A/N: Welcome to the next great installment of Pokemon Master Chronicles. Get ready to read because this is going to be a long one.(Thats what he said? *shrugs*) Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I know I did.
Special thanks to Omegafoxy and Nyislandersgirl. You ladies are amazing! This chapter would not be posted here if not for them! Honestly. You have no idea how serious I am. As a thank you for the gift of this great chapter, you should go check out there stuff. They don't just motivate the Yondy, they write too! :P
I do not own anything but my own ideas and the FEW original characters already in this story. I do not make any money off of writing this however, if you want to pay me to write these chapters, I will GLADLY do it. XD
"Dinner with the League Champion"
By the time that Rachael had received her father's letter, it was nearly 4:00. She would have to rush if she was to get ready before meeting him for dinner.
"I have to get ready like…now," Rachael said as she turned towards the inn and started to increase her pace as she built up momentum.
"Why not just go as you are? You look fine," Tobi asked his female cousin as he chased after her trying to catch up.
Upon hearing this blasphemy, Miley let out an exaggerated gasp. "Go as you are? You look fine? Tobi, you... you are such a BOY!"
Rachael, meanwhile, just ignored her bickering cousins. I don't have time to play referee, I have to start getting ready, Rachael thought to herself as she hurried up to her hotel room and began to look through the closet.
Miley walked into the room and shut the door swiftly behind her to keep Tobi out.
Thud. Tobi's head bounced off the door, causing him to let out a whine and grimace as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.
"No boys allowed while Ray Ray is getting dressed." Miley smirked from behind the closed door.
"Ow. Oh c'mon Miles. It's not like I am going to be watching her change clothes. We're cousins. I just don't want to be stuck waiting out here in the hall. Let me in, I can help her choose what to wear." Tobi rolled his eyes as he lowered his hand back down to his side.
Shortly after the words left Tobi's mouth, the door began to open to reveal Miley standing there, staring at Tobi questioningly. "I really question if you are straight sometimes Tobes," Miley giggled.
"Blame Sarah! She used to use me to help her pick out her outfits for the week when Jessica wasn't home. For someone who is a major tomboy, she can be really girly," Tobi grumbled.
Rachael walked out of the closet with a short, warm orange-yellow dress. "What do you think? My dad loves tropical colors on me. He says that they really bring out my eyes." Rachael asked as she held the dress in front of herself, widening her eyes for good measure.
Tobi and Miley both nodded in approval.
"Your dad has great taste for a guy," Miley giggled. "So what are you going to wear with it?"
Tobi stared at the dress for a moment and then walked over to the closet. After a few moments of deliberation, he pulled out a matching headband, a poke ball beret, a suede leather belt, and a pair of brown flats. "These should go great with that dress." Tobi commented with a smile.
Miley stood there in shock. "Sarah knew what she was doing. You have a good eye for these types of things. Remind me to use you to pick out my outfits for coordinator contests."
Rachael's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she looked at the pile of clothes in Tobi's arms. "That will look great, thank you! I'm going to change clothes." Rachael darted forward and took the clothes from her male cousin before heading into the bathroom to shower and prepare.
- - - - - - - - ( . . . . . . . .
Rachael emerged from the bathroom a little while later, completely transformed and grinning from ear to ear. "I love how well this all goes together! Thanks Tobes!" Rachael spun around to fully show off the outfit.
Tobi smiled proudly. "No problem. Just happy to help." The male teenager glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened. "You better get to the Pokémon center Rach. It's almost time to meet your dad."
Rachael began to scramble around trying to gather up her things and shove them into the drawstring bag she had planned to take with her. "Oh crap!" Feeling like she was completely out of time, Rachael spun around and began to run wildly towards the door.
Her mad rush was quickly stopped by Tobi, however, who was standing in front of the door and blocking off Rachael's only means of egress. "Did you grab everything you planned to take with you?" Tobi asked in a fatherly tone.
"Tobi, stop treating me like I'm a baby," Rachael grumbled as she folded her arms, starting to get annoyed with the boy.
Miley, who was sitting down on Rachael's bed in the corner of the room, finally looked up from the magazine she had been reading and removing the Pikachu ear buds from her ears. "You headed out Ray?"
Rachael looked from one cousin to the other. "Yes I am headed out," Rachael replied to Miley, "and yes I remembered everything," she narrowed her eyes at Tobi, who shifted uncomfortably underneath the glare. "Now, I have to go," Rachael said as she forcibly moved Tobi away from the door and dashed out into the hallway.
- - - - - - - - ( . . . . . . . .
Rachael rushed over to the Pokémon Center so quickly that she found herself out of breath from running. One of her biggest pet peeves was being late, so she certainly wasn't going to allow herself to be guilty of such a crime.
Not long after getting to the Center, Rachael heard the sound of large wings beating and the dirt nearby becoming kicked up and stirred. Rachael looked up just in time to see the large Pidgeot land on the ground, with a familiar figure riding on its back.
The man was tall and dark, with handsome, well defined features and a head of maturely tousled black hair. His eyes were a sweet chocolate brown, and each one featured a unique marking underneath them. Anyone would've recognized the man right away simply based on his job title, but Rachael would've recognized him right away simply based on the fact that, well…
He was her father.
As soon as her dad got off of the regal looking bird, Rachael rushed over and gave the strong man a combination of hug and tackle, all due to the momentum she had built up.
"Hey there Princess." Ash said with a breathless chuckle as he hugged his daughter, picking her up off the ground despite the loss of oxygen in his lungs. Ash was wearing a fine looking black pinstripe suit with a Poke ball badge pinned to his lapel. Ash pulled back from his daughter so that he could get a good look at how beautiful she had become. "You remind me so much of your mother when she was your age." Ash beamed.
"Dad, stop it. You're making me blush." Rachael said she turned a shade or two darker. Looking her father up and down, Rachael scrunched her nose up and asked, "What's with the fancy suit? You never dress up."
"I do when I have fancy league events," Ash uncomfortably shrugged his shoulders back. "Doesn't mean that I like it, though."
Giggling, Rachael walked over to her father's Pidgeot and started to pet it. "So where are we going to eat dinner?" Rachael inquired as she turned back around to look at Ash.
"I have a secret place in mind. Somewhere that I only take really special girls." Ash said with a mischievous grin.
Rachael was thoroughly confused, but knew that there no point in asking. If her father wanted it to be a surprise, there was no getting it out of him. "How are we getting there? Are we going to be riding Pidgeot?" Rachael asked as she looked back at the majestic bird Pokémon.
Ash chuckled as he replied, "We sure are. It would be a lot harder to get there from here otherwise."
Rachael started to mount Pidgeot, when she thought she heard her name being called. Looking over her shoulder, Rachael found Tobi and Miley running towards her.
"Rachael, wait! You forgot something." Tobi yelled as he continued to run towards Rachael. Tobi bent over breathing hard and panting as he tried to catch his breath. "You…forgot your…poke balls back in the room."
Shortly after Tobi, Miley appeared, looking just as winded as her male cousin. "We tried to catch you after you left…but you took off too quickly." Miley tried to take deep breaths to calm her system down from the unexpected cardio.
Rachael could feel her cheeks turning as red as a Charmander. "Oh my Arceus. I cannot believe that I ran off without them! Thank you so much for bringing them to me," Rachael said as she leapt off of Pidgeot and hugged both of her cousins before taking her poke balls back from Tobi.
"Don't worry about it. I've left mine before too when I first started out," Tobi reassured Rachael with a smile.
"It takes time to get used to making sure you have your poke balls, pokedex, and everything else you need now," Ash drawled on from behind the group of young trainers. "I almost left Pikachu asleep in the hotel once. He didn't let me forget about that for awhile," Ash laughed as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
Miley's eyes went wide when she noticed that her uncle had been standing there the entire time. "Oh, hey there Uncle Ash!" Miley called as she tried to cover up her airhead moment, throwing in a sweet smile and little wave for good measure.
Ash gave a slight chuckle at his niece's reaction as he greeted them. "Hey there Miley, Tobi! How are things going so far? Enjoying the freedom?"
"It feels good to get back out of Cerulean again," Tobi nodded as he laughed.
"It feels amazing!" Miley jumped in, her eyes glowing. "There is so much to see and do, and the boys! I have already seen like…three cute guys in just a few days!" Miley exclaimed.
Upon hearing this Rachael and Tobi just rolled their eyes and shook their heads at their cousin's first thoughts on her journey.
Ash gave a laugh as he said, "Well good! You kids try to stay out of too much trouble and just have fun. Well, Rachael, we had better get going. I'm starving!" As if on cue, Ash's stomach growled loud enough for the teenagers, as well as everyone in a ten foot radius, to hear it. Everyone began laughing at the champion's stomach, causing Ash to blush and once again rub the back of his neck, a nervous tick of the skilled older trainer.
"Okay," Rachael finished giggling. "I will see you guys later on tonight. Thank you once again for bringing me my poke balls!" Rachael nodded to both of her cousins before turning around to once again mount the bird Pokémon.
After Rachael had gotten settled onto Pidgeot's back, Ash hopped on right behind his daughter so that he could hold onto her to support during the flight. "I promise I will have her back later on tonight," Ash said with a smile and a wink.
Tobi grinned before playing along, "Now you take good care of her young man. I want her back by 10:00 tonight! Any time after that and I will come looking for you myself. Trust me, you don't want me to have to come find you," Tobi wagged his finger at his uncle as he tried to hold back the laughter.
Rachael just buried her face into her hands, trying to ignore her cousin's stupid act.
Ash let out a hearty laugh in response to the reversal of roles. "Yes sir. I promise that I will take good care of her."
With that, the Pidgeot soared up into the air. As they were flying off, Rachael heard a commotion going on back on the ground. Peering down, Rachael didn't exactly have the world's best view on the situation, but if she were to take her best guess from what she could see, Tobi was running away screaming from what appeared to be Nurse Joy.
- - - - - - - - ( . . . . . . . .
When Pidgeot finally landed, Rachael was thoroughly confused. There were no restaurants or cafes in sight. In fact, they weren't even in the city anymore. They had landed in the middle of a spacious valley, right near a giant oak tree.
"Dad, I thought you said we were going to have dinner," Rachael blinked.
From behind her, Ash chuckled and confirmed, "We are." He hopped off of Pidgeot and moved next to Rachael, offering his hand in order to help her off of the large flying type. Rachael giggled in girlish delight, the simple action reminding her of when she was a small child and needed help from her father with almost everything she did. Wordlessly, she accepted her father's offering and allowed him to gently pull her off of the bird. Once on the ground, Rachael continued to look around.
"So...where's the restaurant?" Rachael looked up at her father. He hummed amusedly and began to walk towards the tree, further puzzling his young daughter.
"I never said anything about a restaurant, sweetheart."
Inadvertently, Rachael's jaw dropped. "You said we were going out to dinner!"
"And we are," Ash looked over his shoulder with mischievously twinkling eyes. Rachael growled quietly and stormed over to her father, once again staring up at him in impatience.
"I don't see where there is to eat around here!" Rachael cried.
"Then you're not looking carefully enough," Ash winked. "Why don't you try again?"
Rolling her (insert the color of Rachael's eyes here cause I forgot XD) eyes, Rachael skirted in front of her father and scanned around the field in which they had landed. What she was seeing was a whole bunch of nothing, unless one counted dark green grass and the occasional patch of colorful wildflowers. Oh, and then there was that giant oak tree. Turning on a heel, Rachael glared at the massive tree, wondering if it would tell her whatever it was that her father expected her to find on her own. Lowering her eyes towards the base of the trunk, Rachael finally saw what her father had been hinting to.
It was a gorgeous picnic set up: a wide array of foods resting on a pale blue and white checkered blanket. There were plates, cups, napkins, and even her favorite kind of juice.
"A picnic?" Rachael asked her father delicately, turning around to look at him innocently.
"Yes, a picnic," Ash laughed at his daughter's expression. "Don't look so hesitant, now. I didn't cook any of the food."
"Good," Rachael breathed and held a hand over her heart. Raising an eyebrow, she once again gazed at her father and continued, "But...you said you only take special girls here."
"And I meant that," Ash nodded.
"What other girls have you taken here?" Rachael folded her arms.
Smirking, Ash's cheeks turned a very gentle shade of pink as he answered, "just one. Your mother."
"Mom?" Rachael pulled her shoulders back in surprise.
"This is where we had our first date," Ash showed his daughter a toothy grin. "A picnic right under that tree. It only seems fitting that I would take my daughter to the same spot for dinner on the first night of her journey. So, shall we eat?"
Laughing, Rachel answered, "I thought you would never ask!" And with that, she bounded towards the lovely looking picnic, eager to get her hands on some of the delicious looking food and catching up with her father.
"Oh, all of this looks so good," Rachael murmured as she sat down on the blanket and observed all of the food.
"Of course it does, because like I said, I didn't make any of it," Ash smirked as he joined his daughter on the ground.
"Dad, it's an unwritten rule that you're not allowed anywhere near a kitchen," Rachael laughed.
"Unless it's to eat," Ash added.
"That's true," Rachael reached for a roll of bread and took a bite out of it.
"So, Rach, tell me," Ash folded his arms, "how has your journey been so far?"
"It's only been a few days," Rachael raised an eyebrow.
"I know. I just want to know how you're enjoying it so far."
"Oh, it's been good!" Rachael beamed at her famous father. "Miley and Tobi make good travelling partners. They're both entertaining, at least. And I do love to spend all of this time outdoors."
"That's great!" Ash encouraged. "Have you seen any Pokémon yet?"
"Some, but I haven't tried to catch any yet," Rachael shrugged.
"Don't worry, that time will come soon enough," Ash smiled receptively at his only daughter.
"I don't want to wait much longer," Rachael grinned. "I'm just waiting for the right Pokémon to come along! It's got to be a good match, you know."
"Of course I do," Ash chuckled. He continued looking his daughter over, smiling adoringly at her as she looked over the different sandwich options she had. Feeling her father's eyes on her, Rachael looked up slowly and gently twisted her mouth.
"What are you looking at?" She asked cautiously.
"You, silly," Ash laughed, straightening his back. "I just can't believe how much you've grown up!"
"Err, thanks," Rachael's cheeks turned a faint shade of red.
"I remember the first time I ever saw you," Ash closed his eyes in bliss, "and you were just a tiny little baby, probably the cutest thing I've ever seen."
"That's nice, Dad…" Rachael's blush intensified.
"You used to make so many noises, and they were like little squeaks," Ash continued, completely oblivious to his daughter's embarrassment. "I would just hug and cuddle you all night, and your Mom would dress you up in all these really girly outfits that kind of freaked me out…"
"Okay, Dad!" Rachael finally covered her face with her hands. "Let's stop talking about me as a baby!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart!" Ash chuckled. "I didn't realize I was embarrassing you so much."
"No problem," Rachael rubbed the back of her neck.
As she lowered her hand, the sound of rustling bushes could be heard not too far off. Ash and Rachael both looked around confused as to where the noise had come from, or what had caused it.
"Dad, what was that?" Rachael asked her father quietly.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ash shrugged.
The two kept on searching until a small figure jumped out of a nearby group of bushes. Rachael locked eyes on it and gasped, alerting her father with the frantic waving of her hands.
"Dad!" Rachael shrieked.
"What?" Ash crawled forward hurriedly. "What is it?"
"Look!" Rachael pointed eagerly at the little creature standing in front of the bushes. It was standing on all fours, its large ears and long whiskers twitching gently as it sniffed the air. The Pokémon's light blue coat looked beautiful in the dying sunlight, while the small spikes going down its spine looked slightly menacing.
"That's a Nidoran!" Ash grinned.
"Nidoran, huh?" Rachael smirked. Getting an idea, Rachael pulled her bag closer to her and reached in, pulling out her poke dex and aiming it at the small Pokémon.
Nidoran, female. The poison pin Pokémon. Female Nidoran have smaller horns than their male counterparts, but her poison pin is just as deadly.
"It's not very often you see wild Nidoran running around here," Ash commented.
"Really?" Rachael looked at her father in astonishment. Giggling, she put her poke dex back into her bag and replaced it with a poke ball. "In that case, I'm gonna catch it!" She went to stand up and charge towards the poison type, but was stopped by Ash, who had grabbed onto her ankle. "Hey!" Rachael looked down and glared at her father.
"You can't just go running up to a wild Pokémon, Rach," Ash scolded gently. "She'll run off!"
"So what do I do?"
"Well, take out a Pokémon to battle with, for starters," Ash released his daughter's leg. "You're not gonna catch any Pokémon without weakening it first."
"Uh…oh yeah, you're right," Rachael blushed yet again. Kneeling down, she searched through her poke balls, eventually deciding on Vee. "Okay, now I'm ready!"
"Move over slowly," Ash continued to instruct his daughter. "Remember, you don't want to freak it out."
"Right, slowly," Rachael nodded, approaching the poison type with extreme caution. Once she was right in front of it, though several feet away, the little Nidoran took notice of the young girl in front of her and bared her large front teeth.
"I'm gonna get you, Nidoran," Rachael murmured to herself. Enlarging the poke ball in her hand, Rachael tossed it in the air and called, "come on Vee, help me out!"
The furry brown Pokémon appeared in a wash of blue light, shaking her head out as she was freed from her sphere. Turning around, Vee faced Rachael and squealed happily, wagging her long and fluffy tail in excitement.
"No, it's not time to play, Vee," Rachael shook her head. Pumping an excited fist, she explained, "it's Pokémon catching time!"
"Ee?" Vee tilted her head.
"That's right," Rachael grinned, "and I want you to help me!"
"Ee! Eeevee!" Vee chirped, whipping around and growling at the little blue creature in front of her.
"Awesome!" Rachael clapped. "Now, Vee, use bite!"
"Vee?" The normal type Pokémon tilted her head.
"Huh? Come on Vee, I told you to use bite!"
"Ee…" Vee looked over her shoulder and frowned.
"What's wrong?" Rachael scratched her head.
"Rachael, Vee doesn't know that attack yet."
"Ah!" Rachael jumped, not realizing that her father was now standing behind her. Putting a hand over her wildly beating heart, Rachael glared at Ash and cried, "Dad! Don't do that!"
"Sorry princess, just trying to help you out," Ash tried not to laugh at the panicked expression on his daughter's face.
"You could help me by not trying to scare me to death," Rachael grumbled.
"You need to tell Vee to use an attack that she actually knows," Ash elucidated, ignoring his daughter's backhanded comment.
"Which would be…?" Rachael raised an eyebrow.
"Rach, you don't know?" Ash folded his arms.
"Not quite…"
"Man, you really are like me, huh?" Ash sighed.
"Not funny!" Rachael wailed.
"Look, right now, Vee knows tail whip and tackle," Ash held onto the young girl's head.
"That's it?" Rachael's shoulders slumped forward.
"Vee is still very young and inexperienced," Ash placed his hands on his hips. "You have to train her if you want her to know more attacks, and now is a good time to start."
"Alright…" Rachael spun back around. "Vee, use tackle!"
This time, Vee was able to comply to Rachael's request. The little evolution Pokémon dashed towards Nidoran, their bodies making contact as the poison type cried out and went flying backwards.
"Nice job, Vee!" Rachael cheered. Kneeling down, she picked up the empty poke ball that she had set down by her feet and grinned, "Now it's time to catch it!"
"Not yet!" Ash grabbed onto Rachael's shoulder.
"Dad, what the-"
"Nidoran isn't weak enough yet," Ash cut off whatever word his daughter had in mind. "You've got to keep attacking."
"Ugh, more?" Rachael groaned.
"Patience, sweetheart," Ash smirked.
"Ni!" Nidoran shook herself out and jumped at Vee, using her claws to attack the little Pokémon.
"Ah, Vee!" Rachael cried.
"Nidoran just used scratch," Ash commented. "Rachael, why don't you tell Vee to try tail whip?"
"I can make my own decisions, thank you very much," Rachael huffed as she puffed her chest out. Looking over at the two Pokémon, Rachael called, "Vee, try tail whip!"
"Your own decisions, huh?" Ash smirked.
"She only knows two attacks!" Rachael stomped her foot in aggravation as she glared over at her father.
Vee squeaked and jumped away from Nidoran, turning around and smacking the small poison type with her fluffy tail.
"Yes, atta girl, Vee!" Rachael cheered.
Nidoran whined quietly before falling over, much to Rachael's joy and Ash's surprise.
"Wow, done already?" Ash scratched his head. "She must be a young one."
"Time to catch her!" Rachael finally got to toss the empty poke ball. "Go poke ball!"
The red and white sphere soared over Vee and hit the little Nidoran on her side. The young Pokémon was sucked up into the ball by a red light, which remained on the center of the poke ball as it landed on the ground.
"Yes, I caught a-"
"Not yet," Ash cleared his throat.
"What do you mean not yet?" Rachael rolled her eyes. "Nidoran is inside the poke ball, isn't she?"
"Yes, but you have to make sure she stays inside."
"I'm sure she will."
"You don't always know, princess."
Scoffing, Rachael leaned forward and watched the wiggling poke ball with intense interest. After a few seconds that really felt like an eternity to the young trainer, the sphere stood still and the red disappeared from the center, the capture confirmed with a tiny click from the ball.
Grinning, Rachael looked over her shoulder and asked, "Can I celebrate now?"
Chuckling, Ash nodded and confirmed, "Yes, now you can celebrate."
Squealing so loudly that Ash had to cover his ears, Rachael ran forward and claimed the poke ball, holding it close to her chest. "How awesome! I just caught a Nidoran, my very first Pokémon!"
"Vee!" Eevee jumped into the air.
"Alright, let's see…" Rachael pressed the poke ball's center button, "come on out!"
The sparkling blue light that emerged from the sphere soon formed into Nidoran, who was looking up at Rachael with big, innocent, and tired red eyes.
"You're such a cutie," Rachael placed her hands on her knees as she bent down and giggled. "I think I'm going to call you Raine! Do you like that?"
"Ni…" Nidoran nodded just once before falling down on her hind legs.
"Hey, you okay there, Raine?" Rachael tilted her head.
"Rach, you just battled with the poor thing," Ash explained. "You've got to take her to the Pokémon Center to be checked out and to heal her up."
"That sounds like a good idea," Rachael nodded as she returned Raine to her poke ball. "I guess Vee should probably get a check up too." Retrieving Vee's poke ball, Rachael held it out and returned the happy but tired Pokémon to the safety of its ball.
"Right, and I can call your mother," Ash smiled.
"Be careful with that," Rachael smirked as she went to gather her things. "Mom's bad moods strike unannounced."
"Don't I know it," Ash sighed. "Especially now…"
- - - - - - - - ( . . . . . . . . WAKAWAKAWAKA!
Walking into the large building, Rachael immediately felt right at home. All of the trainers and their Pokémon sitting around the room, chatting happily to one another as they discussed their latest battles and grooming tips…Rachael was more than comfortable in this setting. She wasn't, however, entirely sure of what to do with her tired Pokémon.
Looking up at her father with her cobalt blue eyes, Rachael waited silently until Ash felt her eyes locked on him and he looked down at her with interest.
"What's up, Rach?"
"What do I do with my Pokémon?" Rachael held up the two poke balls.
"Easy," Ash smirked. "You take them to Nurse Joy!"
"That's it?" Rachael blinked.
"Of course. It's her job to take care of tired and injured Pokémon. All you have to do is bring your poke balls up to her and ask her to heal them for you."
"How long is it going to take?" Rachael whined. She wasn't an overly patient girl, since she always wanted to get from point A to point B as fast as she possibly could.
"Not very long at all," Ash chuckled. "Well, it shouldn't so long as Nurse Joy doesn't have too many Pokémon to cure. Why don't you take them to her now so you don't have to wait around any longer? I'll call up your mother while you're busy."
"Sounds good," Rachael nodded, scurrying off to the front desk where Nurse Joy and her Chansey were working.
Watching after his daughter, Ash himself headed for the wall of video phones, choosing one and dialing up the familiar phone number of his home.
Sighing, Ash tapped his foot as the phone rang, waiting for Misty to pick up. Like his daughter, Ash was not exactly a patient person. He supposed she got this less than desirable trait from him.
After what felt like an eternity, Ash's red headed wife appeared on the screen, causing Ash to grin happily. Misty, meanwhile, looked shocked by Ash's appearance, her eyes widening and face paling ever so slightly.
"A…Ash?"
"Hey there pretty girl," Ash chuckled huskily. "How have ya' been?"
"HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THAT!" Misty screamed. Ash nearly jumped out of his seat, his heart hammering away in his chest. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure if he'd ever seen Misty get that mad that fast. And that was saying something for the temperamental former gym leader!
"Whoa, Mist!" Ash held his hands out in front of himself for protection, as if Misty was about to jump out of the screen and kill him. "Why are you getting so angry? What did I do?"
"You're asking me how I've BEEN!" Misty cried.
"So? I thought I was being chivalrous!"
"Might have been nice for you to come home every once in awhile," Misty folded her arms and looked down, her voice moving down a decibel. "Maybe then you would know how I've been."
"Oh, Misty, I'm sorry," Ash frowned. "I didn't realize that's why you were getting all worked up! You know that I miss you!"
"I miss you too," Misty wailed softly. "And now I'm stuck in this house all by myself! Chase and Rachael are both gone…I'm kind of lonely, Ash."
"You've got a little company in your belly, don't you?" Ash winked playfully.
"I don't find you very funny right now, Ash Ketchum," Misty narrowed her eyes.
"Sorry babe," Ash chuckled. "I just thought maybe that would cheer you up!"
"Okay, I left the Pokémon with Nurse Joy!"
Ash looked over his shoulder and smiled. "That's great, honey!" When he turned back to Misty, however, Ash was again surprised to see that Misty looked pissed off once again. "Oh, what did I do now?"
"Who are you talking to?" Misty hissed acidly.
"Who? Oh, it's just-"
"It's just who?" Misty cut him off. "Some pretty little mistress that you stumbled upon?"
"A…what? A mistress?" Ash furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe what he was hearing!
"Yeah, you know, the kind of stupid girl that breaks up a perfectly fine marriage!" Misty growled. "Don't you think for a second that I don't know you have girls all over yourself no matter where you go!"
"Yeah, but I would never-"
"So that's why you haven't been home in weeks!" Misty snarled. "You've been fooling around with this woman! Where did you pick her up, huh? Celadon? Viridian? Tell me where, Ash Ketchum!"
"Dad, why is Mom naming every major city in Kanto? And who is this "she" you guys are talking about?"
Misty huffily looked over Ash's shoulder, and was surprised to see Rachael standing there, looking confusedly between her and Ash.
"Eh…Mist…this is who I was talking to…" Ash chuckled nervously as he nodded his head towards Rachael.
"Rachael?" Misty asked breathlessly.
"Yep, hi Mom!" Rachael giggled as she waved to her mother, completely oblivious to her parents' previous conversation.
"Oh, my little girl!" Misty cooed, causing Rachael to blush furiously. "I've missed you so much, honey!"
"Mom, I've only been gone a couple of days…" Rachael sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.
"That doesn't mean I can't miss my precious daughter," Misty jokingly scolded Rachael. "I'm not used to not having you around, after all! I miss seeing your adorable face every day!"
"Why is everyone out to embarrass me today?" Rachael groaned.
"Because we're your parents," Ash smirked, placing a hand on Rachael's shoulder. Looking back at Misty, he continued, "Speaking of which…let me see your tummy!"
"Huh?" Misty raised a single eyebrow, rather confused by Ash's sudden request.
"I haven't seen you in such a long time," Ash chuckled. "I kind of forgot what you look like when you're pregnant! So, can I see?"
"Why?" Misty blushed slightly.
"Because I miss you and I want to see your cute little belly!" Ash chirped.
"Maybe you should just show him, Mom," Rachael shrugged. "If you don't, I might have to club him over the head just to get him to stop talking in that creepy, high pitched voice."
"Ah!" Ash shrieked, covering the top of his head with his arms. Once he heard Rachael giggling girlishly from behind him, Ash sighed and lowered his arms, shaking his head. "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."
"Okay, fine, I guess you can look at my stomach," Misty laughed airily. "But only because Rachael said so."
"Oh, of course," Ash teasingly rolled his eyes and smirked.
Still blushing, Misty stood up to her full height in order to show Ash her swollen midsection. As soon as Ash saw it, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Well?" Misty prompted, holding a hand against the bottom of her bump.
"You got big…" Ash stammered.
"WHAT?" Misty stomped her foot and quickly sat back down, her eyes looking frantic with reflections of both anger and astonishment dancing around in her sea green orbs.
"Dad, how could you say that?" Rachael smacked his shoulder.
"Ow," Ash whined, holding onto his now stinging shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mist, I didn't mean it like that!"
"Then how did you mean it?" Misty grumbled, lowering her eyes to the floor.
"It's just…I've been gone for so long," Ash frowned at this, "that the last time I saw you, you had this little belly, all tiny and cute. But I guess I've been away from you long enough that, well…that happened."
"It's not really your fault, dear," Misty tried to comfort her clearly regretful husband. "I did kind of grow pretty fast."
"That's not an excuse," Ash sulked. Looking up, he continued in a determined voice, "Okay, that settles it. I'll be home within the next two days."
"What?" Misty and Rachael exclaimed simultaneously.
"I have to see you, Misty," Ash sighed. "I feel like I've abandoned you."
"Oh Ash, I know that you would never abandon me," Misty smiled sweetly.
"Either way, I don't think I can take being away from you for much longer," Ash pulled his shoulders back. "I've made up my mind. And don't try to change it, Misty!"
"I would never do that," Misty smirked. "I know that once my Ash puts his mind to something, he won't quit until he's achieved it."
"That's right," Ash nodded proudly. "So you can count on me!"
"I'm sure I can," Misty giggled behind her hand. "Alright then. I'll see you in a few days. And you, young lady," Misty playfully wagged a finger at Rachael, "behave yourself while you're out and about! No getting into trouble like your father, Brock, and I did."
"Got it," Rachael gave her mother thumbs up.
As soon as the call was disconnected, a little chime accompanied by an announcement came over the center's loudspeaker that caught the attention of both Ash and Rachael.
"Rachael Ketchum, your Pokémon are all healed! Please pick them up at the front desk. Thank you!"
"Well, that's convenient," Rachael cocked her head to the side.
"Yeah," Ash chuckled. "Come on, let's go get your Pokémon."
Following after his daughter, Ash watched as she retrieved her two poke balls, thanking Nurse Joy as she placed the red and white spheres back into her bag.
"So, I guess you're heading home now?" Rachael looked up at her father.
"I am," Ash nodded. "I think I've been away from home long enough. Your mother definitely is lonely, and she probably needs my help. You saw how pregnant she was, after all."
"I still can't believe you called her fat," Rachael sighed.
"I did not!" Ash gasped.
"You pretty much did," Rachael smirked.
"I was just…taken off guard is all," Ash scoffed as his eyebrow twitched.
"Yeah, that baby has been growing like a weed," Rachael noted. "I could swear to you that every morning when I saw Mom, she had gotten bigger from the night before."
"Which is exactly why I need to go home," Ash nodded. "I don't know how much longer she's gonna be able to take care of herself like this."
"But…the baby isn't coming for another couple of months," Rachael eyed her father.
"You never know, Rach," Ash shrugged. "Babies are weird. Chase came a few days early, and you came almost an entire week late. I just want to make sure your mother isn't left all alone when that time comes."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Rachael reluctantly offered. She really didn't want to go home so soon after beginning her journey, but she was smart and responsible enough to know that if her family needed help, she was going to provide it without an argument.
"No, you keep on going," Ash smiled at his daughter. "I think you have enough Pokémon now to take on your first gym battle!"
"Really?" Rachael's eyes widened slightly.
"Four to choose from is pretty great. For my first gym battle, I only had two, and neither one was well suited to battle against rock types. But you have Staryu, don't forget! It's a water type, so that'll be a great advantage for you going into battle!"
"Awesome!" Rachael cheered. "I guess I know where I'm headed next!"
"Right, Pewter City," Ash nodded. "And once you get your first badge, then you should come by and visit home."
"Uh…why?" Rachael blinked. She knew she would offer her help if it was needed, but her father had just made it seem like it wasn't. All of a sudden, he was changing his tune?
"Relax Rach," Ash chuckled. "I'm not gonna tie you down to home! I want you to travel around, catch lots of Pokémon, and become the best trainer you can possibly be. That being said, I also don't want you to forget about your home and your family. The one thing I wish I would've done while traveling was to visit home more often. So if you and your brother just show up every now and then, I truly believe it will benefit you two in the long run."
"Well, you are the champion," Rachael smirked, "so I guess it can't hurt to follow your advice!"
"I was speaking to you more as your father, but however you want to look at it is fine by me," Ash chuckled.
"Okay, Dad, I will," Rachael moved forward and wrapped her arms around her father. "See you soon?"
Grinning, Ash craned his neck down and kissed Rachael on the top of her head. "Yes, princess. I'll see you soon."
A/N: Please R&R. I love all you readers! Those of you who have taken the time to review my story, make me smile every time my email pops up. You guys rock. I want to once again take the time to thank my awesome editor Nyislandersgirl for helping me get this chapter done finally.
I will soon be starting up a series of oneshots that will go along with this story. I will continue writing this story, but these oneshots will be a companion story to shine light on things mentioned in my main story, like the girls bad experience with the Machamp(Chapter 1).These one shots will be everything from Ash and Misty's honeymoon to shopping sprees on Ash's credit card, and everything in between. At least one will be a lemon. Gotta love some citrusy goodness. Well, I am outta here for now. ~Yondy ^.^