessed. He had only seen the Luvdisc so far.

"I'll just take this Psyduck." Misty called, walking towards the reception area after Ash nodded.

"So," Pikachu turned his head as Ash suddenly spoke. "Which ones do you think are Misty's new Pokemon?" Looking around, Pikachu tried to take notice of all the Pokemon eating out of Orange Bowls. Taking notice of one, seemingly, familiar face, he tugged at Ash's shirt and pointed towards the blue Water Bunny. Ash followed the yellow finger, and his eyes widened once again for umpteenth time—during his stay for the past one and a half day.

"Is that Misty's Azurill?" Ash muttered, watching as the Azumarill conversed with Violet's Wartortle and Misty's Corsola. "It's at final evolution already!" He added, feeling a sudden tugging at his shirt once again. Looking down, Pikachu was pointing at another destination, and Ash followed until he spotted Dewgong and Seel, eating with—to the trainer's surprise—a Vaporeon.

"When did Misty get a Vaporeon?" Ash asked out loud, not hearing the approaching footsteps from behind him.

"From Mikey, of course!" Ash jumped at the sound of Misty's voice. "He had his Eevee breed, and seeing as she had four and Mikey only decided to keep one, he gave me one and the other to Brock. He was wanting to give you one too, but you were on your way to Unova, so he left it with Professor Oak. Just call him when you decide what you want the Eevee to evolve into." The black haired teen smiled at the thought, and agreed to call Mikey as soon as he got to Professor Oak's lab to thank him for the new friend.

"What did Brock evolve his into?" Misty smiled in response.

"He didn't." She answered. "Brock decided to give Eevee to Solidad, and that's how they both began to bond again. Thinking of what Eevee should evolve into, taking care of her, it's really all so romantic!" The Gym Leader exclaimed, Ash rolling his eyes as he waited for Misty to conclude her story. "They are both now the proud parents of a healthy Leafeon!" Parents, what a term to use. Ash just smiled at Misty's amazingly content face.

"And does your Vaporeon have a daddy?" He teasingly asked, making Misty blush.

"Nope, just me, a proud single parent. May passes for a crazy aunt though, and Glaceon is her cousin." He laughed at her response. "Besides, one of my Pokemon who thought she had a Daddy was a bit disappointed when her Daddy sort of disappeared." Ash was confused, who was she talking about? Was she talking about Azurill and Tracey? Or was she talking about another Pokemon in her arsenal? "Either way, I am an independent mother raising my Pokemon like my own children!"

"You are doing a great job with them, Misty."

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you, Mr. Pokemon Master."

"Never knew you took my opinion so highly."

"Don't get cocky, Ash."

Watching the total of twenty Pokemon eat was a rather relaxing thing to do, especially when you sat side by side with the person you considered your best friend. Thinking that the moment would have to be over soon enough to get cleaning, Misty decided to turn to Ash and ask him to help her collect bowls and they could feed his Pokemon while she cleaned. He agreed soon enough, also agreeing to help her train the Water Pokemon in faux battles. It was going to be a long day, but one Ash was truly looking forward to.


"Okay, Gyarados!" Ash shouted. "Help me out!"

This request was met with a water gun to his face. Obviously, the dragon refused to acknowledge his request.

"Ack!" The trainer exclaimed, hearing Misty's giggling from across the pool. "What's the big idea with your Pokemon, Misty? A lot of them don't want to listen to me!" Misty's giggling turned into laughter at his question, and the Vaporeon she was using turned to her Master with worry in her eyes. This was obviously the first time that Misty had burst into a laughing fit during their training, and the Water Pokemon was extremely worried about her.

"Vay?" The Pokemon, questioningly, called out, causing the redhead to shake her head and hold out her arm. Ash was the least bit amused, but it seemed Pikachu was enjoying the scene just as much as his Pikachu-pi was. "Vay! Vaporeon!" She called again, Misty finally getting a hold of herself and catching her breath.

"So—sorry Vaporeon." Misty released. "I'm—I'm alright." The Water Pokemon released a sigh of relief, turning back to the opponent—which in this case was Ash—with a determined look in her eyes. She was going to win, and there would be no questions asked about the matter. Especially now that Gyarados was not listening to Ash's request.

"Seriously, Ash!" The Gym Leader called out, shaking her head in exasperation. "I was telling you that Gyarados only listens to me! Pick any other Pokemon but him!" Perhaps it skipped Ash's mind, but he really should have known better. Gyarados was not an easy Pokemon to tame, and the fact that Misty was able to do so already spoke levels about how great a trainer she was. Ash really shouldn't assume that a Gyarados—Misty's or not—would follow another person other than its trainer.

"Right…" Ash responded, taking a look around once again and picking a Pokemon.

Deciding not to tread into unfamiliar waters quite yet, he decided to pick Violet's Wartortle. Seeing as he once had a Squirtle on his team, a Squirtle that was currently heading the Squirtle Squad and helped Ash whenever Ash needed him.

"Wartortle! War!" The turtle readily exclaimed, stepping onto the flat rock, ready to battle.

"Alright, so we use all the Pokemon in rotation and—"

"PSY! PSY!" Came a loud call once again, causing Misty's explanation to come to halt. Both trainers turned towards the incoming duck, holding a picture of a video phone. It was something else that Misty had taught him. She had given him pictures of a Video Phone, her sisters, the PIA symbol, and others. He was to bring it when he called for her, so that she knew what the problem was. Currently, that meant that she had a call. "Psyduck!" The yellow duck added, Misty nodding as she turned to Vaporeon.

"Can you handle yourself, sweetie?" She called, earning an affirmative answer from the Pokemon. "How about you Ash? Can you handle yourself?" Ash took no offense and nodded, Misty nodding back as she dashed towards her office to answer the Video Phone.

"Don't mash 'em to hard sweetie!" She called back, blowing a small kiss to Vaporeon, missing the slight jealousy that flashed in Ash's eyes. It seemed he wanted to be called 'sweetie' too.

Being jealous of a Pokemon, really.

Pikachu rolled his eyes. His trainer was so oblivious.

"Okay Wartortle, start things out with a Hydro Pump!"

Misty ran through the hallways, turning one corner before she reached the door to the Gym's Main Office. This was the place where she did her paperwork and wrote down reports and orders that needed to be sent out, and this was also the only place where she accepted personal calls. Her sisters never entered here, in fear that Misty would make them work, and Tracey always knocked before intruding. The office, though usually a hell hole, had slowly become Misty's private sanctuary. The place where she vented out anger, the place where she released frustration, she also, occasionally, took out her mallet and whacked the nearest replaceable thing.

When Ash had fought with her earlier that morning, she had needed to make a call to the Cerulean City furniture shop to order a new vase, followed by a call to the florist to order in a new set of yellow bells.

"May!" Misty shouted, turning on the screen and picking up the phone. "Thank God you finally called! I'm going through an Ash-Crisis here!" She continued on, staring into the familiar blue eyes of her best female friend. May, for the most part, tried hard not to laugh at her friend. She thought, when she had gotten the S.O.S message on her PokeGear, that Misty needed her for something more important than an 'Ash-Problem'.

"What is it this time? Did he finally call you and proclaim his undying love?" The brunette asked, giggling slightly as Misty's cheeks turned a shade of scarlet. Misty questioned, every single day, why she had confided in May about her feelings to Ash. The brunette merely used it to tease her mercilessly.

"Worse." Misty suddenly answered. "He's home from Unova, and he's been here since yesterday."

May's giggling abruptly stopped.

"Misty! Tell me everything!" She shouted, causing Misty to place her ear away from the receiver.

For the next fifteen minutes, Misty told May everything. She told her about hitting him with a mallet—which May laughed a good deal of time about—Misty even told her about the useless fight that followed when he woke up, and how Ash apologized as well—May had cooed at that one, exclaiming how sweet it was of him. May listened and occasionally commented, and when Misty finally finished, red faced and out of breath, May only had a few words for her.

"What the hell are you doing, talking to me on the phone?!" She began. "Tell him how you feel, be his girlfriend, then his wife, then provide me with black haired, green eyed, godchildren, woman!" Releasing a sigh, Misty frowned.

"I can't tell him! He doesn't even know what love is!" The redhead exclaimed.

"Misty," May responded, voice holding a hint of her are-you-kidding-me tone. "He visited you before his mom, he willingly lost to apologize to you—something he never does—and he was flirting with you during your battle yesterday! He's head over heels for you and everyone knows it! Even Mrs. Ketchum knows it!" The brunette Coordinator finished.

"He was not flirting with me! He was trying to throw me off my game!" Misty answered.

"He wanted to throw you off in a battle where he planned to lose?" May questioned, brow raised in question.

"Ash was keeping up appearances!"

"You're as in denial about it as he is!" The frustrated Coordinator exclaimed. "Sure, you admit you're drop dead in love with him, but when it comes to seeing that he feels the same way is something you can't do. How many times do I have to tell you that the boy is nuts about you?!" May started, Misty looking at her with something akin to shock.

"In Hoenn, when you left after the incident in the Mirage Kingdom, he wouldn't even eat properly and talk to anyone. Whenever you two talked, it was like this light came on in his head and he smiled brighter than ever! Even Dawn told me about how Ash acted when he talked to you, and she really wants to meet you by the way. She's a really nice girl with a Piplup—"

"May, you're point?"

"Just tell him, make him your boyfriend, and make—"

"Green eyed, black haired, godchildren for you."

"Now that's the smart Gym Leader I know!" May exclaimed, winking slightly.

"May!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted, a teenager with green hair suddenly appearing on the screen. "What's taking so long? The Saffron City Contest Hall opens in a few minutes. We have to sign up!" Misty's eyes widened as the teen walked away, May answering him with a shy 'Just a second'. When the brunette turned back to the screen, the scrutinizing gaze of her best girl friend suddenly greeted her.

"And since have you been traveling with Rose Boy over there?"

"Huh? What? I think I'm breaking up!"

"May, don't you dare!"

"What? Sorry Misty! Talk to you later!"

"MAY MAPLE!"

"Bye Misty, tell Ash and Tracey 'Hello' for me!"

And the line went dead, the screen going black.

Misty swore that the brunette would explain the next time they talked, or else May would have the privilege of being acquainted with her mallet. Perhaps she and Ash should start a fan club for the wooden object.

Placing the receiver back and walking out of her office, Misty mulled over May's words in her mind. Should she tell him? Should she believe that he felt the same way? This was Ash, after all, the densest boy in the four regions! The boy who thought that girls were just meant to be friends, and the boy that though Brock really did just want to hit on girls cause he liked them and nothing more. How could she possibly expect him to understand how strongly she felt for him? That how she acted in the Orange Islands all had a good reason, and that Rudy did mean something when he called Ash a lucky guy.

"What do I do…?" She whispered to herself, an image of a smiling Ash flashing into her mind.

Could she really risk seven years of friendship for something like love? Could she really risk losing him on the small hope that he felt the same way she did? Her heart began to beat rapidly, and her breathing became uneven at the mere thought of him turning her down and leaving her there. Never talking to her again, after he rejected the feelings she's been bearing since she was eleven. What would she possibly do then? Not even May could have made that better.

Misty was pulled away, from her thoughts though, when a familiar cry echoed through the Gym.

"Prepare for trouble…"

"…And make it double!"

Without thinking more on her current dilemma, she dashed towards the battle area with a run that even an Olympian would be amazed with. She trusted Ash to handle it alone, especially with Pikachu there, but she still didn't like the thought of not helping, especially when it was her Pokemon that was in danger. Dewgong, Gyarados, Seadra, and Vaporeon were there to protect their friends as well, willing to lend a hand to Ash and his Pokemon.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

Her run doubled at the sound of the original motto, knowing now that it wasn't merely Jessie and James that decided to attack her Gym. How did they get through Psyduck? How Misty hoped that her Pokemon was safe, turning the corner and bursting through the door to be greeted by the sight of a blonde woman with a green haired man beside her. Ash and Pikachu were trapped in nets, and her Pokemon were now getting sucked from the aquarium. Gyarados was immobile, and Vaporeon—along with Wartortle—were trying to help Ash out of the net.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars abo—"

"Leave my Pokemon, leave my Gym, or else I'll send you and your stupid motto blasting off like when you tried to steal Georgio's Delcatty!" Cassidy and Butch both seemed irritated by the interruption, and they did not falter under the intense glare that Misty was giving them either. Most of the Pokemon called out for their trainer, and Misty glared harder at the sound of their panic. "Now get—"

"Who's Georgio?' Ash suddenly spoke out, Misty, already irritated, merely turning to him with the same glare.

"This is not the time to talk about anything other than blasting them—"

"Is he your boyfriend or something?" Ash continued on, Pikachu palming his face. Now, now was the time Ash decided to show jealousy and act like the possessive teenager that he was when it came to Misty?! Timing sucked, big time. The Electric Pokemon thought, trying to find a way to get out of his own net.

"Can we discuss this later?!"

"Why won't you just—"

"Hey!" Cassidy suddenly shouted. "Cut your yapping and apologize to us, redhead! You interrupted our motto!"

"I don't give a damn about you or Biff ("My name is Butch!")! Leave my Pokemon alone!"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Cassidy taunted.

"Vaporeon," Misty suddenly called out, earning the attention of the Pokemon. "Use Water Pulse on Team Rocket!" A quick respond from the Pokemon, and a pulsing blast of water emerged from Vaporeon, hitting Cassidy and Butch straight on and sending them flying into the wall. The pair groaned in pain, and before they could even get up and call for their own Pokemon, Misty had already called on Wartortle.

"Wartortle, use Rock Smash on that machine!" The blue Pokemon ran towards it, entering his shell and hitting the machine with a force that caused it to malfunction and release the Pokemon back into the water. Landing back on his feet, Wartortle seemed a bit dizzy. He shook it off though, watching all of his friends emerge from the pump and making sure that they were all safe.

"Now, Vaporeon," The redhead called again, making sure that all of her and her sister's Pokemon were no longer in the pumping machine that they had inserted into the aquarium. She didn't want to accidentally hurt them. "Hyper Beam!"

A flash of light, a hole in the roof, and loud cry later, Team Rocket was gone.

Misty dashed to Pikachu and then to Ash, releasing them from the nets that were used to trap them. Vaporeon and Wartortle were checking on Gyarados with the help of Seadra, and Misty was making sure that Ash and Pikachu were both safe and uninjured. When everyone—including all Pokemon—were in the clear, the Gym Leader groaned. Now she would have to hire a repairman to fix the whole in the roof. What a waste of funds.

"So…" Ash suddenly began. "Who's Geor—"

"NOT NOW, ASH!" This day went from great to horrible in a matter of minutes.

Pikachu wished that he had, had the opportunity to blast the two of themselves. His Pikapi and Pikachu-pi were having such a great day, and they had ruined everything. The only thing they managed to help with was have Ash act on his jealousy.

With a frustrated scream, Misty headed back to office to contact that repairman.


END

"No you don't know what it's like.
Welcome to my life."
—Simple Plan—


To Deoxys: I don't know if it was mentioned in the anime (actually I don't remember), but Lt. Surge is an American Soldier in the game. I really shouldn't have used such terms though, cause it does tend to cause confusion...I apologize for that. Thanks for continuing on with this story though, and i'll be sure to stick to general knowledge or leave notes about stuff I mention from the game.

To WhiteEagle1985: Thanks so much! It really means a lot that you're enjoying the story and you're even going to share it to your readers? I can totally now feel the pressure of proofreading more! I wouldn't want to disappoint you or the people who might read it due to your recommendation! Thanks again!

To All those who reviewed and followed DOMO ARIGATOU GOZZAIMASU! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! MERCI! GRACIAS! OBRIGADO! XIE XIE! If you want more languages, I recommend you listen to Arigatou~Sekai no Doko ni Itemo~ by Hey! Say! JUMP! I'm pretty sure they have a lot more! They even have my country's language which is 'Salamat Po'! Anyways, it really means a lot to me that you're all giving such positive comments.

Okay, i'm apologizing now for the typos and grammatical errors! I have no BETA, and I proofread by myself. It's nearly impossible to catch every slip-up, but i'm trying my best. I'll always try my best for the readers that I have.

On that note, what did you think of the chapter? I wanted to give people a view on Misty's daily life, cause this is really how I imagine it. Also, I love the idea of Misty and May being best friends! I mean, May idolizes her and she seems to take Misty's words to heart. It's the same with Max. Don't you all just love stories where they all get along? To me, you see, there aren't any rivalries cause everyone is given a love interest of their own. True, Brock has probably had the most, but my idea was to have him with Solidad cause I imagine them to make cute couple. Anyways, i'm willing to accept questions and suggestions as well!

I officially go on vacation tomorrow! It'll probably last two weeks at most, but i'll see what I can do about it. Deciding that one chapter wasn't really enough, I decided to post this before leaving. I mean, this chapter is a bit of a filler in my opinion, but there are some pretty important points. Enjoy!

じゃねみなさん!