Responsibilities Chapter Four
Still going strong, once again I appreciate all the reviews and comments I've been receiving from my readers.
Celadon Mishap
The last few days had come and gone and before Ash knew it was the day of the party. After getting some confirmation, Ash found out the exact time of the party was 8:00pm which meant he'd be staying in Celadon for the night.
As Ash had promised Misty he found a form of transport from an unlikely source, the Pokémon League Headquarters. Of course he wasn't too sure about his choice, though it wasn't like he could pull out now. "Hey mum, do you think Misty will mind?" Ash asked in regards to the transport making the woman laugh over the phone.
"Trust me Ash, she will absolutely love it" Delia replied putting extra emphasis on the love to the point where she practically sang it. "Remember to lock the door when you leave" Delia informed her son making him blanch slightly.
"Will do, seriously mum why did you have to leave a day early?" Ash asked her and she laughed in response. "Unlike somebody, I could only take a car, it takes a day to get to Celadon by car" Delia joked.
"Ok, ok, stop reminding me already" Ash said with a small laugh in his voice.
"You remember how to do your tie right?" Delia asked her son, making him wonder how old she thought he was, granted it did take him quite some time to learn.
"Yeah I remember" Ash assured her.
"Good, I want you to look ab-so-lu-tely perfect tonight" Delia said cheerfully. "I'm sure Misty would appreciate it" Delia continued with a nod, Ash could see her over the monitor and felt his eye twitch, wondering what in the world his mother was planning.
"Mum I'm sure Misty won't be going for perfection, you're taking things too far" Ash argued a little, the woman on the other end looked at him with wide eyes of disbelief for a moment before laughing at his comment which irritated him. Ever since he hit adulthood, Delia wasn't as agreeable and to be honest it didn't bother Ash much, but it was still a little embarrassing.
"What's so funny mum?" Ash asked impatiently as he looked to his Pokégear to see the time, it read 2:00pm, his ride was meant to arrive at 4:00pm so everything was fine by his timing.
"Nothing Ash" Delia said with a small smile.
"Ok then" Ash replied, not in the mood to play any of his mother's games.
"So sweetie, how is Brock getting to Celadon?" Delia asked, changing the conversation making Ash smirk.
"I heard he went with someone else from Pewter city, he should already be in Celadon City I guess" Ash answered, finding the surprised look on his mother's face amusing.
"Is it a date?" Delia asked in a half surprised, half excited tone.
"He didn't say" Ash replied. "Well anyway I think I need to get ready now Mum, see you later ok?" Ash said as he stood up.
"Ok, I'll greet you and Misty at the party, have fun!" Delia responded.
"Doing what?" Ash asked but he never got any reply because the screen turned blank, his mum having already hung up.
"Stupid mum" he replied, but he didn't mean it really.
And at that he went to try on the new tux that his mother had forced him to purchase.
Misty, unlike Ash couldn't just take things easy. To her it was her first official date with the person she'd had feelings for since childhood, granted she didn't consciously admit it, despite this, things were getting pretty hectic at the Cerulean Gym. It got even worse because her sisters, bar Daisy who also had an invitation as well, got involved in the whole 'getting ready' deal.
Misty could see that her sisters, Violet and Lily were somewhat jealous that she'd somehow gotten into the big party where a lot of big names would be. Nevertheless, instead of taking it out on her, they decided to project their feelings into making Misty look 'absolutely fabulous' in their own words, something she somewhat appreciated. This was because unlike them who were part of the sensational sisters, Misty was just a gym leader who often dressed in casual, practical clothes instead of up market dresses and gowns.
"Like stay still already little sis" Violet, the oldest of the pair said in an airheaded tone as she began to systematically brush Misty's shoulder length hair. Occasionally Violet's brushing would make Misty flinch as she uncovered one of the many knots in her red tresses, something which both shocked and appalled the older Waterflower.
"Like Misty how could you let your hair get into this mess" Violet complained annoyingly, frustrating Misty to no end, but she didn't voice her opinions, because she knew despite Violet's harshness, she was only trying to do her best for Misty.
"Well some of us don't spend our entire day in the beauty salon" Misty replied in mild frustration as she observed herself in the mirror, feeling proud of the dress she'd picked out. Granted she did have to get Daisy, Violet and Lily's opinion before going ahead with it, when she got the green light she bought it in a flash.
"You could still do your hair you know" Violet replied in that airheaded tone again as she uncovered another knot, causing the red head to flinch painfully again.
"Ouch, hey that hurts" Misty complained making the youngest sensational sister laugh.
"Stop being such a baby Misty" she told her as she began to do Misty's nails. "Stay still, I don't want to waste any of this" the pink haired Lily said with concern, for her nail polish, not Misty. "Like I don't even get what you see in that guy anyway, he's not even that hot" Lily said absentmindedly making Misty bite her lower lip a little before getting slapped lightly on the head.
"No biting your lips Misty" Violet chided making Misty's eye twitch.
"I might end up killing them at this rate" Misty thought, nearly making a fist, before swiftly remembering she wasn't allowed to move. "I don't focus on looks!" Misty said making both sisters laugh.
"So you do like him" Violet said making Misty flinch for a different reason.
"N-no I didn't say that" Misty protested weakly as Lily finished with her nails and laughed at her.
"Aw lil Misty getting all embarrassed, don't try to kid any of us, you're not an innocent little flower" Lily said with a wink and Misty looked away, annoyed that her sister was right about that tidbit of information. "Anyways Vi you done with her hair?" Lily asked her older sister getting a little nod.
"It's like totally done Lil" Violet replied stepping back admiring her work, as Misty's hair cascaded beautifully. "Now lil sis don't mess it up this time" Violet said in a stern tone which just irritated the youngest Waterflower.
"Fine" Misty said as Lily got her make-up kit, her eyes gleaming excitedly.
"Now little sis, let me do your make-up" Lily said making Misty gulp, she hated wearing make-up and looked perfectly fine without it, something her sisters actually secretly envied. "That Ash won't be able to keep his hands off you when I'm done" Lily said excitedly making Misty blush ever so slightly.
"Aw look at her" Violet continued teasing her little sister.
"Will you guys cut it out!" Misty shouted, but it didn't intimidate either of them, instead they just glared at her.
"What did we say?" both of them said at the exact same time.
"Stay still" Misty said in defeat as the smiled at her.
"Good" Lily said before getting back to work.
Ash now dressed in his tux waited impatiently at the window, Pikachu one his shoulder watching out in curiosity, wondering what exactly his master was looking for. "Any time now" Ash said as he looked at the time which read 4:00pm. "Damn I'm actually kind of nervous about this Pikachu" Ash admitted.
"Piika!" Pikachu said in a reassuring way making Ash laugh.
"You always know the best thing to say, you know that Pikachu" Ash said in a half serious, half sarcastic way before petting his favourite Pokémon. "Thanks buddy" he followed up as a loud sound suddenly filled the area.
"I think that's it!" Ash proclaimed, shoving his Pokégear deep into his pocket as he exited the house, locking the door behind him like he promised he would.
"Piiiiii-kaa" Pikachu said in wonderment as he looked at their form of transport.
"This is going to be awesome" Ash said as he approached it.
"Mr. Ketchum, hop on board" the pilot said once he had landed, Ash excitedly ran up to the machine and hopped in.
"I can't believe I'm going in a freaking Helicopter" Ash thought excitedly as the Pilot lifted off and set off for Cerulean "I wonder what Mist will think" Ash wondered, secretly hoping she'd love it.
The time was 6:00pm and Misty was really starting to panic, slightly wondering if her efforts in putting up with her sisters were worth it. "How will we get to Celadon in two hours?" Misty wondered out loud.
As she paced back and forth she suddenly heard a loud noise, but she ignored it in favour of the text she received on her Pokégear. 'Hey Mist, come outside' the text read. At the exact same moment she heard her sisters gasp out in wonderment.
"Like, Oh, MY, GOD!" Misty heard Violet gasp, her face was at the window, this was followed by Lily's own interpretation.
"Like Wow!" Lily declared which got Misty curious, so before she walked outside, she decided to check the window, the sight made her eyes widen in an instant.
"I-is that?" Misty asked her sisters as she held the skirt of her dress, "A helicopter?" Misty said out loud as she rushed to the door with much difficulty on her high heels.
As she exited the gym she was met by the sight of well presented Ash standing by a Helicopter with a massive grin on his face. "Ash?" she asked as she walked over to him slowly, making sure not to get anything on her dress in the process.
"Found something" Ash said cheekily with a childish smile making Misty gasp.
"How?" she asked no-one in particular as she admired him in his expensive looking tux, she also noticed that he actually took the effort to style his hair for once. "I guess he also made an effort" Misty thought as she finally reached the young champion.
"Wow Mist you look" he thought as he gave Misty a one over. Her one shoulder, long pink and red dress clung tightly to her form. Accompanying it she had a pink shawl and a necklace which she reluctantly borrowed from Lily. The upper section of the dress was pink, whilst the skirt part was a deep crimson, to say Ash was impressed was an understatement.
"Uhhh wow" was all Ash could say, to be honest he wanted to say beautiful but he wasn't such a smooth talker. Despite this Misty was just happy she made an impression him.
"Thanks" Misty said with a light blush before changing the subject. "Hey Ash can we get into the helicopter, these heels are killing me" Misty said before pulling up the dress a little making Ash form an O with his mouth.
"Ok then" Ash said hopping into the helicopter before grabbing her by the hand and gently pulling her in. The moment she got into the vehicle she spotted her sisters run out of the gym.
"Have fun you two" Lily said with a wink making Misty glare from the window, yet despite this reaction she felt silently appreciative of her, for fixing her up in such a way that would impress even the dense Ash.
"We will" Ash replied making the two sisters look to each other slyly and Misty facepalm, she really hoped she was being dense as usual, otherwise it was even more embarrassing.
"Remember to say hi to Daisy for us if you see her, oh and give our numbers out to super hotties!" Violet told her sister who pretended not to hear her because of the Helicopter taking off.
"Wow your sisters are still like that?" Ash asked in regards to their vanity and obsession with looks.
"Age has made them get worse, at least Daisy is ok" Misty said in regards to her favourite, and eldest sister.
"That's probably because she's dating Tracey" Ash said as they took to the skies. "How did they of all people get together" Ash asked the red head curiously, Pikachu seemed curious as well by the looks he was giving Misty.
"It was actually Daisy who came onto him" Misty joked. "I don't know what exactly happened but apparently she fell for him after he did some chores at the Gym" Misty said honestly, when Ash gave her a look of disbelief she pushed the point saying "I'm being serious!" making him laugh.
"Seriously though, Daisy?" Ash asked before remarking "I always thought she'd be into a badboy type for some reason" making Misty laugh.
"You're getting it wrong Ash, Lily and Violet are like that, Daisy is a little different, she likes nice guys" Misty said with a grin, "I'd say I take after her as well" before going silent for a moment. "Uh forget that" Misty said quietly.
"Hm?" Ash mumbled.
"N-nothing" she said making the pilot chuckle just as they reached the correct altitude, leaving Misty suitably embarrassed.
The flight was one hour in and the sun was setting, giving the pair a beautiful view of Saffron City which they were currently flying above. "Wow everything is so pretty from above" Misty said in wonder as she looked out the window, Ash copied her and looked over her shoulder, when he saw the sight he found himself unable to disagree.
"This is absolutely amazing" Misty said with a dreamy voice which made Ash smile, one eye on Misty instead of looking outside.
"Yeah, it is amazing alright" Ash said, still looking at Misty, when she noticed he was staring at her when he said it she knew her cheeks were turning pink.
"Thanks Vi, Lil" Misty thought whilst donning a wide smile and looking back out the window. "Hey Ash look at that" Misty said pointing to nothing in particular, when his head poked over her shoulder she took the moment to take a peek at his face up close.
"Huh what exactly?" Ash asked.
"Ah it's nothing" Misty said dreamily before turning back to the window, completely unaware that Pikachu was watching them with an almost happy look on his face.
As Ash had planned, the Helicopter landed on the building which the party was being held at. "Whew just in time" Ash said as he got out of the vehicle, before helping Misty out and thanking the pilot.
"We're so high up" Misty remarked, taking one look at the skyline Celadon before she spotted Ash walking slowly towards the roof of the door. "Hey Ash wait up!" she complained and as if on cue Ash stopped and waited for her to reach his side, holding his arm out.
"What are you doing Ash?" she asked the man.
"I thought it was a custom for women to link arms with their date" Ash said sheepishly before putting his arm down, this made Misty's heart beat faster, just because of how innocently he said it.
"I'd be honoured" she said as she took his arm and moved closer to his body as he led her into the hotel from the roof.
It didn't take long until the pair were on the ground floor, no security came to stop them, as if it was planned from the start, something that Ash felt appreciative about. With their arms linked the pair walked into the large dining hall which as expected was full of people wearing expensive suits and dresses. There was food on nearby tables which Ash had never even seen before and there was also a small stage which a few musicians were on, playing classical music.
"Wow" Misty remarked as Ash guided her into the room, he would have said the same thing, but he was too transfixed by the sign that read congratulations new champion. This moment of awe didn't last long though because before either of them noticed Delia appeared, with her trademark smile.
"Aw you two!" she said happily before turning to Misty. "You look absolutely beautiful Misty" Delia complimented before smiling "right Ash?" Delia asked her son, jolting him into action instantly.
"Uh yeah" he said, still in a bit of daze from the sign, this once again made Misty's heart pound a little.
"Aw you look like such a darling couple" Delia gushed "I wish I could take a picture" she said as she continued to pile on the praise.
"Please Mrs. Ketchum you don't have to be so kind" Misty offered making the woman pout a little.
"I was being honest dear, you two look brilliant, I'd say so even if it wasn't you and my son" Delia told Misty making her turn beat red.
"Hey mum can you stop it, can't you see you're embarrassing Mist?" Ash asked his mum who smiled at him knowingly.
"You don't see so embarrassed though Ash" she teased as she watched Ash unknowingly give someone the eye for staring at Misty, which made her smile softly.
"That's nothing to be embarrassed about" Ash responded, shutting up instantly when he realised the implications of what he was saying.
"Oooh" Delia teased as she looked at the satisfied look on Misty's face. "I'll just leave you two alone then, you should have a dance while you're at it" Delia said in a sing song voice before walking away feeling very satisfied.
"Uh what was all that about?" Ash muttered as he felt Misty tighten the grip she had on his arm.
"It's probably nothing" Misty lied with a soft tone and a small smile. "Come on let's go get something from over there!" Misty then said, changing the subject in the process, feeling absolutely giddy that Ash wasn't embarrassed by the suggestion of them being a couple.
After getting some good from a nearby table, it wasn't long before Ash and Misty saw a sight which left them absolutely breathless. No it wasn't a world famous movie star or model. It was in fact a sight oh so much rarer.
Standing in front of them, just across the hall was Brock, now that in itself wasn't shocking, but the thing that made Ash and Misty almost choke on their food was the sight of Brock smiling happily as two women glared at each other whilst fighting for his attention. "I-I can't believe it" Misty said, feeling her legs go weak.
"T-this can't be happening" Ash thought in a similar state of disbelief.
"D-do you know those two women Ash?" Misty asked, somewhat scared of what answer Ash might give, this occurrence could mean anything, for example the Apokélypse.
"Y-yeah" Ash said pointing to a woman with long black and red hair. "That is Lucy, the Pike Queen" Ash said as his finger moved to the other woman. "And that's Solidad, she won the Kanto grand festival four years back" Ash said before gulping "t-this is weird" Ash said backing away slightly.
"Should I go other there?" Misty asked as she watched Brock say something reminiscent of 'ladies, ladies there's no need to fight over me'. The mere notion made her blood boil, she didn't know why but a popular Brock was an annoying Brock.
"No let's just give him this moment. They're probably drunk or something" Ash said backing away before turning around and crashing right into someone.
"Hey!" the person said as he hit the floor "watch where you're-"he said as he looked at Ash and stopped. "It's you!" the man said getting to his feet. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you Ash the man said happily,
Ash stared at this person and thought something was similar about him and then it clicked. "Wait you're, no you can't be" Ash said as the man grinned sheepishly. "Jimmy, the man who beat Lance right?" he said getting a furious nod from the man.
"Yup" he said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off before turning around "huh, where'd Marina go" he said in a disappointed tone.
"Marina?" Misty said quietly before clicking her fingers "you mean the contest master, or is it mistress?" Misty asked the man excitedly, after all Marina was a world famous idol who had the most gorgeous Feraligatr she'd ever seen.
"Yep, we're childhood friends" he said with a smile "and she's kind of my girlfriend" he said shyly making Misty go 'aw' at how much he resembled Ash. "Anyways, Ash I've wanted to meet you ever since you drew with Vincent at the Silver Conference" he said excitedly.
"I don't remember a Vincent" Ash said honestly.
"Oh I know, he went by Jackson in the tournament for some reason, his name got mixed up or something" Jimmy said excitedly. "Anyways we're also childhood friends and that was an intense battle so I just had to meet you and well here you are!" Jimmy said in an extremely hyper manner, reminiscent of hyper-active Ash.
"Oh him" Ash said coming to a recollection "shiny Magneton?" Ash asked getting a nod from the Johto champion. "Wow" Ash said as he quickly struck up a friendship with the Johto champion.
"Oh Jimmy there you are!" all three of them heard a soft feminine voice call out which attracted the trio's attention.
"Oh Marina about time!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You look great" he complimented gaining a small blush from the woman.
"You already told me that" she said happily as she joined the conversation. "Oh you're Ash the one who drew with Vinny!" Marina said, gaining a small glare from Jimmy, who Misty assumed still felt at threat by Vincent.
"Yup!" Ash replied in a similar manner to Jimmy. "This is Misty" he said pointing to his date and favourite female friend. "She's aiming to be a water Pokémon master" Ash added the needless information.
"Ooh" Marina said as she turned to Misty and smiled. "Have you got a Feraligatr?" she asked Misty who shook her head sadly. "What Pokémon do you have?" she asked curiously making Misty's face brighten instantly.
"Oh my god, Marina is talking with me" she thought excitedly as she recited every single Pokémon she had with the contest master, she seemed genuinely interested and that was a bonus to Misty who could talk about water Pokémon all day long if she had to.
The conversation went on for quite a while and before they knew it, they had struck up quite the friendship. "Hey can I have your Pokégear number?" Jimmy asked Ash all of a sudden making the Kanto champion smile.
"Sure, can I have yours too?" Ash asked the man who nodded profusely.
Misty and Marina seeing this decided to also trade numbers, something that satisfied Misty immensely.
"Well I think we'll go now it was nice meeting-" Jimmy said as he turned around just to crash into another person which sent him back to the floor.
"Hey watch where you're going!" the man Jimmy crashed in a voice that was so grumpy that Ash was able to pick it out instantly.
"Paul?" Ash said gaining a smirk from the man in return. "Yeah it's definitely Paul alright" Ash thought sarcastically as he looked at his always so smug rival.
"It's about time Ash" Paul said in his deep voice confusing the new champion right from the get go.
"Huh?" Ash said in confusion making the purple haired man scoff at his idiocy.
"Hey aren't you going to apologise?" Jimmy cut in, but Paul just ignored him and continued to look at Ash.
"Becoming a champion obviously" Paul said before turning around. "Wait is that his way of saying congratulations when we meet in person?" Ash wondered curiously. Moments later another familiar voice caught his ear.
"Hey Paul, Paul!" the voice called out to the Sinnoh champion making him flinch uncharacteristically.
"What?" Paul asked 'angrily' making the young woman laugh.
"You promised not to get into any arguments with Ash when you got here" the woman said making Ash grin almost mockingly at the Sinnoh champion.
"What are you doing here Dawn?" Misty asked the woman who was scolding the Sinnoh champion.
"Oh Paul here 'asked' me to be his date, so I thought I might as well, after all I can show of my new line of work" Dawn said as she did a little twirl, showing off the new dress she made.
"Wow you made that?" Misty asked, genuinely amazed.
"Yep" she said with a grin before observing how Misty was still latched onto Ash's arm. "Ooh Ash, I always suspected something after the lure incident, but I didn't expect this!" Dawn said in a teasing voice.
"Oh gee, nice to see you too Dawn" Ash said sarcastically in the hopes of taking credibility from her argument, needless to say it didn't work.
"Hey is everyone just going to continue ignoring me?" complained Jimmy.
"Shut up" Paul told the Johto champion gruffly making Dawn turn to him and give him a stern stare with silenced him instantly.
Ash seeing this leaned over to Misty and whispered "Hey Mist, I think Paul is whipped" making the young woman giggle.
"What are you laughing at?" Paul asked the couple angrily which just made the two of them burst into laughter, surprising the entire group.
"What's so funny?" Dawn asked unsurely prompting Misty to make whipping noises, which turned Dawn's creamy complexion beet red in the process. Jimmy who caught on also did a whipping noise but this was met with Paul's furious glare, needless to say Jimmy shut up quite fast.
"I'm going" Paul said in a stroppy tone as he began to walk away, Ash could tell though he was embarrassed by what they were doing. "Oh one last thing" he said as he came to a stop. "I'll battle you at the next meeting of champions Ash" he said before continuing to walk away, followed by Dawn who apologised for him before leaving.
"Well that was eventful" Misty said as she stopped laughing.
"What a jerk" Jimmy said as he got to his feet.
"Oh don't worry, he's just bitter that I beat him in the Lily of the Valley conference" Ash said will a small grin.
"Oh I watched that match it was awesome!" Jimmy said making Marina face palm.
"Here he goes again" Marina said to Misty making the red head giggle as she understood exactly what she meant. "Oh well it'll be over soon so why don't we just talk some more" Marina offered making the water Pokémon specialist smile before engaging in a conversation about the complexity of Pokémon contests.
After a while Ash and Misty stopped talking to the Johto celebrities and went back over to the dining tables. "Oh what's that" Misty asked as she picked up a glass and consumed its contents instantly. "Woah" Misty said. "That's quite strong" she said in regards to the beverage making Ash sigh.
"Watch out, I don't want to be lugging you around everywhere" Ash joked making the woman flush.
"Whatever" she said childishly making Ash laugh.
As Misty and Ash made small talk they were interrupted by a small woman who was around Misty's height with short lavender coloured hair, Ash instantly recognised her and smiled instantly. "Anabel" he said happily making Misty feel somewhat jealous by the familiarity.
"Ash" she said with a smile. "I just had to say congratulations on your victory, I was cheering for you all along" she said softly making Ash smile, Misty on the other hand stared at the woman suspiciously and got even closer to Ash.
"Who's this?" the woman named Anabel asked Ash in regards to Misty.
"Oh this is Misty" Ash said "she's my date for the night" Ash said making Anabel flinch slightly.
"Oh, are you two, together?" she asked making Ash shake his head.
"No, she's a friend of mine" he said before turning to Misty. "That's what you would have wanted me to say right Mist?" he thought towards the red head who seemed to look angry after he said that.
"Really?" Anabel asked hopefully.
"Uh yeah" Ash replied to the woman who smiled instantly.
"Oh crap" Misty thought knowing exactly what the woman was up to. "Act nice Misty, nice and calm" Misty thought as she smiled at Anabel.
"Nice to meet you" Misty forced out making Anabel smile at her.
"Me too" Anabel said before turning back to Ash. "Say Ash do you want to come to the battle tower sometime, I haven't had a challenge in a while and I thought you'd be perfect" she asked the young man with a look of hope in her eyes.
"Yeah sure" Ash replied with a smile. "When I get the time I'll go see you at the battle tower" Ash replied making the woman grin with joy.
"O-ok" she replied as she turned to Misty, sensing the negative emotions just oozing off of her. "I think I'll get going now" Anabel said feeling quite intimidated. "It was nice seeing both of you" she said before quickly retreating making Ash feel confused.
"That's weird" Ash said.
"What's weird?" Misty said in an angered tone.
"Huh did I say something wrong?" Ash asked Misty with a look of concern on his face.
"No of course not!" she replied finally letting go of his arm and walking away angrily, leaving Ash wondering what the hell he had said that upset her.
After talking with some random guests whilst searching for Misty who had disappeared, Ash like everyone else stopped doing everything because Mr. Goodshow had got onto the stage.
The old man once acknowledging that everyone was silent walked up to the microphone and made a toast to Ash, congratulating him on becoming the new champion, to which Ash received a round of applause, making him blush sheepishly. Afterwards Ash was forced to make a small speech, something that he wasn't expecting.
As Ash approached the stage, he kept thinking about what he should say and in the end just allowed himself to go with what came to mind first. "Wow, a speech um" Ash started lamely before laughing a little "I wasn't quite expecting that" he said gaining a few small laughs from those present.
"So far so good, just imitate those on TV, thank people Ash, thank them!" Ash roared in his mind as he smiled nervously. "Well to start with I'd like to thank all those present for their kind words" Ash said inwardly congratulating himself as he said it.
"Secondly I'd like to give a big thanks to all those who have supported me over the years, just a few present today are my best friend Brock" he said pointing to the man who was still being surrounded by two women. "My mum for her constant support" he said with a smile on his face making the woman blush a little.
"And of course, my date for the night" Ash said off the top of his head, searching the crowd for Misty, when he found her he smiled and pointed to her. "Misty Waterflower, for being there for me from practically the beginning of my adventure" Ash said making the woman turn red at how affectionately he said the last comment, before turning away and crossing her arms. A few people whispered how sweet it sounded, more specifically the women of the crowd, which included his mother of course.
"A-anyway, that's all I can think of" he said gaining a few more laughs. "Oh and I'll make sure to do Kanto proud as its new champion, thank you once again" he said before bowing a little gaining another round of applause. "Whew that was lucky" Ash thought as he got off the stage.
"Hey Ash" Misty said the moment he stepped off the stage.
"You okay Mist?" Ash asked instantly, still worried that he'd upset her.
"You're forgiven" Misty said before looking away embarrassedly.
"What did I do?" Ash asked making Misty give him a small glare. "Wait it doesn't matter, I don't need to know" Ash said in fear of his life, at that moment he felt Misty grab his hand with her own.
"Come on, let's dance or something" Misty said shyly dragging him over towards the dancefloor.
"But I don't know how to dance" Ash protested weakly making the woman laugh a little.
"It doesn't matter, I'll teach you" she said as she grabbed another wine glass from a nearby table and consumed its contents quickly, concerning Ash briefly before they reached the dancefloor, where his concerns were replaced with other types of 'concern'.
Meanwhile as Ash danced, Delia watched from afar, sitting on a chair admiring how her matchmaking had paid off, well nearly. As she sat there observing she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "Care for a dance miss?" the man asked Delia from behind, when she turned around both herself and the man turned pale.
"Derek" she said in a low growl making the man flinch and walk back a pace.
"D-Delia, I-I, Oh god sorry you looked so different" Derek, Ash's father and former champion of Kanto stuttered lamely, half in fear, half in shock. "You're still so beautiful you know" he said before looking away. "I-I'll just go now" Derek said, seeking escape, but before he could he felt Delia gripping his suit quite tightly.
"Oh crap she's going to kill me" Derek thought as Delia looked him in the eye. "You stay right there mister" she said grabbing his hands with her own. "Let's 'dance'" she said in a way that sounded almost cold to Derek who feared even more for his safety.
As the two began to dance, Derek noticed how Delia aimed her extremely sharp heels towards his toes at every possible moment, even succeeding occasionally, nearly making him call out in agony, only keeping it in so he didn't cause a scene. "You bastard" Delia whispered to him making him gulp, he hadn't seen Delia so angry in such a long time, granted he hadn't seen her for a long time anyway.
"Delia what are you doing, you're seriously going to break my toes" Derek whispered back in a hushed tone making her smile almost, blissfully.
"Oh that was my intention" she said coldly holding up her wedding finger to show him that she still wore the wedding band, much to his surprise. "I have every right to 'punish' my own husband, right?" she whispered dangerously.
"Uh, wait please I have a reason" Derek said as the music stopped signalling for the dancing to stop.
"Uh-huh" Delia said, letting go of him and stepping back a few paces. "Derek why did you have to" she started but Derek put his hand up.
"Because I'm stupid" he replied honestly before walking away from her. "I won't tell Ash anything, I don't deserve to be his father" he continued, almost upsetting Delia, if she wasn't so furious.
And with that Derek escaped the scene, leaving Delia all alone again. Feeling down the woman made her way back to one of the seats to look for signs of her son and Misty, when she spotted them she noticed Misty still consuming a fair bit of alcohol, as was her son. The sight concerned her, but she couldn't really talk to anyone now, she was just so angry.
"You alright?" Delia heard her long time friend, and teacher ask.
"Oh Professor" she said before looking downwards "I-it's nothing" she said in a downtrodden tone.
"You didn't see Derek did you?" he asked in a quiet voice making her nod, after that Oak found that he couldn't say anything else, Delia was just that way about Derek, and he couldn't blame her either.
As the party started coming to a close, Ash realised that he was in no fit state to continue drinking, but Misty somehow kept convincing him to drink more and more, and before he knew it, he was out of the hall, with Misty in arm talking a guy at the counter.
"Hey, can I order a room?" Ash asked making Misty laugh drunkenly.
"You don't 'order' a room Ash, it's not food" she said slightly incoherently, to be honest it came out slurred.
"Uh sir I don't think I can" the man behind the counter said.
"I am the champion!" Ash declared as he slammed his hand on the desk, making the man sigh. "I demand a room!" he continued making Misty cheer before laughing her head off.
In retrospect, this is where Ash realised he made the biggest mistake.
"Ok sir" the man said. "make it double?" he asked and Ash just nodded. "Yesh" he replied and somehow managed to get his hands on a card key.
"Hey Mist itsh the top floor" he said making her laugh.
Before they knew it they were in front of 'their' hotel room.
"Youu first" Ash said as he opened the door with the card key after multiple attempt.
"Woooow" Misty said in drunken wonderment. "Thish is amazing" she said as she stumbled towards the massive bed and collapsed on it, giggling in the process. "Hey Ash, come over here" she said in a slurred manner, beckoning over the drunk champion.
As Ash made his way over he tripped and landed just above Misty. "Heyyy" she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ashh" she said softly before pulling the man down and kissing him hard on the lips. "Have you heard what happensh in Sheladon, staysh in Sheladon?" she asked the drunken Ash huskily after pulling away.
To be honest, even Ash had enough sense to shake his head but that didn't stop Misty from reaching for his top and unbuttoning it. "Wait Mist thish is bad" Ash protested, but it was a losing battle and before he knew it, he made the mistake that would affect the rest of his life.
He slept with Misty.
(End Chapter)
Holy shit that's a long chapter and I bet you all know now why this is called Responsibilities, and you know what Ash's responsibility is :O, either way I am amazed that I even completed this chapter today, but I guess it's thanks to all you amazing reviewers.
Btw some of the spelling mistakes are on purpose, I am crap at drunk speak .
Finally I bet you're wondering what the heck happened to Pikachu he snuck off and let Ash do his thing and spent his time with Professor Oak.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
-Aquilon.