~The Dangers of Babysitting~

Charlotte: 3-years old

Summary: He'd only asked Pikachu to watch Charlotte for a few minutes while he was on the phone. What could possibly go wrong?


When the phone rang that afternoon, it was pretty quiet in the Hamilton-Ketchum household. Ruby was away at work, Charlotte was taking her afternoon nap, and Ash was enjoying his peace and quiet by watching some Pokémon Battles. Hearing the phone ring, though, he pulled himself off the couch so he could go answer the phone, Pikachu following close behind. Picking up the phone, he listened as his boss informed him that they really needed to talk about the condition of a Pokémon Ash had been helping him train.

"Pikachu," Ash called, pressing the phone against his shoulder so his boss couldn't hear him. Hearing his trainer call his name, Pikachu directed his attention to Ash, "I really have to take this phone call. Can you watch Charlotte for me? She should still be asleep, so you don't have to worry too much." As much as he hated when Ash asked him to watch over his daughter, Pikachu gave in and agreed. "Thanks, Buddy! You're the best! I'll be outside if you need anything."

As Ash once again got distracted in his phone call, Pikachu ran off to Charlotte's bedroom so he could watch over the little girl like Ash had asked him. When he got there, thankfully, she was still fast asleep in her bed, making Pikachu's job a lot easier. Leaping onto Charlotte's bed, Pikachu tiptoed to the end before curling up into a ball to take a nap himself. Even if he were sleeping, his keen sense of hearing would be able to alert him if Charlotte were to suddenly wake up.

OOOO

Cracking open her eyes, Charlotte sat up in her bed and threw off the covers so she could get out. Grabbing her pink blanket, she climbed out of her bed so she could go find her dad to play with. Before she got too far, though, she noticed her dad's Pikachu curled up on the end of her bed, causing her to quickly get excited. Pikachu never slept in her room, and whenever she begged her dad to let him, the little electric Pokémon would just end up sneaking out before she woke up.

"Pikachu!" She called, falling forward on her bed so her face was inches from his. "Wake up!" Hearing his name being called, Pikachu cracked upon an eye to see who needed him. When he spotted Charlotte staring back at him, however, he closed his eyes again, hoping she might give up and go back to bed. Frowning when Pikachu didn't respond to her calls, Charlotte took it upon herself to make sure Pikachu woke up so they could play together. "C'mon, Pikachu!" she yelled, giggling as, to the distress of Pikachu, she pulled on his tail, sure that would wake him up. When that wasn't working fast enough, she started to pull his ears and his paws. "Play with me!"

Knowing that if he sat there any longer he would be forced to endure through Charlotte's torture, Pikachu finally opened both eyes and stretched his body, pretending he had just woken up. Beyond thrilled that he had finally woken up, Charlotte grabbed Pikachu in her arms and proceeded to carry him with her as she ventured outside her bedroom door. Making her way down the hallway and into her parent's room, Charlotte instantly got an idea when she saw her parent's open closet.

"Let's play dress up, Pikachu!"

Setting Pikachu on the floor in the closet, Charlotte searched around the closet for something she thought would be a good dress up outfit. Looking down at the pink blanket already in her hands, Charlotte glanced up and spotted one of Ruby's dresses, deciding then and there that she would dress up as a princess. Grabbing the bottom of her mom's green dress, Charlotte pulled it off the hanger, letting it fall to the ground in a heap. Next, she knew she needed some shoes, so she searched around the closet until she came across some matching shoes in a clear, plastic tub.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as a warning. "Pi pi pi!"

Ignoring his cries, Charlotte pulled out the box with the shoes she wanted, causing the tower to wobble as it started to topple over. Panicking that Charlotte would get hit, which would result in him getting in trouble, Pikachu leaped onto a nearby shelf and tried to push the tubs of shoes the opposite way. Of course, when he did this, it didn't matter, as Charlotte managed to move out of the way just in time. So, instead of falling on her, the tubs of shoes came crashing down on Pikachu, knocking the Pokémon off the shelf he had been standing on.

Already determined to find her next costume piece, Charlotte didn't even notice Pikachu's sudden disappearance or the fact that the shoes had all fallen on him. Pulling open the drawers in her parent's dresser, Charlotte searched for something that could be used as a crown. Although it wasn't the most practical crown, Ruby's yellow bra made the perfect crown in Charlotte's eyes. Pulling it out of her mother's drawer, she stuck it on her head, pulling the straps around her ears so her makeshift crown would stay in place. Knowing that every princess needed a prince, Charlotte also grabbed a blue bra for Pikachu.

Poking his head out of the pile of shoes that had fallen on him, Pikachu shook his head in frustration. Before he could escape, though, Charlotte rushed over to him with another article of clothing. "Here, Pikachu! Now you're a prince!" Charlotte giggled as she stuck the bra over Pikachu's ears, fastening the clip so it stayed in place. "Now we need to find makeup so I can be a pretty princess!"

Knowing exactly where she would find her mom's makeup, Charlotte lead the way to the bathroom, slamming the drawer behind her. Unfortunately, she shut the dresser drawer a bit too hard. The knick-knacks on top to tilted back and forth, threatening to fall off the edge and onto Charlotte. Once again sensing that Charlotte was potentially in danger, Pikachu made a leap onto the dresser so he could grab the objects before they fell. While Charlotte carried on without a care in the world, Pikachu took a book to the head. Instantly feeling the pain as the book collided with his head, Pikachu teetered around, dizzy and disoriented. It wasn't too long before he finally collapsed on the dresser, knocked out from the hit.

Shaking it off the best he could, he made a mad dash for Charlotte, afraid that if he let her out of his sight for too long, she would surely get into even more trouble. When he finally found her in the bathroom, she was standing on a stool in front of the mirror, Ruby's makeup scattered all around her. Grabbing Ruby's lipstick, Charlotte smeared it over her lips just like she had seen her mom do multiple times. Exchanging it for some blush and eye shadow, she took the fluffy brush she always saw her mom use and spread some of the powder on her cheeks and on her eyelid. Satisfied with the way she looked, Charlotte hopped off her stool, her blanket knocking over some of Ruby's makeup in the process.

Unable to move quick enough, Pikachu watched in horror as the blush came crashing on top of him, caking him in a mist of powder that turned parts of his fur pink.

"Oops!" Charlotte whispered, her mouth forming an o-shape.

Scrambling to pick up the makeup from the floor, her movements only managed to cause her blanket to knock more makeup off the counter. As she attempted to pick up the falling makeup, Charlotte stepped on some of the lipstick, crushing it as she smeared it all over the floor. The last thing to fall was Ruby's perfume bottle. It shattered into many pieces the second it hit the ground. At first Charlotte was about to clean up the shattered bottle, but then she remembered her parents had always warned her not to touch shattered class because she could get hurt. With this is mind she raced out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Racing after her, Pikachu suddenly slipped on the spilled perfume, sending him crashing into the wall.

Recollecting himself after his fall, Pikachu rushed to Charlotte's side. "Pika, pika!" he yelled, waving his finger at her in a parental fashion.

Turning to see what Pikachu was yelling at her about, Charlotte frowned when she saw the makeup and perfume all over him. "Pikachu, a prince can't be all dirty like that!" she declared, more concerned with Pikachu's appearance than what he was telling her. "No worry, I give you bath!"

As Charlotte ran over to the sink, Charlotte pulled over the stool she always used so she could reach the sink. Stepping on the stool, she turned the faucet on and put the drain stopper in. Grabbing the soap she always used to wash her hands, she unscrewed the cap and poured half of the bottle into the sink. Jumping off the stool, she searched the counter for a towel she could use to dry off Pikachu once he was all washed.

While Charlotte searched for a towel, Pikachu looked toward the back door where he could see his trainer sitting in a chair, chatting away on the phone and completely oblivious to what was going on inside. In attempt to get Ash's attention, Pikachu jumped up and down, waving his arms around as he called out to Ash.

Spotting a towel near the dishwasher, she grabbed the edge of it and pulled, unaware that there was already dishes on top of it. Hearing the dishes slide toward the edge of the counter, Pikachu quickly abandoned his attempt to get Ash's attention, knowing it was more important to ensure Charlotte didn't get hurt.

Pikachu dove to try and catch the dishes before they could come crashing to the ground, but, unfortunately, luck was not on Pikachu's side today, and the dishes came crashing to the ground, two knives just missing his tail.

Meanwhile, after hoping on the stool and determining the sink wasn't quite filled yet, Charlotte ran into the family room so she could play music for her and Pikachu's ball. Seeing Charlotte had fled to another room, Pikachu chased after her, praying Ash would come back inside soon. Pressing the button on the stereo she had memorized as playing the music, she turned the knob to increase the volume. Unhappy with the first song, she quickly moved onto the seconds. Before she could change it again, though, she heard the front door open.

"Ash, Charlotte! I'm home!" Ruby called as she entered the house. Shutting the door behind her she turned around, her face instantly paling as it gaped open in shock and the groceries she was holding dropped to the floor.

"Mommy!" Charlotte replied, running over to greet her mom. Wrapping her arms around her mother's legs, she beamed up at Ruby with glee and pride. "Look, Mommy! I'm a princess!"

Staring down at her daughter, Ruby's eyes widened in even more shock. "Charlotte!" She shrieked, taking in her daughter's appearance. She had makeup caked all over her face, and on her head she had one of Ruby's bras. "What have you done?"

Sensing her mom wasn't as happy about her being a princess as she was, Charlotte frowned as she scrunched up her face, tiny tears staring to form in her eyes. "I wanted to be a princess, Mommy…" she whined, almost on the verge of tears. "Don't I look pretty?"

Before Ruby could answer Charlotte, she heard the sound of water rushing, her attention being diverted to an overflowing sink. Leaping over the groceries she had dropped earlier, she raced over to the sink, turning off the faucet before their whole apartment started to flood. To make matters worse, on her way to turn the facet off, she almost tripped on broken dishes she hadn't noticed before.

"Pikachu!" she roared, her temper rising as she fumed with anger. "Where is Ash?"

Just as Pikachu was about to lead Ruby to Ash, the trainer in question made his grand entrance through the screen door. "Pikachu, I'm done! Sorry about that. It took a lot long-"

"ASH KETCHUM!" Ruby screeched, causing Ash to jump and then cringe in fear. He hadn't been aware she had returned, and by the sound of it, he had just walked in at the wrong time. When he walked into the kitchen, though, he couldn't help but freeze in shock. There was water all over the floor, the sink was filled up with water and soap bubbles, and there were broken dishes all over the floor. What the hell happened? Even worse, Ruby looked like she was ready to wring his neck. "EXPLAIN!"

"Daddy!" Running over to her dad, Charlotte stopped in front of him so she could twirl around and show him her princess outfit. "Do you like my princess costume?"

Ignoring Charlotte, Ash carefully approached Ruby, making sure to dodge the broken dishes and puddles of water all over the floor. "Ruby…I…"he tried to explain, but he couldn't form the words to come up with a good excuse for everything that had happened.

Not giving Ash anytime to answer, Ruby grabbed her purse off the ground where she had dropped it earlier. "Come on Pikachu," she called to the little electric Pokémon. "You and I are going to go for a long walk." Glad to be given an escape, Pikachu happily hopped onto her shoulder where he would be safe from the walking disaster that was Charlotte. With a look that could kill, Ruby glared at Ash. "When we get back, this place better be spotless." And with that, Ruby swiftly turned on her heel and walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind her.

Looking lovingly up at her father, Charlotte gave him a big, slightly toothy grin. "Play with me?"


If you have any requests or suggestions let me know. They don't all have to be centered around Charlotte (Charlie) as a kid, or even with her as the main character. Post JTP suggestions are always welcome.