Midsummer Dreams

Midsummer Dreams

By Trish.

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Flory, Callie, Steven, Poppy and the storyline.

A/N: I have a little unpleasant business to attend to first. Now a certain reviewer of mine called a fellow FF.Net author and friend of mine "mentally deranged" because she doesn't like Togepi and thinks it should be scrambled. That was uncalled for - and I'm not very happy about it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and we should respect that. If this person takes a look around FF.Net - there are a lot of stories that have character bashing and disliked characters being eliminated. I don't go around calling other authors "deranged" just because they do something unpleasant to a character I like. So neither should this reviewer. I would just like to say to this person - Yes, I do know my Pokémon; no they don't have to evolve (like Bulbasaur), and they can breed. Most importantly - this is my story and written the way I want. If you don't like them - don't read them.

Sorry about that peeps. OOC warning! Plus I'll say this here - Ash has his own private house at the Plateau, and Misty, Brock and Tracey are staying with him. Jessie and James also have their own little place. Understood? Good. Let the madness continue………….

Chapter Four: If Conventions be the food of love….

Puck was still giddy from his realisation, almost failing to notice that the object of his affections had moved on. Snapping back to reality, the sprite flew after her, eyes fixed on the girl as she wended her way through the massive crowds.

She stopped at the Pokémon Watcher's Association Stand where a poster proclaiming an art competition was nailed to the post. Puck flew a few feet in front of her and studied her lovely features.

The girl was clad in a denim skirt and green shirt which emphasised the emerald green of her eyes. Her long brown hair was loosely tied at the back with a green ribbon. The attendant at the stand was speaking to her. "Could you please tell me your name?"

"Arrow", she answered.

Arrow, so that was her name. "What an appropriate name for my fair maiden to have," Puck whispered. "For you have embedded yourself deep in my heart."

**************

Flory was in search of his cousin. Refreshed from his siesta, he was flying around trying to find Puck. So far, no luck. Flory found this situation rather ridiculous. After all how hard could it be to find the only other fairy in the place besides himself?

The sprite noticed a large pen that was filled with baby creatures. He flew down and probed their minds, and what he discovered nearly broke his heart. These babies were all orphans, and the one thing they wanted above all - was to have a parent. Yet they did not want to be separated for they had become each other's family. Flory had to help them. He could not stand by and do nothing. Someone special was needed for these little ones. Someone who was pure of heart, and whose heart would be large enough to love all of them. He recited the incantation and set the spell in motion.

The sprite flew away, tears blurring his vision, so that he flew smack bang into a human's shoulders. Flory disentangled himself from the long brown tresses he was in, as the sweet scent of perfume wafted around him. He flew to the front to see who was the girl that he had run into. He took one look….. and "WOW!" Flory was smitten.

***************

Luana, the Kumquat Island Gym Leader, was enjoying catching up with Ash. She had bumped into the young Pokémon Master and his assistant as he was making his way to a publicity shoot. She remembered how they had first met on Kumquat Island. She had mistaken him for her only son Travis, grabbed him and nearly squeezed the life out of him with the force of her affection. They had remained good friends, Ash regarding her like a second mother. There were many similarities between their two families. Both Delia and Luana were widows. Both women only had the one child - a boy. Both boys became Pokémon trainers, and started out with a Pikachu. Both boys used to wear caps. Ash had written to inform Luana of his mother's re-marriage, and added that she too, might find another special someone.

A tall, handsome young man with spiky brown hair came up to them, and was greeted warmly by Ash. "Luana, I'd like you to meet one of my best friends, Brock. Pokémon breeder and Pewter City Gym Leader," he introduced. "Brock, this is Luana, member of the famous Orange Crew and Kumquat Island Gym Leader."

Brock grasped her hand and kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Luana returned the compliment. She was very flattered by Brock's actions. No man had done that for her since…since her late husband. She looked him over - he looked strong, and not half bad as looks go. "I'd better be going. I was on my way to get something to eat."

Brock grinned. "Really? So was I. How about we go together?"

"Well, why not." Luana accepted his offered arm and they went off. As she walked, this thought came into her mind. This could be the start of a promising relationship. Brock and Luana - sounds good!

****************

It was time for the publicity shoot. Ash glanced around at the hundreds of newspaper photographers and TV crews milling outside the enclosure in which he stood. He had agreed to a photo session for the international media at the Baby Pokémon Orphanage Stand, to help raise awareness of its good work.

Frolicking around at his feet were twenty orphans, each with a blue or pink bow around its neck to signify its gender. He waved to Pikachu who was sitting on the sidelines with James and Gary.

"Is everyone nearly ready?" he asked the media.

"Yes", "No", "Not quite" or "Nearly" came the replies.

Just then, Poppy chose to poke her head out of his blazer pocket. "Pichu?" she chirped as she gazed up at her trainer.

"Awwwwww….," was the collective response from the large crowd.

Ash scooped out the Pichu and held her up at eye-level. "Now, Poppy. You're not supposed to be in this shoot."

"Pi?" The baby cocked her head inquisitively.

"No. Now you'd better go back to your mother." He was about to walk over to hand Pikachu her baby when a chorus of voices from the media contingent stopped him.

"Aw, please don't leave it with it's mother, Mr. Ketchum!"

"Yeah. The Pichu would make an excellent addition to the shoot. The Orphanage doesn't have one."

"The people will just love seeing it in the pictures, as will the editors."

The Grand Master gave into their wishes and placed Poppy back into his blazer pocket. She wriggled around until she was in a comfortable position, and sat there with her head and two tiny paws sticking out.

"Now you behave," Ash told her in a firm but gentle voice.

"Pichu."

He looked down at the Baby Pokémon. They were all so adorable - Ash was a real softie when it came to babies, both human and Pokémon. He picked up the female Teddiursa that was patting his shoes, and cradled the small Pokémon in his arms. The tiny bear looked exactly like a stuffed toy that you could buy in the shops. Two big brown eyes full of trust gazed up at the Pokémon Master, and a marking in the shape of a crescent moon graced her forehead.

The dark-haired young man proceeded to tickle the soft brown fur on the Pokémon's stomach. The Teddiursa squealed in delight, waving her little paws around happily. Ash grinned. "Aren't you a cute little one?" he said while making a rocking motion with his arms. The Teddiursa blinked at him, before sucking on her paw in utter contentment. Within a few minutes she had fallen asleep.

Ash slowly sat down on the bale of hay that was in the enclosure, careful not to disturb the sleeping teddy in his arms. The other babies soon crowded around. "Phan!" Ash turned slightly to see two Phanpys clamber onto the bale beside him. They were twins - a boy and a girl. Ash caressed the two heads with his free hand and tickled them under their chins. "Phy!" they cooed and used their trunks to snuffle up and down his arm.

"Smooch!"

"Iggly!"

He looked down to see a Smoochum clinging to one leg and an Igglybuff to the other.

"Wow, they've all really taken to you," the lady running the shelter remarked.

"So it seems."

Forty minutes later, the session was over. Ash placed the now awake Teddiursa down on the bale before leaving the enclosure to talk to the media.

The babies looked at him, looked at each other - then all burst into tears. They made such a racket that everyone else stopped what they were doing. They saw the owner running around trying to soothe her sobbing charges. Nothing seemed to work.

Ash decided to go back in. "Can I do something?" he asked. The babies ceased crying and ran to him. He stayed for a few minutes, fussing over the cooing babies - then tried to leave. The waterworks resumed. He came back - and they dried up.

"Hey, Pikachu," he called to his favourite Pokémon, as he cuddled the Teddiursa. "Could you find out what's the matter, please?"

"Sure," she answered as she scampered into the enclosure. She addressed the male Phanpy. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

The Phanpy snuffled as he wiped away a few tears with his trunk. "We…(sniff)…don't want Daddy to leave us."

"Daddy?"

The baby pointed his trunk at her trainer. "That's Daddy. We wanna go with him. We don't wanna be left here."

"Well, I guess he could take some of you."

The Phanpy waved his little trunk in distress. "No! We all go together. We don't wanna be parted. We're family."

Pikachu scurried back to Ash. "I've found out what's wrong."

"And?"

"They don't want Daddy to leave them here."

"Daddy? Who's….," he trailed off and turned pale. "Oh no."

"Oh, yes."

"Oh boy," Ash muttered. "Um…I don't think…" A million thoughts were racing through his head. Twenty baby Pokémon now thought of him as their father. He had never had this happen before. All the Baby Pokémon he owned had parents. These little ones had no parents.

But, he wasn't ready to be a father! To either a human or Pokémon baby! He wasn't even married! Sure, he loved babies, but he wasn't ready for twenty of them…was he?

He glanced down at the orphans, to find all eyes fixated on him, lower lips trembling. That did it. Ash's heart won out.

Oh god, I'm such a softie. Ash groaned silently. I can't disappoint them - they've already been through enough heartbreak.

He waved over the orphanage's manager. "What do I have to do to adopt an orphan?"

She smiled. "All you have to do is fill out the form and have two people witness the whole process. Which one did you want to adopt?"

Ash took a deep breath before he answered. "All of them."

Her mouth dropped open, as did the mouths of everyone else there. "All of them?" she squeaked. "Are you sure?"

He nodded firmly, "I'm positive."

She snapped out of her daze and scurried to get forms. Ash patiently filled out the twenty forms and the other necessary paperwork, with Gary and James as his witnesses. When that was finished, he went back to the waiting orphans. "Okay, kids - you're all coming home with Daddy," he announced. Overjoyed, the babies all glomped on him while the cameras started flashing again.

The twenty Pokéballs were put into a bag so that Ash could carry them back to his office. James was over the moon at what happened. "This is gonna be FANTASTIC! What a great PR move," he crowed as they walked. "I can see the head lines now - 'All hail the Pokémon Father - Pokémon Master adopts 20 Orphan Pokémon.' This will further enhance your image as one of the World's Nicest Mr. Nice Guys." James poked Ash in the ribs, "Not to mention how this will boost your popularity with the women."

The Pokémon Master groaned. "That's the last thing I need - to have even more women after me."

Gary snickered. "Daddy Ketchum."

Ash punched him on the arm. "Oh, shut up."

Finally they reached his office. Ash greeted his secretary and walked into the main room. "Oh, Meowth?" he called out.

The cat Pokémon appeared with a Pichu riding piggyback. "Yeah, what's up?"

Ash smiled at the cat. "I think you'd better sit down for this."

*****************

Tracey leant back against the tree and rested his sketchpad on his knees. He was on his break, he had taken himself to the small park not far from the Stadium to sketch the passing crowds.

There was a slight rustle in the bushes behind him, Tracey whipped around, but nothing was there. He stared at the spot for a few more minutes, but the bush never moved, so he returned to what he was doing. Maybe he was just being paranoid, or else he had been watching too many mystery movies - but he felt as though someone or something had been watching him for the past few days..

A small Pikachu ran silently from the bushes to its trainer who was waiting behind a nearby wall. The Pikachu had a tiny camera strapped to its forehead. Chuchino knelt down to give her pet a scratch for a job well done. She had been secretly following Tracey around for a few days now, but she was not quite ready to make her move on him yet. The preparations had not been completed. The room was ready, but she was still waiting on a few things. The girl gazed at the unsuspecting artist and grinned. "Just one more day or so, before I get my private lessons. Tracey - you will be mine!"

******************

Puck met his cousin back at their tree for dinner. "So, how was your afternoon, Flory?"

"Fantastic," Flory sighed slumping onto a leaf. "I met the love of my life today."

"Really? So did I!" Puck exclaimed. "Is she human?"

"Yes."

"What does she look like?"

"She's young, she has long brown hair down to her shoulders, and she's beautiful."

"That's like my girl. She's young and beautiful with long brown hair." Puck narrowed his eyes as a thought struck him. "We're not in love with the same girl are we?"

"Of course not!" Flory scoffed. "Her eyes are a sort of greyish green colour. What about your girl?"

"Green."

"See? They're different. I followed her back to her hotel room. What about you?"

"I followed mine too," Puck admitted.

"Did you see me there?"

"No."

"Well, there you have it. We are not in love with the same girl." Flory stated. "How about we visit them tonight?"

**************

Drake, Danny and Gary walked into The Bigglypuff, one of Indigo Plateau's most popular restaurants and nightclubs. "Say, aren't those the two girls we met earlier?" Danny inquired suddenly. His two companions looked to where he was pointing, and sure enough, they were sitting at a large table with another young woman who was tall with dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair.

"I guess it's time for me to play Cupid," Drake sighed before they made their way over. The girls were surprised to see them but invited them to take a seat. The other girl was introduced to them as Karin, another one of their friends.

"We only just got here," Jenn explained. "We're waiting to order dinner, so you might as well join us."

The dinner went by pleasantly, with the conversation touching on all different subjects. Drake asked Trish to dance, so that he could talk to her alone about Rudy. By asking her to dance, he hoped to lessen the possibility of the dark-haired girl thumping him when he did so. After a while, he thought it safe to broach the subject. "So, what do you think of my colleague Rudy, the Trovita Island Gym Leader?"

"Mr. 'Saturday Night Fever'? He's okay."

"Would you go out with him, if he asked?"

She sighed. "He's already asked, and I already said no. What part of 'no' doesn't he understand?"

"Why don't you want to go out with him? He's a really nice guy."

"He's nice, but he's not my type."

"So who is your type?"

Trish was about to answer when Rudy walked up to them. "Hi you two," he greeted with a smile.

"How did you know where to find me?" Drake asked.

"Cissy told me." Rudy then turned to the young woman standing next to Drake. He clicked his fingers and one of his assistants came running with a bunch of flowers which he then handed to Trish. "These, my dear, are for you."

'"Er..Thank you."

He whispered in his assistant's ear, who then went over to the nearby jukebox, put some money in, and punched in a selection. "I dedicate this song," Rudy declared, "to the girl who saved me from the Egg, and stole my heart." The song was "I Want You" by Savage Garden whereupon he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dance.

A few minutes later the song was over, and Trish pulled away quickly. "That's very nice of you Rudy. And I'd like to repay the favour." She called out to her friend, "Hey Jenn! Come over here please?"

Jenn did so, and she nodded at her whispered instructions. She went over to the jukebox and dropped a coin in. "This is my song for you," Trish said with a smile. The song the jukebox played? "Don't Call Me Baby" by Madison Avenue.

***************

Meanwhile, Puck and Flory were waiting on the balcony railing outside the hotel room where Flory's lady love was staying. They had been sitting there for half an hour when the light in the room flickered on. Flory sat up in anticipation, "She's here." He then stood up and launched into verse. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Erina is the Sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon; Who is already sick and pale with grief; That thou her maid art far more fair than she."

Puck shook his head, his cousin was hopeless. He left the lovestruck sprite and flew off to a room that was around the corner. He flew in the open window, and gazed upon his fair maiden who was engrossed in a TV program. Puck was just content to sit and watch her - Arrow was, to him, the loveliest female he had ever seen.

After she had fallen asleep, the sprite flew down to where she lay. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and went to sleep beside her on the pillow. When Arrow awoke in the morning, he had gone - and left a single, perfect, red rose on the pillow beside her.

To be continued…..

Author's Note: Love is in the air, and I hope that Arrow and Erina-chan aren't going to kill me over this! ^_^

Now I may have got the sound which the Phanpy makes all wrong. I've seen the episode with the Donphans - but has anyone seen one with the Phanpy in it? Nor do I know what sound a Teddiursa, a Smoochum or Igglybuff makes. The third movie is not due out in Australia until July (not fair) and I'm still waiting on "Chikorita's Big Upset" which I calculate to be shown on next Tuesday.

Now nothing happened between Arrow and Puck that night. He just went to sleep beside her, not with her. Same goes for Erina-chan and Flory.

Read & Review peeps! Flamers will be fed to my Tassie Devils.

Just one more thing. Does anyone out there consider themselves an artist? Because I'm planning to set up my own website for my fics in the next few weeks (time permitting) and I would like some pretty pictures to go along with my stories. Unfortunately, I'm no artist. So if anyone would like to contribute a pic that relates to one of my fics - I'd be very happy. Full credit to you too. Specifically, I'd like to see one of Calliope from "Midsummer Madness" or an ensemble pic for "Midsummer Dreams". My e-mail address is in my profile.