Tomorrow is my 18th birthday, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Signing my own permission slip today was one of the proudest moments of my life, realizing that hey, I will legally be an adult starting at midnight tomorrow. (Although I was technically born at 9:01 AM, but I digress). Going to spend the night with my father and brother, and we're going to order some sushi. Hoping I get a Nintendo Switch, as that is what I asked for.
In other news, I will be starting an internship over the summer. I'll finally have a resume to tout when I apply for colleges, and I'm proud of that. I'm glad that I'm finally taking the initiative on something in my life, you know? I am kind of a passive person.
In any case, enjoy the longest chapter so far of Captain's Daughter, clocking in at roughly 4,500 words.
Compared to the lessons he'd had before, Creative Writing was pretty painless for Ash. He hadn't thought he would enjoy it very much, since he wasn't too much of a writer. That said, he'd had more fun than he could have expected; at least, he didn't feel like gouging his eyes out from boredom.
The teacher, a man named Mr. Keating, had mostly allowed the students to get a laptop and write whatever they liked; after all, that was the name of the class. Ash tried to find something to write about something he enjoyed, but he ended up writing just about how sad he was to be missing home.
He wasn't as homesick as he had once been, that was for sure. Even so, whenever he thought of his parents, tears started to form in his eyes, and he had to fight the urge to cry, a task that was not easy in the least.
It'll be fine, he told himself. I've only been in Pastoria City for a few days. Eventually, I'm going to get used to it.
The question was, just how long would it take? How long would it be until he could think of his parents once more without coming within a hair of crying?
It'll happen when it happens. Clearly not yet. But in the meantime, I have people to distract myself with.
Indeed he did; he was impressed with what he had seen of Brock in gym class, just how athletic the boy was. Ash had wanted to ask him his secret, but, unfortunately, he hadn't seen Brock in any classes of his at this point. There really was no way of knowing where he was.
Whatever, he thought. I'll see him when I see him, and I'll ask him his secret at how he's just so athletic. Because you know that he must have SOMETHING up his sleeve.
As soon as the bell rang for dismissal, Ash was the very first one out of the classroom. He remembered what Serena had said about meeting her and the rest of them at the front of the school at 3:03 PM. He didn't want to be late.
And why don't I want to be late?, he asked himself.
Maybe, one part of his mind said, it's because you're in love with her, and you just don't want to admit it.
Impossible, another part said. Ash, you know that you've never been romantically interested in anybody. Why would that start now?
He really hoped that he was being honest with himself; sometimes, he felt as though he had reason to question his own judgment. Was this one of those times?
"Ash!"
The young man turned to find that Serena was beckoning for him. Dawn and Lucas were standing next to her and her car, about to get in.
"Coming!" he replied. "Sorry I didn't notice you guys sooner".
"It's no problem" Serena replied. "We're just ready to go. Are you?"
"I sure am" Ash said in response. He wasn't so much looking forward to being away from school as being able to finally get started on the hill of homework he had been assigned.
"Great" Serena replied. "Let's get going, then".
Since Lucas had already taken shotgun, Ash sat in the back, next to Dawn. Most of the first few minutes of the ride passed in silence.
Eventually, Ash decided to ask, "Are we taking you guys home first or what?"
Serena shook her head. "No, we're all heading to my place. Dawn and Lucas are going to have dinner with us, but then they're going to head back to their own houses. How does that sound?"
Ash shrugged. "I've got no problem with that" he said.
Already, his mouth was watering at the prospect of another home-cooked meal made by Chef Blumiere. It didn't matter what sort of dish he was making, that man seemed to have a golden touch for any kind of food.
Eventually, the car pulled into the driveway of the Courtland mansion, and our four heroes got out.
"I have a mountain of homework to do" Ash groaned. "I can't believe my professors assigned me so much".
"Me too" Lucas replied. "I'll probably be working at it right until dinnertime".
Dawn and Serena both looked at each other, as if to say, Boys…
"Hey, it's not my fault!" Lucas protested, holding both of his hands in the air like a suspect being apprehended by the police. "I really wish that I could spend more time with you guys. I do. It's just that homework is such a problem; there's so much of it, I can't believe…".
"Well, you'll have the rest of the year to hang with us", Serena said. "Really, it's no problem. I get it. Enjoy your work".
The way the girl said it, it sounded almost as though she had intended to be making fun of both boys. Ash was pretty sure she hadn't meant it that way, but it was impossible to know for sure.
He held his head down as he walked into the mansion. Time to get cranking.
After an hour, Ash felt as though he was getting nowhere fast. The air conditioning had not been turned on, causing him to sweat a great deal.
Next to him at the table, Lucas appeared equally frustrated with his work. As it turned out, he'd only been assigned slightly less than Ash...very slightly less. The way things were going, it appeared that neither of them would be done in time for dinner.
Well, if I don't finish by dinner, I can always continue it afterwards, Ash told himself. He wanted to convince himself that he'd be able to get himself motivated again, but he doubted it. Sometimes, he could focus on one task for a long time, but, as soon as he did something else, it didn't matter how long he'd been focused on the previous task - he was once more having trouble focusing.
He was researching the properties of those two elements, Zexonyte and Wyomium, and he was finding it to be quite a hassle. Ash had never been the best at research papers, and they were challenging him again now.
Next to Ash, Lucas let out a grunt of frustration. It was clear to see that the boy in the beret had had just about all he could take of the work. He stood up from the table.
"Are you giving up?" Ash asked the other boy.
Lucas shook his head. "I'll come back to it later. Maybe soaking in the hot tub will help. Want to come with me?"
Ash looked at the Google Doc he had open, the one containing his assignment. "I don't see why not" he replied. "After all, I'm not making any more progress than you are".
"Actually", Lucas said, "it's really hot out still. Want to go to the lake instead? Maybe invite one of the girls?"
"Which one?" Ash asked, hoping that there was a gleam in his eye that would make it seem almost as though he were making fun of Lucas.
"I suppose both of them could come" the other boy replied. With the dirty look he gave Ash, however, it was clear that Lucas had picked up on the real meaning of his friend's words.
He's probably really mad at me, Ash realized. Or maybe he isn't, and just wants me to THINK he's mad at me. You never can tell with Lucas.
"Okay", Ash said, snapping his laptop shut. "No more of this, not for now. Let's go to the lake".
After putting their bathing suits on, they asked both Dawn and Serena, but the former had not brought her bathing suit, while the latter was still studying, so the two boys were the only ones heading to the lake.
"I see that you plan ahead better than your girlfriend" Ash told Lucas as they were walking down there.
"Eh, this is more of an exception than a rule" the other boy replied. "She's sometimes a lot more organized than me. Indeed, usually she is. It's just that today, I was the one on top of things".
"I see" Ash replied. "So I guess that you must have a good relationship".
Almost immediately, Ash realized his mistake. Lucas looked both embarrassed and angry, as though his privacy had been violated...which, Ash supposed, it had been.
"We do" he replied. "But please, don't ask me about it again. I find it kind of personal, you know?"
"I do know" Ash said.
He considered telling Lucas the truth about his feelings for Serena at that moment. He strongly considered it; after all, the other boy had been honest with him.
However, Ash decided that it wasn't worth it. It was very difficult to read Lucas, and, besides, it wasn't as though it was absolutely necessary for him to know. It was much better to make him continue to believe that nothing was wrong, not a single thing.
Does he suspect it?, Ash wondered. Does he notice the way I look at Serena? Like, at all? Or is he clueless?
He shook his head, trying to shake those thoughts out of it. That was no way to think, and, what was more, he didn't need Lucas thinking he was too deep in thought. That would only result in the boy suspecting even more that he had a crush.
Eventually, they arrived at the lake. Ash and Lucas both got on paddleboards and started paddling around the surface of the water, without a care in the world.
Of course, that was an exaggeration. Ash himself was worried about the small mountain of homework he had been assigned, and, what was more, he was very conflicted about Serena.
You know what?, Ash thought. I'm not going to be cagey. I'm going to go for broke here. I might as well just let him know.
"Lucas?" he asked, paddling closer to the other boy. "There's something I have to tell you".
"What's that?" the other boy replied, not making eye contact, but rather staring down into the lake, presumably watching to make sure he didn't come into contact with the Tentacruel.
Do I just start straight in with it? Or do I beat around the bush a little bit, see if he can guess it?
No. No point in beating around the bush. You wanted to tell him, and you think it's important. Just go right out and say it.
"I have a bit of a crush on Serena" Ash admitted, and he could feel his face turning red as he said so.
Lucas laughed, a pure laugh that was anything but innocent.
"What's so funny?" he asked Lucas, splashing the water with his paddle in the hopes of getting the other boy drenched.
"It's funny", the other boy replied, "because I already knew. I could already guess it".
"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "What makes it so easy for you to tell when someone is in love with someone else?"
"Just...the way they look at them. You really were looking at Serena as though you were in love with her. No matter how much you might have tried to pretend that you weren't attracted to her, it just wasn't going to work".
"I see" Ash replied. "So you knew all along that I had a crush on Serena?"
Lucas smiled smugly, an expression that Ash had never seen on the other boy's face. "Yes, I did. It really wasn't hard for me to tell, either. Like I said, the way you always looked at her, that was a dead giveaway".
Ash nodded, embarrassed. "So you don't look down on me for it?"
Lucas shook his head. "Trust me, I don't. Really, that was what happened when I was first in love with Dawn. Or rather, was first attracted to her. Except that with me, I had to admit it to her straight on. Most embarrassing moment of my life, easily".
Ash smiled. "Sounds like it".
"But now we're a couple, and it's working really well for us. At some point, Ash, you're going to have to confess. Once you do, believe me when I say that it's going to get a lot easier on you".
"Thanks for the tips" Ash replied.
"It's no problem" Lucas said. "Dawn and I, we're no strangers to love. She knows the rules, and so do I".
Ash smiled at that. He didn't know why, but he found that line quite clever, as though he had heard it from somewhere.
"Ah, but never mind that" he continued. "Like I said, tell her when you feel that the time is right. Try to read the situation, and then act accordingly with what you determine is the correct course of action".
"Thanks".
"It's no problem" Lucas replied.
The two of them paddled around the lake for a while longer until they decided to head back. It might have sounded like a good idea to procrastinate for a little while, but the window for doing so was rapidly closing. The sun was starting to sink before long, and it couldn't be more than a couple of hours before it got dark.
The sun's movement through the sky, casting long shadows on the lake, was a stark reminder of the fact that they still had things they needed to get done. Namely, homework.
"This is going to be fun" Ash said sarcastically. "I can't wait until we get back and have to do all of that work".
Lucas chuckled. "Yeah. We probably need to shower before we go to dinner, though, and put on the tunics"
Ash nodded. Even though he didn't think it was necessary to be this fancy at mealtimes, he had no say in the matter, and so he had begrudgingly accepted his new role in the family. The green tunic that he had been tailored for had arrived in a neat cardboard box on the doorstep of the Courtland mansion the next day, ironed out and ready for use. Since then, he'd worn it at every dinner.
It was common custom, Ash had discovered, for the Courtlands to all eat dinner together, but then, once it was time for breakfast or lunch, they would eat separately, all doing their own thing. Since that was a very similar way to how the Ketchums had done things at their home, Ash didn't really have a problem with that.
It was a long walk back to the mansion, and Ash found himself shivering slightly. He realized that, since they were up in the hills, it was bound to get much cooler at night than it had been in the daytime.
"Yeah, it can get cold here at night" Lucas said, as though he could read Ash's mind. "We should have brought towels; I'd thought that we could dry off in the air, but I guess that that just wouldn't work".
"You're right about that" Ash replied. "I really don't see it working".
"Yeah. Combined with...look at all those clouds".
Ash looked up at the sky and saw that dark clouds were gathering over the lake. The sun was still visible, but it was in its own corner of the sky now. It had to be at least six in the afternoon by now.
"It's probably going to rain tonight" Lucas said. "And maybe tomorrow as well".
Ash had been having a good time out on the lake, but, looking up at the clouds, he realized that the current weather conditions were a pretty good metaphor for how he was currently feeling.
He knew that, as soon as he got back to the mansion, the immense burden of all the homework he had been assigned would once again be placed squarely on his shoulders. He'd once again have to focus his powers on the task of cobbling together five hundred words on Zexonyte and Wyomium. He'd once again have to face the Courtland children besides Serena (whom he was finding to be increasingly annoying).
It was going to be a grand old time, that was for sure.
Once he got back to the mansion, Ash set to work on his homework yet again, but not before taking a quick shower. After checking himself for ticks, he put on the green tunic and sat at his laptop computer, trying to figure something out, until Debbie came in and announced that it was time for dinner.
"Good evening" Mrs. Courtland said, once everyone was seated at the table. "Please, serve yourselves".
Tonight, Chef Blumiere had prepared a chicken dish for the family. It looked rather delectable to Ash, but he wouldn't have needed to look at the dish in order to trust that it was delicious. Instead, he would only have to know that it was made by Chef Blumiere, and that would be all he needed to know.
As Ash dug in, ravenous from having worked so hard and for so long on his homework, Corinne asked Serena what college was like.
"Oh, it's really tiring" the older girl said. "Trust me, there is a lot of homework. But it's worth it; you get to meet so many new people there".
Corinne smiled. "I like meeting new people".
"Well, then you'll like college. At least, that aspect of it".
Turning to Ash, Serena asked, "Are you finding homework to be a huge burden?"
Ash nodded; he saw no reason not to. "Yeah" he said. "My professors are assigning me a ton of it. But let me tell you something. Like your sister says, it's all worth it in the end".
"I sure hope it would be" Sam said in between bites of broccoli. "Because it sure costs a lot of money to".
"We have the money, Sam" Dominick said in a stern, but fatherly, manner. "Don't you worry about that. Your father owns a cruise line, after all".
The 16-year-old boy chuckled, and then Dominick turned to Ash. "How are you liking it here, Ash?" he asked the 19-year-old boy.
Ash weighed the question carefully. On one hand, he was missing home a great deal. Even though he traded e-mails with his parents every night, there was the awesomeness of a home-cooked meal that he was always missing out on. Here, the meals were prepared by a professional chef, but that, in a way, made it feel less precious.
On the other hand, college was a new and exciting frontier for Ash. Meeting new people, going to his classes, while boring at first, was bound to get more exciting as the school year began in earnest. Plus, there were all the cool things he had done here, as well as all of the cool things he was still going to do.
"I'm liking it" Ash replied. "It's pretty cool, and I'm happy that I've been given the opportunity. I like this house, I like these people...it's going well for me".
Dominick nodded before taking another sip of his drink. "Well, I've got to get on a call in a few minutes. I'm going to excuse myself, if that is all right with everyone at this table".
Nobody gave any protest, so Dominick stood up from the table and walked over to the stairs, presumably to head back up to his office.
For a while, the family just continued eating, but Ash had eventually had about enough of it. To him, silence could be fairly awkward, and this was definitely one of those times.
"I'm going to excuse myself as well" Ash said. "I still have a little homework to do, too".
In reality, he still had a lot of homework to do, but downplaying the situation sounded like a good idea. He encountered no opposition as he headed into his room and stripped off his green tunic.
He hated the thing. He didn't care if he let it get dirty or wrinkly, even though Debbie would probably scream at him until he had a seizure if he let that happen. All he knew was that it represented the vanity of Serena's parents, and that was all he needed to know.
After putting on his pajamas, he decided that he might as well continue working on his homework. After all, there was still a great deal of it that he had to do, and now not a lot of time to do it.
Should I pull an all-nighter? I'm sure it's not a good harbinger of things to come if I find myself doing that on the VERY. FIRST. NIGHT.
No. That's a bad idea, Ash. Don't even think about it.
He'd heard that all-nighters only made it harder for one to focus the next day, because they'd just be so tired. Indeed, with how boring Ancient History of Sinnoh had been earlier, he was positive that it was likely to result in him falling asleep during that class.
Ash had looked at his schedule; he knew that he had Ancient History of Sinnoh again. He was already dreading it; he had already decided that it was his least favorite subject. Ash was one who hated sitting still without anything to do, and that was what the class essentially entailed.
Eventually, he headed back into the kitchen, by which time the others had left the dinner table, in order to continue working on his homework. However, he wasn't feeling in the zone any more than he had before, and he soon had to face head-on whether he would rather work on it now, when he was feeling increasingly exhausted from the eventful day, or in the morning, when he might be rushed.
After a couple minutes of deliberation, Ash decided that he would wait until the morning. He'd already spent quite a lot of time on it today, and, he decided, he had earned a break.
He met Serena in the stairwell. He didn't know why he had decided to walk upstairs, but he found himself moving in that direction for whatever reason.
"Hey" he said, nearly bumping into her.
"Hey, Ash" Serena replied. "What's up? Are you done with your homework yet?"
He shook his head. "I'm going to finish it in the morning" he said, determined that that would be the case.
"Okay" Serena replied. "Just make sure you remember. Because that's happened to me before. I've promised myself that I'd finish my homework in the morning, but then I never did, all because I forgot. Don't let yourself mess up like that".
"I won't" Ash replied. "Don't worry".
And then he remembered what he had told Lucas earlier, that he had a crush on Serena.
Is it a good idea to tell her right now?, he wondered. Does it make any sense at all, or is it better to wait? Arceus, can you help me make the right decision?
But Serena walked past him, and, just like that, Ash had missed his chance. He'd missed his chance to reveal to Serena how he really felt.
Don't worry, he told himself. I have nine more months here. There are going to be plenty more chances.
He turned around and headed down the stairs, after standing still there for some time. He headed back into his bedroom, not passing Serena this time.
As soon as he was inside his room, Ash looked at the nightstand, where Coyopa's Pokeball was currently resting. As to what the Pikachu was currently thinking as he was stuck inside the Pokeball, it was anyone's guess.
Ash climbed into bed and closed his eyes. It didn't take long before he fell asleep.
In his dream, he was standing in the middle of what appeared to be a concert hall. A band was playing soft classical music that could cause one's heart to bleed, or so it seemed to Ash, and couples all across the room were dancing with each other.
Ash walked into the group of couples and tried to find someone to dance with. Eventually, he found it.
It was a blonde girl, and he knew immediately whom this blonde girl was. Serena.
He looked at the girl, but she faced him and shook a finger, much like an adult scolding a child for a minor misbehavior. She was wearing a playful expression on her face as she did so, which confused Ash slightly.
After that, she turned around and walked away, leaving Ash to wonder exactly what it all meant.
Responses to reviews:
Amourshipper35: Well, you just saw Ash admit it to Lucas. And let me tell you something: Lucas is my real first name. I was named after a restaurant my parents went to when my mother were pregnant with me, true story.
Guest (from Chapter 5): Yes, cocaine is a drug. But the name "Cocaine Mitch" is a reference to Don Blankenship. Look him up. Seriously.
xXx DIGITAL xXx: I don't follow those comics; I'm not really into superheroes, as I prefer characters with some flaws. But I'm glad that you think this story is getting better by the second. Believe me when I say that it's only going to get better from here on out.