Chapter 38

Ringing gets Ash's attention as he groggily opens his eyes. He hasn't slept this deeply in a long time. Well, since that picnic weeks ago. Glancing around the room, he notices this is definitely not his room. And whose orange hair is this? Wait. He knows this hair. The events of last night rush back to him, making him inwardly groan while his pokenav continues ringing.

Unfortunately for him, Misty is a light sleeper, so she angrily exclaims, "Are you gonna get that?"

"If you get off my arm." He snaps back, which makes her shoot away from him.

Why is Ash in her bed? Feeling the sudden cold, Misty realizes she's naked...and Ash's shirtless torso is above the blanket. Misty quickly lifts up the blanket to see her and Ash are indeed fully naked. "What the fuck?" She shouts while mentally cursing herself for falling for Ash's kindness.

Deciding that he doesn't want to deal with this right now, Ash searches for his pokenav that had stopped ringing; however, now Misty's is ringing. She had charged her pokenav last night before looking for a shirt for Ash, so she reaches over to quickly answer it. "Hello! Misty Waterflower of the Cerulean City Gym!" She tries to sound as normal as possible despite her heart beating a mile a minute.

"You're late, mom!" the frustrated girl on the other end complains.

Late? Misty checks the time on her pokenav indicating that it is after 9AM. Although Misty is usually an early riser, especially due to the many nightmares she's been having, she slept well last night. Curious about what she's late for, she asks, "What, honey?"

"You and dad promised to have breakfast with the Oaks today!"

Shutting her eyes, Misty mentally curses herself for forgetting. Mew, this day just can't get any worse. "Okay. I'll be there."

"Fine! You're lucky dad is late too or else I'd be more mad." huffs the girl, which makes Misty blush because she knows why both her and Ash are late to the breakfast.

"I'll call him, okay? We'll see you soon."

"You better!" The girl demands and the two hang up. Misty wraps the blanket around her since Ash had gotten up and changed while she was on the pokenav.

Shouting from the bathroom, he asks, "Was that Ariel?" He had checked his missed calls when Misty was on the pokenav, so he has an idea it must be their daughter.

Nodding, Misty gets up to put on some clothes. "We're late to breakfast with the Oaks."

"Shit!" Ash exclaims and rushes out of the bathroom in the clean blue shirt. "Let's go!"

Misty quickly brushes her teeth once her clothes are on. The two adults then leave where they hop in Ash's car to make the drive to the Oaks. This is going to be terrible. They already know they're going to be teased relentlessly for hanging out more often, but if Gary and Leaf figure out they slept together...oh no… Now that Ash and Misty are not panicking, and have time to reflect on last night, both adults avoid looking at the other.

"I still hate you." Misty finally says.

"Good. Because I still hate you too." Ash nonchalantly replies.

"Good." And just like that, the awkward silence fills the car again until they arrive at the Oak house. Before ringing the doorbell, Misty looks at Ash to make sure he looks okay. Well, he looks more than okay, but she won't let him know that, and she'll stop thinking it too. "How do I look?" She asks him.

Raising a confused eyebrow at her, Ash studies his ex-wife. He wants to tell her she looks stunning, beautiful, sexy, but he can't. They hate each other, and it's better this way. Else they'll just argue like crazy again.

"Can you tell that we did it last night?" she hisses at the confused man who seems to now get what she's trying to say.

"Oh. No, you look like you just woke up. Like you woke up late." he shrugs and rings the doorbell before he can say anything he'll regret.

Unfortunately for them, Gary Oak opens the door with a sly grin on his face. "Why are you together?"

"I picked him/her up!" Misty and Ash quickly answer, which just makes Gary snicker at them as they stare wide eyed at each other.

"Ahem!" Misty coughs uncomfortably. "Ash left me his car last night, so I picked him up this morning."

Misty came awfully quick to have been able to pick up Ash. She just got off the call with Ariel less than 15 minutes ago. Still laughing to himself, Gary says, "You have a hickey, Red."

This makes Ash and Misty blush as the woman wraps her hands around her neck. She gives Ash a glare because she had told him to make sure she looked okay beforehand.

However, Gary steps to the side with laughter to let them in the house while saying, "I was kidding." Once they walk inside, he closes the door and leads them to the dining room. With a wink, he whispers, "It's okay to sleep with your ex."

"I'm gonna kill you, Gary!" Shouts Misty as she chases the professor into the dining room where he hides behind his wife.

"Protect me, babe!" Gary exclaims in mock fear, but Leaf rolls her eyes.

"If Misty wants to kill you, I'm pretty sure she has a good reason to."

"Oh! You're gonna like the reason!" Gary snickers while running around the table where the children are seated at.

"Gary Oak!" the blushing redhead shouts.

"Mom!" Ariel exclaims in embarrassment because she knows her hot headed mother gets angered easily, especially with Professor Gary's playful personality.

"Dad!" Jace shouts in annoyance due to his hunger.

"Pika…" Pikachu shields his eyes.

Ash and Leaf look at each other and sweatdrop while their hungry children glare at the two adults running around. As Leaf manages to hold her husband, Ash grabs Misty. The fuming redhead is still focused on the laughing man ahead of her, so it's hard for Ash to hold her back. He hugs her from behind and yells, "Stop it, Mist!"

To his surprise, she stops. Not because he commanded her to, but because he called her by his nickname for her. He hasn't done that in years, so she slowly turns in his arms to look into his annoyed brown eyes. As if realizing their position, both adults instantly separate in awkwardness. Ariel just smiles at her friends because she's happy to see her parents get more comfortable around each other.

As the group eats their brunch, Ariel whines, "Why were you late?"

Her parents look down at their plates to try and hide their blushes. "Overslept." They both mutter.

"Hey! That's my shirt!" Ariel exclaims while noticing the blue shirt her father is wearing.

Leaf eyes her grinning husband suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Let them tell you." He snickers.

Gulping, Ash replies, "Uh. My shirt got dirty after dropping off your mom last night, so she gave me this one to change into."

"Where'd you change?" Gary asks, which earns him sharp glares from Ash and Misty.

Leaf hits her husband's head. "Leave them alone, Gary." However, she gets close to him and whispers, "Tell me later, okay?" Rolling his eyes, Gary agrees.

When Ash notices Pikachu's smirk in the corner of his eye, the champion resists the urge to groan outloud. Pikachu can always read Ash. "Pika pikapi chu pichu pikachupi pika chu?"

"What'd he say?" Lauren asks her friend as the Oak parents expectantly look at Ariel.

Ariel raises a confused eyebrow at her flushed parents who both know what Pikachu said. "Why do dad and mom smell like each other?" The girl glances at Pikachu. "What are you talking about?" She knows Pikachu has a heightened sense of smell than humans, but she can't smell anything about her parents. Her mother usually has a hint of chlorine while her father smells slightly of the outdoors. Their scents aren't strong, though they may be more noticeable to Pikachu.

Gary busts out laughing because he can't contain himself anymore, which causes Misty to throw a piece of bacon at him. "What's so funny, Gary?" the redhead challenges him.

Wiping at his tears, Gary exclaims, "Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

"No!" Ash pleads with his hand cupping Misty's mouth. She now shoots her ex a glare. How dare he touch her so familiarly? Just because they happened to sleep together last night, that doesn't mean anything! "Misty was driving my car. Of course she'd smell like me."

"You're gonna tell me later, right, babe?" Leaf whispers to Gary.

"Yeah." he winks at her.

Fortunately, Ariel doesn't ask anymore questions, and everyone enjoys the nice brunch. "Next time, you guys should come to Cerulean City!" Ariel exclaims.

Misty smiles while nodding. "Yes! We love having visitors."

"Or is it a certain visitor?" Gary chuckles knowingly.

"Okay. I'm killing him." Misty breathes out, but fortunately, Ash stands up between her and Gary.

"You can't kill him in front of the kids."

"Watch me!" The fuming woman shouts as Gary continues laughing beside his apologetic wife.

"Gary, stop acting like a child." Leaf narrows her eyes at him.

"I can't have fun, babe?" He asks in his laughing fit.

"Oh, we can have fun, Gary." Misty lunges at him, but Ash once again catches her.

"Stop letting him get to your head!" Has Misty been away from the Oaks this long that any little thing Gary says can irritate her like this?

"I can't let him win!"

"He's already winning by getting you riled up!" Ash tells her.

"Dad, stop teasing Ms. Misty." Jace sweatdrops.

"Yeah, mom. Stop fighting Professor Oak." Ariel hangs her head low in embarrassment too.

"He needs to be taught a lesson!" Misty seethes at the laughing man who is once again hiding behind his wife.

"Okay!" Ash is glad Misty isn't trying to push past him anymore. She's just glaring at Gary. "We'll settle this in a double battle!"

"What?" Misty now looks at her ex in shock who has turned his back to her so that he can face the Oaks.

"I like that." Leaf excitedly grins because she's missed double battles with Ash and Misty.

"Ou." Gary snickers as he wraps an arm around Leaf's waist. "If we win, you tell us how your night was last night."

"Why would we want to know that?" Ariel curiously asks her friends who shrug.

"And if we win, you can never bring this up again." Ash replies. He then looks over at Misty. "Is that okay?"

"Uh." She blinks at him in confusion. Why is he asking for her input? Why is he standing up for her? Well, he is a part of last night, and she knows he also doesn't want that getting out. However, why is he being so kind to her lately? She hates it because she hates him. Arg! Why is she even agreeing to do this double battle with him as her partner? "Yeah." the woman answers in a daze.

Grinning, Leaf rushes out the back door. "One round!" She announces.

The adults follow, leaving the kids and Pikachu to stare at each other in confusion. "What's happening?" Lauren asks.

Ariel shakes her head in disbelief. "I don't know." She is very happy that her parents are getting along well now. Breaking up with Melody has really allowed her parents to get closer.

"Let's go watch!" Jace stands up to run out. "I bet my parents win!"

"No way!" Ariel exclaims as she and Lauren follow. Pikachu sighs. He takes care of enough children as is.

Once outside, the children see Gary and Leaf are using Venusaur and Blastoise while Misty has her Gyarados. Ash's eyes light up at Pikachu. "C'mon, Pikachu!"

Pikachu always loves a good battle, especially when teamed up alongside Misty. Sparking his cheeks, he runs onto the battlefield. "Pika!"

"This is gonna be good!" Lauren shouts.

"Watch and learn, kids." Gary smirks.

"No way, Professor! My dad's the champion!" Ariel cheers, making Ash shyly smile.

"What about me, baby?" Misty pouts.

"And my mom is the strongest Kanto gym leader!"

"No! My mom is!" Jace defends Leaf who grins proudly at her son. As Jace and Ariel bicker over whose mother is the stronger gym leader, the adults start their battle.

"Shut up, guys!" Lauren interrupts the two. While she also believes her mother is the stronger gym leader, the girl just wants to watch this battle. She's never seen a double battle between these people before, making her excited.

"Fine." Ariel extends a hand to Jace. "If my parents win, you'll have to wash the dishes at my grandma's house next week."

"Fine." Jace shakes the hand. "If my parents win, you have to wash the dishes after breakfast today."

"Fine!" Ariel exclaims. Lauren sweatdrops at her brother and friend. They really are competitive. It's what makes her mother say they'll be great trainers. Jace and Ariel always have friendly competitions. When Ariel and Jace turn their attention to the battle, they see their parents having fun. There are huge grins on everyone's faces and even the Pokemon are enjoying themselves.

The redhead looks over at the man beside her. "Do you still remember…"

Ash glances at her with a small smile on his face. "I know Pikachu remembers too."

Returning the shy smile, Misty nods. "Gyarados!"

"Pikachu!" Ash misses this. He hasn't had any double battles in years. He only had double battles alongside Misty when they were friends and together after he stopped traveling. With a huge grin on his face, he commands Pikachu, "Volt tackle!"

"Tail whip!" Misty yells.

Gary bites his bottom lip. "Shit. I forgot about this."

Leaf can't help but smile widely at the nostalgic battle. "Me too." Battling against Misty and Ash has always been her favorite. The couples always have so much fun together.

They watch as Pikachu charges towards Blastoise who is in his shell for defense. Gyarados uses tailwhip to flick Pikachu and give him an extra push. When Pikachu's volt tackle collides with the shell, Blastoise is shocked all over and faints. Pikachu takes a lot of damage that he doesn't notice Venusaur grab him in her vines.

"Pi!" the mouse cries out in pain.

"Ice beam!" Misty hates seeing her little friend hurting.

"Bite at the vines, Pikachu!" Ash wants to finish this battle quickly. Gary has already returned Blastoise, which leaves Venusaur left on their team.

"Use Pikachu as a shield!" Though he is a small shield, Venusaur manages to get Pikachu to faint while taking little damage. Misty furrows her brows as Ash runs out to pick up Pikachu. She hates how Leaf used the mouse against Gyarados. Leaf will definitely pay for this.

"Woo hoo! That's my wife!" Gary cheers from beside Leaf.

"I am a gym leader, Gare." Leaf knowingly remarks. She loves teasing him that she's the better trainer.

"You got this, Mist." Ash encourages his partner with Pikachu in his arms.

Misty looks over at her ex. She still can't believe they're getting along and he's being nice to her. However, she quickly returns her attention to the battle. "You're going down, Leaf!"

Giggling, the brunette yells, "I wanna know what happened last night!" It's unfair that all the adults but her know what went on last night, however she does have an idea. Ash runs over to hand off Pikachu to Ariel. He then returns to Misty's side.

Misty and Ash blush profusely as they avoid looking at each other now. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Misty resumes the battle. "Dragon pulse!"

"Dodge and use leech seed!" Venusaur manages to dodge the attack, though Gyarados dodges the seeds. Nevertheless, Venusaur laces Gyarados with poison powder, making Gyarados writhe in pain.

Misty shouts, "Let's end this with hyperbeam!"

"We're finishing this!" Leaf grins. "Solarbeam!"

The two attacks meet in the middle, causing a huge explosion. Everyone shields their eyes from the smoke and dust as the kids cling onto their seats in anticipation. This is one awesome battle. They have never seen anything like it before. Once the smoke and dust settle, there's a large body collapsed on the ground. However, there's an even larger body breathing heavily.

"Aw yeah!" Ash pumps his fists in the air and tackles his partner in a hug. "You did it, Mist! We won! Yeah!" He picks up the small woman to spin her in the air. Beating the Oaks is always a great accomplishment to Ash because Gary is his first rival. Plus, with the Oaks' relentless teasing, Ash likes putting them in their place with a battle.

Misty is also excited, so she wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Yeah! We won!"

Despite losing, the Oak parents find themselves smirking. Gary high fives his wife. "We're good at what we do."

"It's why Kanto Monthly says we're a power couple, babe." Leaf pecks his cheek.

"We'll get them next time." Gary walks with his wife back to the children who are still watching Ariel's parents hug each other.

"Am I dreaming?" Ariel curiously asks.

"Am I dreaming?" Jace needs clarification.

"Maybe we're all dreaming?" suggests Lauren.

As if realizing what they're doing, Misty quickly hops out of Ash's arms, and the man awkwardly releases her. They both uncomfortably avoid each other's gazes. "Uh. Good job." mutters Ash.

"You too." Misty whispers. She returns Gyarados after thanking him.

When the pair walk over to everyone else, they frown seeing Leaf's and Gary's smirks. Fortunately, Ariel runs over to congratulate and compliment her parents. They all head back inside to finish their very late breakfast, and Jace has to wash the dishes. Meanwhile, Ash and Misty are staying away from each other. Ash is checking out Gary's latest research while Leaf is hanging out with Misty in the living room. Lauren and Ariel are keeping Jace company.

"Sooooo…" Leaf suggestively smirks at her blushing friend. Ash doesn't care for research, but everyone knows he only followed Gary to get away from Misty. "What happened last night?"

"We won the battle." Misty reminds her of the bet.

Leaf shrugs. "True, but you know Gary will just tell me later anyway."

Misty groans. She loves her friendship with the Oaks, even through all of their teasing. With her eyes shut in embarrassment after checking that the children are still in the kitchen, and Gary and Ash are in Gary's office, the redhead replies, "What do you think?"

"That's why I'm asking you." Leaf knowingly remarks while taking a sip from her cup of coffee.

Sighing, Misty says, "We had sex."

Leaf instantly spits out the coffee as her eyes open widely at Misty. The Viridian City gym leader thought Ash and Misty probably fell asleep in each other's arms, or they got close to kissing, or they were alone together for some time. She never expected her two friends, who despise each other, to have sex! Well, not with the amount of hatred they have towards one another right now. "What?"

"Shh!" Misty doesn't need anyone else finding out about it, especially Ariel in the other room.

In a whisper now, Leaf asks, "How? Don't you guys hate each other?"

"Yeah." Misty buries her face in her hands. "I don't know. We weren't drinking or anything. It just sort of happened."

Wow. This is all new information, and Leaf loves it. It's like back when everyone was single, and they used to gossip about their crushes. Then they'd talk about how far they would get with their significant others. Leaf has missed these talks with her friends. "How was it?" She knows Misty and Ash loved sleeping together when they were a couple. However, they supposedly hate each other now.

Misty feels her face heat up more at this question. "I'm not answering that."

"So that good, huh?" Else, Misty would've said it was bad.

Her pleading blue eyes meet Leaf's amused green ones. "What am I doing, Leaf?"

The brunette shrugs. "Following your heart."

"My heart hates him."

"No." Leaf shakes her head. "Your head hates him. You can't control your heart." Hearing Misty groan again confirms to Leaf she knows she's right. "I know you've never stopped loving Ash, Misty. Suicune, you'll never stop loving him."

"I know." groans the redhead. "But he doesn't deserve my love anymore."

"Why? Because he's never around?" Leaf recalls that being Misty's reason for being so upset at Ash years ago. "You and Ariel see him almost half of the week. I'm sure he'd come around every day too if you asked."

"I don't wanna see him everyday."

"That's your head speaking. Listen to your heart." snickers Leaf.

Misty narrows her eyes in annoyance at her friend. "Listening to my heart is what got me to be a divorced single mother."

"No. That was your head." Leaf affirms her. Misty's heart is too in love with Ash to be separated from him.

"I hate you."

"You hate Ash too, but you still had sex with him last night."

Groaning, Misty stands up. She can't be subjected to this torture anymore. "I shouldn't have told you."

Office

"Sooo…" Gary smirks at his friend.

"What?" the oblivious man asks as he lounges on Gary's couch in his office. Ash just needed a break from Misty, so he followed Gary. The champion doesn't care for research.

"How was sex with your ex?"

Ash sits up with a bright red face. "What?"

"You heard me, Ashy Boy. I know you and Red did the nasty." Gary snickers.

Ash lays back down with a loud groan. "No, we didn't."

"Leaf just texted me. Misty told her." the professor waves his pokenav towards Ash.

This comment makes Ash sit up again to curiously look at his grinning friend. "What'd she say?" Ash whispers.

Gary scrolls through the messages. "Tell me how last night was first."

"Why?" Ash would rather keep the details to himself.

Rolling his eyes, Gary walks over to sit beside Ash and swing an arm over his shoulders. "Look, Ashy Boy, I want what's best for you. So I just wanna hear how your night with Red went."

Ash narrows his eyes suspiciously at Gary. Despite being friends, Ash can never trust Gary too much. Gary and Leaf love teasing him for a reason. "It was fine."

"That's it?" When Ash slowly nods, Gary's smirk grows. "C'mon, Ashy Boy. I won't tell anyone."

"But Leaf."

"She already knows." Gary reminds Ash while waving the pokenav in his face.

Sighing, Ash leans back in the couch with his eyes shut. He feels his face heat up as he remembers last night. "It was more than fine, okay?"

"Oh?" Gary's interest is piqued again. "How so?"

Ash shrugs. "I don't know. We always have the best sex."

"Did you feel a connection or was it just lust? Ya know. Cuz you and Melody broke up, so you haven't satisfied your needs in a while."

Ash opens his eyes to give Gary a look of disgust. "I'm not like you."

Raising his hands up in defense, the professor exclaims, "Just asking!"

Groaning, Ash takes in a deep breath. "I don't know, Gary. It just felt so right. Maybe it's just my body remembering what it was like being with her?"

"Did you like it?"

Ash chuckles in embarrassment. "I'd do it again."

Gary claps his friend on the back proudly. "Atta boy, Ashy Boy!"

Glaring at Gary for hitting him hard, Ash rubs his back. He soon lets out a breath as he runs a hand through his hair. "But it's more than that, Gary. Like I wouldn't wanna just sleep with her."

"So you like her again?"

"What?" Ash sticks his tongue out in disgust. "No! I hate her!"

Rolling his eyes, the professor knows otherwise. He unlocks his pokenav to look at Leaf's messages. "Misty told Leaf you're good. So I guess you both like sleeping with each other."

Ash can't believe his face is getting more red. Can a face really heat up this much? Will it explode? "Please stop."

Gary loves teasing Ash, unfortunately, so the auburn haired man continues, "She wants to see you more often, but her pride won't let her ask you." Even Gary is surprised by this message.

The champion sighs. It's already hard enough seeing Ariel as often as he does. Why does Ash need to come around more for his ex? Well, Ariel would love it, but it's not for Ariel. It's for his ex. "Is that it?"

"Seems like you got a fuck buddy, Ashy Boy." Gary grins, making Ash groan again.

Ash gets up to leave the office. He can't take anymore teasing from Gary. "I'm going." Besides, he needs to change his ex's flat tire.

With Ash gone, Gary reads Leaf's last message. He won't tell Ash this because Gary doesn't want to influence his friends in any way. "Seems like she still loves you too, Ashy Boy." Gary hopefully smiles at his pokenav. He really wants his friends back together. For his sake and for Ariel's, though Gary wants them back together mostly for their happiness. Ash and Misty deserve to be happy, and Gary knows they'll be happiest together. Ash has changed, so this won't be a repeat of last time.

I loved typing the last two scenes. I feel like I don't put in enough Gary and Leaf. Also, it's nice having their friendship show in here. I haven't typed a friendship fic since Finding Dreams. Friendship fic as in, NOT friends who become lovers, but friends who stay friends. This was nice.