Type: Water
Shipping: IcebergSwimShipping

One-Shot 12: Specs-tacle

One day, Professor Cerise's lab received a call. Chloe answered. "Professor Cerise's lab!" she announced.

"Hi, I'm looking for Ash," a young woman's voice called over as Ash entered the room.

"Hold on," Chloe hushed before turning to Pikachu's trainer. "Ash, someone's on the phone for you." Ash seemed a bit caught off-guard.

"For me?" he pondered. Chloe handed the phone over. "Hello?"

"Ash?" It took a second to recognize the voice.

"Lauren? What's up?"

"It's Piplup! He's run off again! Or rather swam off… Anyway, I think he may be heading to your lab again… and not alone." The alert gave Ash an opportunity to warn Goh and the Pokémon of visitors.

"Alright, we'll keep an eye out for them." He hung the phone before going to the park. Warning his partners, they raced out before finding an exhausted and hungry trio of Pokémon: Piplup, Psyduck and Croagunk.

"I recognize Piplup and Croagunk but not Psyduck," Goh studied. Pikachu and Sobble came to the other three after the trainers brought them to the park. Hearing the emergency, Chloe brought some food for the three fatigued Pokémon.

"Lauren's Pokémon must be jealous of another Pokémon that got her glasses that fell into the ocean," Goh sighed.

"But we didn't see Psyduck before," Ash pointed out.

"That would mean that Psyduck performed the same task as Piplup and Croagunk," he concluded. "Then… who's the new Pokémon to do the deed?" Chloe seemed interested in their discussion.

"So, a trainer loses her glasses, a Pokémon finds them and she offers to raise it?" she summarized. Yamper also seemed perplexed to the occasion.

"Even I have a hard time understanding her logic," Goh sighed. Ash began to ponder something.

"Before we return the Pokémon to Snowpoint City, I wanna do a little shopping," he suggested.

"Sure," Goh accepted. "You have something in mind?"

"Yeah, and it'll only be an hour," Ash promised. "I'll be right back!" He left, Pikachu's watching in confusion. A few days later, Ash, Goh, Chloe and the Pokémon arrived and bundled up in winter wear as they arrived in Snowpoint City. Chloe awed the city's look.

"So, this is Snowpoint City in Sinnoh?" she believed.

"It is," Ash confirmed. "I still remember my Gym Battle against Candice." As soon as they stepped off, one young woman emerged with a Dewott. She raced to her Pokémon.

"Piplup!" she cried out. "Croagunk! Psyduck!" The Pokémon saw their trainer, Lauren, and gasped. They became boisterous in protest. "Guys?" Ash, Goh and Pikachu sighed to Lauren's oblivious response.

"Should we be surprised at the Pokémon in how they've been treated since that Dewott saved her glasses?" pointed Ash. Goh got his phone out and aimed it at Lauren's new Pokémon.

"DEWOTT, THE DISCIPLINE POKÉMON," it registered. "A WATER-TYPE AND THE EVOLVED FORM OF OSHAWOTT. DEWOTT LEARNS VARIOUS FORMS OF COMBAT INVOLVING THEIR SCALCHOPS." Goh seemed impressed while Chloe pondered the meeting.

"Dewott's out of Unova," she mentioned. "What's it doing in Sinnoh, let alone in Snowpoint?" Ash became suspicious to Chloe's information.

"Good question," he wondered. Dewott became defensive to Lauren.

"Dewott met me after… well, you guessed it," she summarized before seeing Chloe. "And who's this?" Goh volunteered to introduce his friend.

"This is Chloe, she's the daughter of Professor Cerise," he introduced. Chloe bowed to Lauren before noticing her other Pokémon hissing at Dewott who drew his Scalchops. Ash crossed his arms before starting his explanation.

"First, Piplup saves Lauren's glasses," he listed. "Then Croagunk… then Psyduck… and now Dewott. So, when Dewott did the deed, did you just ignore the others?" Lauren gawked to the possibility.

"No, why would I ignore my Pokémon!?" she pleaded. Out of nowhere, a child running with his eyes closed struck Lauren's hip, causing her to topple and her glasses to fall into the ocean. Without hesitation, Lauren's Pokémon dove in. Lauren freaked out, thinking she lost her glasses for good this time. Ash and Pikachu palmed their faces.

"Not again…" they groaned. That's when the Pokémon emerged with one more holding the glasses. They gasped as a Seel emerged with the glasses on its little horn.

"That's a Seel!" identified Chloe. Goh pointed his phone.

"SEEL, THE SEA LION PokÉMON," it registered. "SEEL'S GRACE COMES FROM ITS TIME IN THE WATER RATHER THAN ITS TIME ON LAND." Seel came to the shore which Lauren retrieved her glasses.

"Seel, thank you!" she praised as she lifted Seel out of the water. "You deserve a special treat!" Her other Pokémon fell to pieces as Seel barked to the praise.

"Her other Pokémon are making this a big deal," Chloe figured. At her home, the kids were given hot cocoa as her Pokémon were given some Pokémon food… but only Seel appreciated the food as the others growled to Lauren's new friend.

"There's still plenty of months before the next Iceberg Race," Lauren plotted. "You could become a Dewgong before it happens." The other Pokémon protested the decision. Lauren seemed perplexed. Ash decided to speak up.

"Lauren, before I forget," he voiced. "Can I have your glasses?" Lauren blinked to the request.

"My… glasses?" she repeated. Ash nodded in which Lauren surrendered her specs.

"Hold on," Goh started. "Wouldn't this be from your shopping a few days ago?" Taking only a minute, Ash returned the glasses to Lauren's face. Lauren blinked to what Ash did to her glasses.

"What did you do-" she paused before feeling a strap. She felt all around her head and down to her neck to find a strap. She raced to a mirror to see the strap in whole and was flustered. "I look like a librarian…" Ash came to give an explanation.

"I'm surprised that you haven't figured out the problem," he sighed. "It's better to leave your glasses on so that you can see each Pokémon equally."

"I get that, but it makes me feel old."

"Your Pokémon would disagree." It made Lauren blink before she slipped. She fell onto Ash and they both fell to the ground. The crash made Goh, Chloe and the Pokémon rush to the bathroom which they viewed Lauren on top of Ash. Their lips were locked. Quickly, Lauren jumped up in shock.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" she shrieked.

"I-I'm good!" assured Ash. Lauren helped Ash back on his feet before she dusted him off.

"I'm such a klutz!" she admitted before realizing that her glasses vanished and freaked out. "MY GLASSES! WHERE ARE MY GLASSES!?" Her flailing soon hit her glasses around her shoulders. "Oh?" She put the glasses on and realized that Ash's gift worked.

"Ash is nothing if not prepared in the most unusual ways," Goh sighed.

"He certainly can catch 'em from behind," Chloe giggled. Goh stumbled a little.

"Hey, where did that come from!?" he snickered.

"Me being with you too long…" nagged Chloe. Goh gulped and backed off from the subject. Lauren soon got herself organized.

"My apologies," she excused. "Now, I see what you mean. I'm glad you came to realize my problem." The kids smiled, knowing the problem was solved. She came to her Pokémon and petted them. "I'm starting to realize why you guys keep getting upset. I only wanted it to be one day and it keeps happening. Hopefully, you understand." The Pokémon began to realize her behavior.

"So, are you gonna keep these Pokémon?" asked Chloe. "Or some of them?"

"I don't know," Lauren shrugged. "Piplup, Seel, Dewott, Croagunk, Psyduck… One more and I can have a full team."

"And I already have an Oshawott," Ash remembered. Goh had another item that wasn't mentioned.

"And technically, they're still wild Pokémon," he added. "So, maybe I can have Dewott to bring home." The idea made the Pokémon protest again, this time to stay with Lauren. Ash realized they enjoyed being Lauren's company.

"I say let the Pokémon stay," he chose. "They like her, so why not help the household be prepared?" Everyone agreed before Ash and Lauren gone shopping to find Pokémon food and bowls for them. They brought home plenty of merchandise. As they did, they noticed Seel playing with Chloe. Dewott, Croagunk and Piplup awed the bonding right away. The sight made Lauren wonder.

"Would you like to keep Seel?" she offered. Chloe seemed in awe for the offer of taking care of the Sea Lion Pokémon.

"Me?" she awed. "Oh… I don't know…"

"Seel can be within the park while you're in school," Goh explained.

"That's true," Chloe trusted before turning to Seel. "So, do you want to come with me back to Kanto?" Seel answered by pouncing on Chloe in a hug. That night, Chloe slept with her new Seel as Ash and Lauren stepped outside and walked by the edge.

"Seeing what made me have all of those Pokémon, I honestly didn't want to stop," Lauren said.

"It sounds like you'd literally throw your glasses into the ocean for any new Pokémon to raise," Ash mulled.

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed having Pokémon that can swim like Piplup and Psyduck and Dewott. At least, I'm not alone." Ash stopped at Lauren's sudden confession.

"Is that it?" Hearing Ash's query, Lauren stopped. "You need company?" A shy chuckle, Lauren's face became red.

"Would you… uh… blame me? Seeing you, Goh, Pikachu, Scorbunny… It made me glad I had Piplup before Croagunk and then after you left… But I may have asked too much." Ash laughed, sympathy becoming of the ordeal.

"If that was me, I wouldn't be the Pokémon Trainer I'm so far."

"I can see that. I can also see that we can understand Pokémon and how they feel. I do wonder… Is that also applied to people like us?" Ash adjusted his head down a little to think.

"We're… a little more complicated than Pokémon. I don't wanna see myself as a genius who understands people more than what I am. I only know what I feel and how I feel." Nodding, Lauren understood Ash's words.

"It would be imprudent to figure out other people's feelings. Sometimes, though… I wanna express feelings of my own." She leaned into Ash and kissed his lips, holding them in the falling snow. Ash wanted to push Lauren away, but gradually accepted the kiss. Lauren's glasses fell again, but they landed on Ash's face. The snowfall in Snowpoint City was gorgeous but love under the the condition was a sight to behold.

END of WATER, END of VOLUME X

(10 volumes, 120 chapters, 125 girls and none of it without your votes and good feedback. 2020 was a crazy year and while we all couldn't do what we wanted due to the pandemic, we still have each other. I have new ideas for 2021 after My Little Ponyand Tokyo Mew Mew, but will bring them out when I finish one and/or both. So, for all my readers out there, stay safe, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and I will see you in January!)