Chapter 12

She'd ducked under the water when she had heard Drew call her name. She didn't want to know what he had to say, good or bad. She just needed time alone in her inner tube, the gentle current of the ocean bouncing her up and down, yet not moving her farther or closer away to the rest of the group. She had her brand new video iPod blasting in her ears. She really did love Britney Spears, the old music, some of the new, though she wasn't too fond of the girl's life choices. She decided long ago that Britney Spears was a great place to draw the line. Being a bad girl was one thing, being a Britney was another. Being Britney meant the tabloids attacked you for every little thing you did. Being Britney meant that even the popular, pretty girls would wrinkle their noses in disgust. Being a bad girl meant Drew would take a second look. Being a bad girl meant one or two rumors before people lost interest and decided her a lost cause. Maybe she could deck herself in Goth makeup, but it wasn't her style. Too much dye.

"And when he walks, all the wind blows and the angels sing, but he'll never notice me," May adlibbed. Okay, not one of her best talents, but she'd give it a shot. No one was listening, anyway. "Cuz he's got twenty fangirls, creaming over his looks, all reciting Shakespeare, he kisses by th' book. It's like a bad movie, he's looking through me, if you were me then you'd be, screaming someone shoot me, as I fail miserably, trying to get the bad boy the bad girls want…" She sighed. "Note to self, never adlib songs. Especially Bowling for Soup songs." She dropped her head back into the water and smiled. "After all, they are the only band I fangirl."

(The only band you fangirl? Uh, I think you fangirl way more than one.) Eevee giggled. (Sure, Bowling for Soup is one of your favorites, but it's not the only one! What about Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy? I just love Thnks fr th Mmrs!)

"Oh, quiet! You always have to be…Eevee?" May's eyes snapped open. Her little pokémon paddled in the water, smiling up at her and crying out in delight. May swiftly picked her pokémon up and cuddled her to her chest. "Oh, I've missed you so much! Where'd you go? What happened to you? Oh! I'm just so glad you're safe! Are you safe? You're not! You're hurt, aren't you? Tell me where! Oh, I swear if you've gotten hurt at I'll…I'll kill Unown A, that witch!"

(Don't worry, I'm fine, Mommy! Nobody hurt me at all! Pikachu took real good care of me There was a gyrados here before, and he was really scary, but Pikachu was all 'you don't touch her! Don't you ever touch her or I will zap you and zap you and you won't hurt her!') She said, gasping for breath at strange times during the sentence. (Yeah, and that's what happened. I missed you sooooooooo much Mommy!) She nuzzled into her mother to get as warm as she could. May gave the smallest trace of a smile. She pet the Eevee's head gently, soothing her pet. (You wouldn't believe the pokémon I met. I met practically one of every type. Oooh! It's so amazing! You just have to see them, all of them! Oh, Mommy, I couldn't stop talking about you while you were away. Where were you? Why didn't you come when I called?)

"I was busy," May murmured. "If I had a choice, I really wouldn't have left you. Trust me, Eevee. If I had a choice I would've stayed with you. I never, ever would have left you. You're still young, I know. You still need a Mommy."

(I do! I need a mommy! I need one more than anything else in the world! I need the best mommy there ever was! You know who the best mommy in the whole wide world is, do you? Do you? I bet you don't because you're modest! Really modest! That makes you an even better Mommy than I thought! Uh-oh, now I went and gave it away.) She sighed dejectedly and stopped talking for a minute. May waited, knowing where this was going. (But that doesn't matter, do you know why? It's because you're the BEST MOMMY EVER! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I totally and completely looooooooooooove you!)

(It wouldn't shut up,) Blaziken said from the shore. She wasn't too far away. He wasn't that hard to hear. (It just kept talking and talking about the joys of you being her mother and blah, blah, blah, rainbows, magic, fairies and freaking sunshine everywhere. It makes me wasn't to vomit. Really. That little cheerful thing makes me sick to my stomach. Can we sacrifice it to some strange God? I tried, but Pikachu said That there would be no devil worshipping on her time, like that little thing was in charge. I could've taken her, but I was polite. I wasn't going to face of with the rat. Let her off gently, that's it. It's not polite for a guy to beat up a girl.)

(He was totally afraid of getting his ass kicked good,) Eevee confirmed with her mother, nodding to show how true this was. (Your blaziken has a masculinity problem, Mama. I think it's because everyone kept thinking he was a girl when he was born.)

(They did not think I was a girl!)

(Then why'd they keep putting ribbons on ya?) Eevee challenged.

(They were badges of honor!) Blaziken said defensively. (They knew I was male! They knew it! I know they did! They gave me a boy's name, didn't they? That's proof of it! Ribbons or badges of honor, they still gave me a boy name!)

(Tyler's a girl and boy name, retard.)

"Don't call him a retard, Eevee," May said smoothly beginning to relax. It was nice to be with her old pokémon, hearing the same old arguments that wouldn't really ever end. All that was left for her to hear was Squirtle's voice and she'd be in paradise. She hoped they all had enough common sense to keep munchlax in its pokéball. Pikachu must have, at least, if none of the other pokémon did. "And where did you learn all those swear words? Haven't I told you not to use words you don't know about? Ass is not a nice word, Eevee, and you really shouldn't use it anymore. It's impolite and vulgar."

(Pikachu taught me it.)

"When did she teach you that word?" May sighed, feeling stress build up inside her. Pikachu was supposed to be an ideal mother type of rolemodel, not a swearing psychopath. "Better yet, could you tell me why she taught you that word?"

(Sure! It was because we were all having a lot of fun, but the world was going out of control. So Pikachu was all glaring at Roselia going, "What the f—k is wrong with you? Seriously, are you mentally retarded? I'm over here, a f—king crusader for peace, and you're trying to goad me into a fight. What next? I'll be begging for chastity and you'll be poking your f—king d—k in my ass all night? Could we please not go for dominance here?")

"How did that all happen?" May blinked. "Pikachu is normally calm, isn't she? She usually isn't swearing that badly. By the way, f—k, f—king, and d—k are words you shouldn't be saying either. Not even if you're quoting Pikachu."

(Like I shouldn't say "God damn it, shit this hurts?" like you do whenever you get that exclamation point once a month?) Eevee asked. May closed her eyes and debated whether or not she should bring up the topic. Then again, this would probably lead to yet another four hour discussion of puberty and sexual education. Neither of the two were things she enjoyed explaining the first six times. She didn't care if seven was a lucky number. They weren't doing that today.

"Yes, that's right."

(What's an exclamation point? I forgot again.)

"We'll talk about that later!" May said, a little more snappishly than she intended. She petted her pokémon and apologized. "Now, how about we all discuss what exactly happened while I was gone, huh? A nice long talk while I try and get some shut eye."

(Uh, I don't want to. Can't I just go listen to 'Funky Town'? That's one of my favorite songs.) Blaziken pointed towards the mob of jumping and screaming teenagers, one of which had gotten a microphone and began a very good karaoke of 'Funky Town'

"Fine, go," May sighed. "Just make sure you come back. Are we sleeping in our pokéball tonight?"

(It's the most comfortable place to sleep,) Blaziken snorted. (The ground is hard and there's rocks everywhere. I'd take that stupid trap any day. Especially since I finally figured out that if I try really, really hard I can get out of the pokéball.)

(Ash's pokémon told you that, retard. Even I knew that!)

(Will you shut up?)

(Ribbons!) Eevee squealed with delight. (They all thought you were a girl and put you in pretty pink ribbons and you never bothered to correct them because you liked it! Ooh! You want to come to my Taylor? Oh, I'm sorry, Tyler.)

(Don't be like that Eevee. Just because he's gay doesn't mean you can call him a girl. We can only do that after he has his operation, and what an operation it will be, dude!) Squirtle snickered. (Hey! It really is Mom! Hey Mom! Wha's happ'n'n?)

"Oh, a psycho is trying to take over the world. Nothing much," May shrugged. "I was trapped in the gym for a while taking care of Misty and Ash who have been turned into seven year olds. Fun, right? Oh, the joy will never end."

(Woah, dude, major bummer.) Squirtle smiled brightly. (Hey, well, it's not like we haven't been through this junk before. Look on the bright side, dudette, it could be totally worse! I mean, we've got sun, surf and sand!)

(And the village idiots. Plural, as in more than one, as in please shoot me now, everyone around here has a lower IQ than the temperature on this dumbshit island.) Blaziken muttered angrily. (I wish I was still a torchick. Things were so much simpler then. I miss Santa Claus…)

(Tyler killed Santa Claus! You son of a bitch!) Eevee screamed. (I'm going to pop a cap in your ass, mothaf—ka!) May slammed a hand over Eevee's mouth in shock, then slowly released her grip. (So, those words are bad ones too?)

"Let's go with any words you didn't know about before Pikachu got mad aren't nice words to say." May said, eyes still wide. "Pop a cap in your ass? Pikachu's gone ghetto or something?" She murmured to herself.

(No way! That was one of Drew's pokémon. Can't remember which on. Dude, I totally should not have eaten that pokenip. I am so freaking cheerful it's not even funny. Catnip for pokémon, man. Catnip for pokémon.)

(That shit, uh, I mean, stuff should be illegal,) Eevee corrected herself nervously. (I caught myself Mommy! I stopped myself from swearing, did I do good, did I really do good? Please tell me I'm doing better, Mommy! I just want to be a good girl.)

"Oh, it's going to be a long day."


Natty coolly strode up to the microphone, 'Funky Town' finally ending, with the two little boys trotting eagerly at her heels. When she opened her mouth to speak, the entire crowd turned and screamed in almost horror, "Don't sing!"

"…I wasn't going to sing. But, gee, guys, that really made me feel good about myself. You're all so supportive. I don't know what I'd ever do without you," she flashed an obviously fake smile. "Uh, right, down to business. I'm remembering hearing the name of one Delia Ketchum. If she is present, or if anyone in the mosh pit knows where she is, please contact me at this point, I have found something rather important that belongs to her. It was in her womb nine months, came out, grew up, and was magically transformed into a seven year old again. From what I can tell by his appearance, he is male. He has black hair, brown eyes, tanned skin and responds to the name Ash Ketchum."

"That's mine! I must've left it with my purse when I went to the bathroom!" A drunk called out. He tottered dangerously up to the stage. Natty eyed him. "What, kid, you don't think the boy is mine? We've got the same hair."

"Your name is Delia?"

"Uh, yeah," the guy said, stumbling even though he was trying to stand still. "What? You got a problem with my name? Wanna take it outside? I can take any guy in this place! Even you! Bring it on, man! Bring. It. On."

"Yeah, see, I'm a fourteen year old girl who's barely five three. I'm skinny, weak, and I've got no kind of magic power, ninja art, or fantastic pokémon to help me out here. If you can't handle me, then you're really, really pathetic. Your name isn't Delia. Your name is Brock. I remember because I ran into your gym, you introduced yourself, asked me if I wanted a badge, and I ran out screaming 'Badges? I don't need no stinkin' badges!' You're setting a bad example for your little brother here."

"I've seen lots of drunk people before. I don't care."

"You're not helping. I'm trying to keep myself from getting beat up."

"What's she sayin?" Brock asked with drunken confusion.

"She said our Mom is so fat she can't fit through the door. Take her down!" Brian shouted excitedly, yanking Ash out of the way. "Kill her, Brock. She insulted our Mom! No one insults out mom and lives! Isn't that right?"

"If my life ends like this that would suck major ass, man," Natty said sadly. Luckily for her, Brock collapsed a few seconds later to the ground and began vomiting up all the alcohol he'd had. "See, children Alcohol is bad for you. When there are a few parents and absolutely no rules, teenagers fall into chaos. Free booze and teens, never a good mix. Remember that boys, or you'll get STD's, unplanned children, and holes in your brain and liver."

"Gary says I already have holes in my brain where smart people have neutrons," Ash said quietly.

"Really, and what did you tell him?"

"I ask him what neutrons were."

"Genius, lad," Natty rolled her eyes. "Pure genius. Now, I'm still looking for Delia Ketchum. Delia Ketchum, please? I swear I can't take care of two of these little monsters at once. If you want to take Brian and leave me with Ash, I'm okay with that two. In fact, that's the preferred option." All were quiet, glaring up at the stage with obvious displeasure. "Okay, the music doesn't come back on until I find the boy's mother!"

"His mom's way back there, in the woods," the teens cried immediately. After all, what were teens without their music? "Just turn the music on! Just turn it on! We were about to listen to Thnks Fr Th Mmrs!" Several cheers went up after this.

Natty shivered. "Ew, Fall Out Boy. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit." She grabbed the boys and dragged them back to the woods, growling as Brian began his annoying rhyming again. "If you don't shut up, I'm drowning you."

"Natty, I want my Mommy," Ash whispered, tugging on Natty's shirt. "And I want Kay Kay back. Her real name Misty Kasumi Waterflower, do you know where I can find her? I said some mean things that I didn't mean. I want to say I'm sorry."

"Oh, kid," Natty sighed. "From what I've heard from a few of those floating Unown around here, Kay Kay's not the kind of girl she used to be. She's…she's in a lot of trouble here. Let's just get you to your mom and you can explain things to your friends, huh?"

"I want Misty!" He said, beginning to cry. "I'm sorry I was bad. I didn't mean to! Wuh-we were muh-married! I guh-got her a ring and a, and I proposed and shuh-she said yes! We got in a fuh-fight but we shouldn't huh-have gotten a duh-divorce!" Natty sighed and picked him up, resting him on her hip while he cried into her shoulder. Brian grabbed her hand and they continued to walk. "I'm really sorry, Mist. I miss you."

"It's okay kid. Damn, how old are you, anyway?"

"I'm eight. Misty left me, just like Daddy," Ash whispered. "Daddy left on my birthday, two weeks ago."


"You miss him," Danny said smoothly. She sat down beside Kay Kay, who was toying with her engagement ring. "I understand. It's hard to accept. He betrayed you, sweetheart. It hurts when someone you thought you knew, someone you thought really cared about, was just lying about it all. He shouldn't have said those things. Those horrible, horrible lies. It's hard being the baby in the family, when even the middle children are able to get the positive attention." She pulled the rubber band from Kay Kay's hair and began to untangle it gently. "It must hurt especially bad when you're the one getting all the negative."

"All of it."

"I know, darling. Really, I comprehend."

"They even said I killed them, my parents. They were angry and hurts and scared and confused. Daisy, Violet, Lily, they told me later on they didn't mean it. It didn't matter. It still hurt. They were right. I was sick. They were taking me to the hospital. They were in such a rush. If that hadn't happened, then the accident wouldn't have happened. That guy wouldn't have shot at us. We would've been in our house, away from that crazy. But we weren't. We were driving, caught behind a stop light. They got killed, Violet got scarred, and Lily still has nightmares. It's all because of me. It's my fault. I take full responsibility."

"No, Kay Kay, it's not your fault! You can't blame a seven year old for something like that! You can't blame anyone except the man holding the gun. You being sick was not the problem. It was that crazy man," Danny made as if to hold her close. Kay Kay shook her off.

"Don't touch me. I don't need you. Don't call me Kay Kay, either. I'd figure you'd know my age by know too. You've been here a while. I'm eight, not seven. From now on, call me Misty. I don't need some kid's name holding me down. Misty is a grown up name, a serious name. That's what I need. That's all I need. I'm eight, and I'm Misty. I don't need to change. No matter what those teachers say. I'm in mourning. I wear black."

"I understand."

"I'm going downstairs, to the basement. I want to see exactly what I've done." She stood up stiffly and walked away, paused at the door when she herd the footsteps behind her. She turned and gave an obviously fake smile. "Danielle, please, don't come after me. I think my trust has been misplaced in you. No, no, not think, feel. It's just a feeling I'm going on after all. We'll test it out, see if you're as loyal as a growlithe. Sit, girl," She commanded. Danny stared at her, mouth agape, eyes wide.

"Excuse me but-"

"Excuse me, darling. This is a test of your loyalty, is it not?" She said sweetly. "Sit girl," she commanded icily again. Danny swallowed, then slowly sat on the floor, her position forcing her to have to look up at Misty. Danny swallowed, feeling very bad about her current situation. "The tables have turned, my dear. You are no longer in control here. The sweet and lovable Kay Kay you once knew and loved is long, long gone. I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know how old I really am anymore. I really would like to get to the bottom of this. From what I remember, Ash has been caught up in your little spell too. I'm sure everyone will be dying to know what's going on."

"Kay Kay, uh, Misty, listen, I understand entirely. You don't need to see the traitorous boy! Really, it's not important. It's not. Let's just make some hot chocolate and watch a Tim Burton movie. Won't that be fun? We don't need him."

"You don't. I do. Stay, girl. If you're good, I'll give you a treat when you get back."

"What happened to you in less than year?" Danny whispered, more to herself than to Misty. To her surprise, Misty heard her, and began to laugh. Slowly at first, quietly, but then it grew louder and uncontrollable, almost insane. "Misty? Are…are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" She laughed. She calmed herself and gave a smile that sent shivers down to Danny's core. "You obviously don't know all that much about me, Freckles! See, when I was eight, a bunch of crap happened to me. My parents died when I was seven, throwing me into mourning. We were in trial every day to settle whether or not a twelve year old could take care of her three younger sisters with help from the community and pokémon. I was constantly interviewed by police about my parent's death. None of the kids would play with me at school, and to top it all off, my first pokémon, a goldeen, died. That has an effect on a girl."

"Oh, Danny whispered.

"Yeah, let's not talk about things we don't know, okay?" Misty said snappishly. "Now, stay, puppy dog. Mama will gives you pets and treats when she gets back." She stalked out of the room with a growl. The door slammed behind her and she raced for the basement stairs, taking the two at a time down into the beach paradise her friends were trapped in. Kicking off her shoes and socks, she walked right into the crowd and pulled a drunk from the heap.

"Heeeeeey, I was enjoying the music. Yeah! The Used rock! They're my favorite band of all. Have you seen an Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy around here? I haven't seen one of those two in forever. I even have a song about them? You want to hear it? Jenny, oh Joy…Jenny, Joy, Sara…" He trailed off. "What was I talking about?"

"Where is Ash Ketchum?" She ordered cruelly. "Tell me. If you don't know an Ash Ketchum, how about a Drew Williams or May Maple? I really need to find one of them immediately. If you could direct me to one of them, it would be greatly appreciated." She gave a little shake to try and jar his memory.

"Uh, woods," he said uncertainly.

"Thank you, that's helpful. Mind telling me a specific area of the woods?"

"Path, cabana…I feel sick," Brock said, his stomach turning over. Misty dropped him with a frustrated growl. The boy did seem familiar, but that wasn't something for her to think of now. For now, she needed to find Ash. "No more liquor for old Brock. Brock can't handle the hard stuff any more. No more hard Vodka for him." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to switch to the diluted stuff. Someone get me a martini, on the rocks!"

"Ugh, a drunk," she muttered. She turned on her heel sharply and strode down the thin woodsy path. So this was the path that would led to Ash, and hopefully some answers. No more friendship to get in her way. No one could be trusted. "Ow! Could you watch it?" Misty snapped as she crashed into another girl's waist.

"Sorry," Lidia blinked, adjusting her glasses that had slipped a bit down her nose in the collision. "I didn't mean to hit you. That's a very nice outfit you have on. Don't you think it's a little hot for the beach though? Maybe you'd be more comfortable in a bathing suit?"

"No, I'm fine," Misty said, beginning to walk down the trail.

"Did you just get here?" Lidia said, a bit concerned. "A lot of the kids need to be chaperoned. Do you know where your parents are?"

"I know where I hope they are."

"Do they know where you are?" She pressed, following her. "This way is to the cabana. Only the Ketchum's and Oak's are over there. There's a lot of drunk people out there. They could be dangerous, you should be careful."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. My parents are dead and my sisters are some of those drunks. I know how to handle myself around alcoholics. My entire family gets like this. I'm glad you've confirmed that the Ketchum's are over here, though. That's very helpful."

"Are you looking for someone?"

"Ash Ketchum," She said. Misty looked over her shoulder. "Is there any reason why you're following me? I'm very busy. I don't exactly have the time to make sure you don't get lost in these big, bad woods."

"I'm just trying to make sure that you're safe. It's really pretty crazy around here. I mean, with everyone getting everything they wish for around here, people tend to get out of hand. The cabana is up ahead, just a few feet more."

"Thanks," Misty smiled falsely. "Listen, I don't need a babysitter. I've got more than enough strength to take care of myself. I know what I'm doing, so don't worry about me. I appreciate the concern, but…I'm a big girl."

"Here's the cabana," Lidia said, stopping as it came into view. "There's two boys in their teens in there could you tell them I'm going to get May? We were all going to have a quick meeting, see if maybe we could find some way out of here. Supposedly Drew and May have a lot of information on how we got here and…" She trailed off. "You sure you don't need an escort around here? It really is pretty dangerous."

"I genuinely thank you for your concern," Misty nodded. "I'll be sure to tell them."

"Thank you," Lidia nodded before heading on her way.

Misty held her head up high and strode on into the cabana, well aware of the anger she would be receiving from Ash. She looked around the cabana. She didn't know the names (but I'll tell you them so you don't have to guess) but Professor Oak, Delia, Gary, Drew, Ash, Cosmo and Evan were comfortably seated inside. Of course, there was one she knew. A very pregnant Daisy was sitting in a corner with her hands rested on her swollen stomach. "Kay Kay?" Ash gasped. "Is it really...it's really you, isn't it? What are you doing here? Wait, are you Kay Kay?"

"I'd rather be called Misty," She said, her eyes narrowed. Ash took slow steps towards her. She stiffened. Here it came, the inevitable. Ash was about to punch her, kick her, scream at her, hurt her in some kind of way. This would hurt. Then she was slammed into the wall, but not in an unfriendly way. The boy a few inches shorter than her had wrapped his arms around her tightand buried his head in her chest. "Ash?" She yelped with surprise, her face reddening.

"I'm real sorry, Mist," Ash gasped. Misty blinked in surprise as she felt her shirt getting wet. Was the boy crying? What a sissy. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I shouldn't have said all that stuff. I didn't mean to! I mean, I think I made you cry. You never cry. That's real mean of me. I'm sorry, Misty. Will you forgive me for everything? I know it'll be hard but…"

"Sure, no problem, Ash," Misty said uncertainly. "You can let go of me now. It's fine."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah," Misty said, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. "I mean every word. You're all forgiven. Be gone your sins and inner devils. Now, let me go so we can talk about whatever everyone needs to talk about. I've got some questions of my own that only you guys can answer. So let's let go of Misty and sit down."

"You sound mad," Ash blinked up at her. She yanked him off of her and held him at arms distance, glaring. "It was because I was hugging you, wasn't it? You don't like it when people touch you, like Gary."

"Yeah, you got me," Misty growled. "Very impressive."

"Misty?" Delia asked. "I don't suppose you remember me, from what Drew said. I'm Ash's mom, Delia. You can call me Mrs. Ketchum." Misty stepped forward and shook Mrs. Ketchum's hand calmly. Delia sighed. "You really don't remember me?"

"Not at all," Misty shook her head. "I know Daisy, Drew and Ash. That's it. I don't know who any of you other people are. I'm sorry. That's really why I came down here in the first place. I want to remember this other life I have. If I get all the information, maybe I can figure out who to believe."

"That's a good plan, Misty," Professor Oak nodded.

"Thank you, I thought it was too. Who might you be?" She inquired, stepping over to him and extending her hand. "I'm Misty, though it seems you already know me. How did we meet, anyway? In my, er, older body?" She asked.

"We met through Ash. I gave him his first pokémon. I'm Professor Oak."

"Nice to meet you, Professor," She smiled. "I think my great grandmother got her pokémon from your father. What pokémon did Ash start out with anyway?"

"Pikachu!" Ash cried with joy, throwing his arms around the electric rodent at his feet. "She was my very first pokémon, they said. I don't really know if she was or not, but I really love her and she seems to love me too!"

(I missed you,) Pikachu said delightedly. (Unfortunately, dipstick over here only understands half of what I say. In fact, nobody knows what I'm saying. It's pretty sad. I feel neglected, but at least Misty and Ash know how to pet me. Don't you, dumbass?)

"I don't know what you just said," Ash said, a smile still on his face. "But I'll keep petting you because you really seem to like that!"

(Attaboy,) She croonedwhile leaning into his touch.

"I'm Evan, you've never met me before." He smiled and shook her hand. "You've never met Cosmo, either." Misty shook Cosmo's hand as well and they said their hellos. "It's nice to meet you, Misty. Ash wouldn't stop talking about his wife."

"Ha," Misty snorted. "We're divorced now. Who are you?" She crossed her arms at Gary, who was sitting in a very stud-like position. "You look like a hot shot. What's your name and how big is your ego, hot shot?"

"My name is Gary," He said coolly. "And I'm only bigheaded about what I deserve."

"Wow, so, tell me, how did your big head fit through that small door?" She asked as sweetly as she could manage. Gary frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I anger you in some way? I'm sure it wasn't my smartass answer."

"Oh, no, that was the farthest thing from my mind," Gary muttered. "Aren't you a sweet little kid. No wonder your sisters are constantly getting drunk." Professor Oak leaned forward to glare around a few other people to his grandson. "What is it, Gramps? I was just kidding. She started it."

"She's eight!" Professor Oak snapped. He turned back to Misty. "We were wondering what's been happening so far. How did you and Ash get into your current state. Why aren't you teenagers anymore? Why can't you can change back? Most importantly, who's behind all this?"

"I don't really know what's going on, if anything's going on it's probably the fault of Unown A. Her name is Danny now. She liked the name much better than what she was using before. I could change back, but I still wouldn't remember a thing. That's why I came."

"You didn't come to see me?" Ash asked, sounding a little hurt. "Oh, I thought you missed me too. I guess not. We're still friends though, right? Even if you didn't miss me?"

"Yeah, we're still friends, don't worry about that, Ash," Misty soothed. "Not exactly married, anymore, but yes, we're still friends. Once we get this all settled we can figure out all this relationship stuff. For now, I just want to do my best to remember everything that happened to me. I need to know about my past, everything up to the present. I don't know how much of that you can fill me in on, but I'm sure you can help at least a little. We've got to help Ash remember too."

"How can we do that?"

"Talk, teach. Try and get us to remember. It's not like amnesia where we'll just remember. I'd ask Danny to give me them back but…she could give me any memory she felt like. I wouldn't know if it would be real or not. It's not like she doesn't have the ability to lie."

"Isn't there some kind of word trap you could use? Like, I wish I had my real memories back or something like that."

"Reality is relative. You can't be sure of what is and isn't real around here. There's no way to really know whether or not they'd be my real memories. My best bet is to know about both lives, then choose the one I think will be real, or at least the one that'll make me happy."

"I think that would be best," Professor Oak agreed. "Gary, Delia, and myself can all tell Ash about his life up to his journey. After that, we're lost. I'm sure Daisy can fill you in on your life until you left?" He looked at Daisy. She nodded and began to hum to the children inside her stomach.

"Misty kept a diaries," Daisy said quietly. "From the day she left, she started a diary. She can read that as a reminder, couldn't she? What better to read than what she wrote. That will remind her for sure. I don't suppose Ash…?"

"He did!" Delia said with delight. "In fact, I carry them around with me to keep them safe all the time!" She pulled out the diaries from the infamous hammerspace all anime women have. (A/N: She seems like the kind of mom who would do that, don't you think?)

"That's great. I'll get my memories back in no time," Misty beamed. "We've got all our sources lined up. It's almost too easy." She gave a light laugh that made everyone stiffen. It almost seemed like she was planning on backing down. However, her thoughts remained behind a smiling mask as she sat with Ash and began to pet the little Pikachu as well, finding some secret spot behind her ears that made the mouse squeal with pleasure.

The adults ignored them and went back to idle, confused chat while Drew narrated their experience over the past few days.

"Misty?"

"Yes Ash?"

"How come you're Misty, and not Kay Kay anymore? You're all dressed in black, too. That's not lie you were before. I remember. Last time I saw you, you were happier, y'know. You were a lot more smile-ly-er and you hugged me more and you seemed more…I don't know. Misty, I was wondering, are you mad at me?" He refused to look at her. instead, he stared fixedly at a stripe on Pikachu's back.

"Ash, look at me," Misty ordered. He continued to look down. She grabbed his chin in her gloved hands and forced him to look up at her. "My mood has nothing to do with you. What I said has nothing to do with you. You are a good, good boy Ash Ketchum. You are an angel with no halo, okay? I have said some bad things to you, and I probably will again. You have to understand, you have done nothing wrong. I'm just a bad girl."

"You're not a bad girl, Misty," Ash whispered. "I'm not that good of a boy, either. I said some mean things too. I made you really sad, Misty. Is that why you're all in black? Because I made you sad? I'm sorry! I didn't mean too! I swear! I'm real sorry, Mist! I'm real sorry, I-" He was cut off by a finger on his lips.

"Ash, it's not your fault I'm dressed like this. My parents died. I'm in mourning. That's what I'm dressed up like this. I'm not unhappy, Ash. I'm just not overjoyed, do you get it? It's confusing to me too, so don't feel bad if you don't understand. It's confusing for everyone. Feelings always are."

"Feelings are weird," Ash agreed. "Especially when it's feelings that have to do with girls. Those are really weird. I have those with you all the time. I can't figure out what they are!" He gave a boyish giggle and turned his attention back to Pikachu. "I bet you have weird feelings with some guy too."

(No, I'd be knocked up if I did. Pokémon don't beat around the bush. People keep writing freaking romance stories about us. Once we're adults, we don't really court. We just bow chicka wow wow over and over. Most of us mate for life. I'm waiting for the right beast to f—k with. Sorry, Ash. Only Legendaries are big on feelings.)

"I still don't know what you said, but I bet you were agreeing with me," Ash smiled, petting her even more.

(Ah, well,) Pikachu sighed, (He can't guess them all. The boy has to run out of luck sometimes, doesn't he? Get your favorite Pikachu some ketchup. You want to give me ketchup. Are my Jedi mind powers working on you yet?)

"I can sort of understand you," Misty whispered quietly. "Most gym leaders are good at that. It comes from being with pokémon twenty four seven, you start picking up on everything. She said she wanted ketchup."

"Ketchup, weird thing for a pokémon to want!" Ash exclaimed with a giggle. "Hey, wanna go outside and imagine up a hot dog shack? I'm getting really good at imagining stuff, but sometimes it comes out lopsided." He grinned.

"Lopsided is good sometimes," Misty smiled, following him out the door. She couldn't stop her thoughts, Like your smile.

Meanwhile, May strode in through the other door, Lidia by her side. She looked around the room, and sighed dramatically, making everyone look at her. "I missed something big again didn't I?" She moaned.

"Yeah," Gary smirked. "You did. I'm Gary, by the way, what are your names," he winked flirtatiously.

"Not," May began.

"Interested," Lidia finished with raised eyebrows.

It was going to be a long wait for that amnesia to wear off, especially with Gary there.


Well, happy holdidays to everyone out there! I think Christmas is the only one left, the other main two are over now, I'm pretty sure. I know that one of them is, I celebrated it at my friend Brenda's but...

Anywho, I hope you all have a wonderful winter break!