Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I do own Andy, Aaron, Marie. There will for a fact be some other characters later on that I own.

( ): Pokemon Translation
Ages:
Ash/Aaron: 13
Misty/Marie: 14
Brock/Andy: 17

Chapter 9: Greenfield

As usual, Ash and Aaron were the last ones up that morning.

"I think I know what's going on." Marie stated when trying to devise a way to wake up the twins.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"I mean they probably stay up all night talking about their pasts. That's why they sleep in."

"It makes sense. If that's the case, then let them sleep."

"WHY?" both girls yelled at Andy for suggesting such a thing.

"Because they need all the sleep they can get. If not, they'll get sleep deprived and not do well in the Silver Conference." Brock spoke up.

"It's their own fault." Misty said. "If they didn't stay up all night…"

"… They would be twins who would know nothing about each other." Brock finished.

"Brock's right girls. It's not their fault they have 12 years of catching up to do. Even Mr. and Mrs. Ketchem said so. Why else do you think they let them sleep in the entire week we stayed over there?"

"Good point. All right, let them sleep." Misty sighed in defeat and turned to Marie for girl talk.

"Nice save Andy." Brock said.

"Thanks. You know, I wonder why Ash and Aaron talk at night and not while we travel?"

"They do. But only about their journeys. I wonder why they won't talk about before they became trainers in front of us."

"Who knows?"

"Maybe one day we'll get answers."

0000

When Ash and Aaron finally woke up (at one o'clock in the afternoon), they practically inhaled their food.

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah. We lost a whole morning's worth of training." Ash added.

"Blame Andy and Brock. They're the geniuses who decided to keep you from getting sleep deprived." Misty spoke up.

"How did you know we weren't getting enough sleep?" Aaron asked.

"Two twins. Haven't seen each other in 12 years. Finally together. Add those up and you get stay up all night to speed up the Catch Up Process." Brock said.

"Pika?" (Ketchup?)

"He said Catch up not Ketchup" Ash told his Pokemon.

"Pika." (Rats.)

"Have you heard us?" Aaron asked

"No. Just common sense." Marie said.

"Ok."

They finished lunch (or in Ash and Aaron's cases brunch) and packed up to head toward Goldenrod City. When no one was looking the twins breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew. That was close."

"I really hope they really didn't hear."

"Yeah. Let's hurry so we can head to Greenfield."

"Ok. I hope nothing happens while we're there."

"Same here. But we have other problems too. They know we stay up."

"So?"

"What if they decide to act asleep and eavesdrop?"

"Oh."

"Yep."

"What do we do?"

"Looks like midnight training."

"Ok. But what if Professor Hale invites us to stay at his place?"

"Break time."

0000

"ASH KETCHEM! ARE WE LOST AGAIN!"

"AARON! IF YOU SAY WE'RE LOST, I'LL…"

"Hey! This tree looks familiar." Ash pointed out.

"MAYBE BECAUSE WE PAST IT BEFORE?"

"No Misty, I think Ash is…" Brock started but stopped when he saw the look on Misty's face just daring him to say she's wrong.

"Here's a clearing!" Aaron spoke up.

After giving Misty an I-told-you-so look, Ash ran up to his brother far enough to actually see the town.

"It's Greenfield!"

"Greenfield!" Misty shouted and ran up to see what was truly Greenfield. Instead of the crystal covered field that she saw the last time she looked upon this place, she saw a wide field covered in flowers with houses in various places. Instead of a giant crystal flower in the center, a huge brown mansion stood in the middle of the town.

"So this is Greenfield." Brock said.

"It's beautiful." Marie added.

"Let's go!" Ash said.

0000

"Here you go Molly. Your Teddiursa is perfectly healthy."

"Thanks Nurse Joy." A newly 6 year-old Molly Hale said to the local nurse.

"Well Molly, what did Nurse Joy say?" Professor Hale said as his daughter walked up to him and his wife carrying the cute little teddy bear pokemon.

"She said he's perfectly healthy. Thanks Papa. Thanks Mama"

Molly Hale had just had the best birthday of her life a few days ago. First her father gives her a Teddiursa. Then her mother mysteriously shows up. Nobody knows how or why, but frankly, she didn't care. She finally had her family. Her real one. Not an Entei and a family friend. She looked at her new pokemon who finally had his first check-up and remembered how she had used a Teddiursa to battle a Vulpix. Now that she thought about it, she never really thanked Ash and his friends for saving her home and in a sense, her family.

"Are you ok, honey?" Mrs. Hale asked her young daughter.

"I'm fine Mama. I was just remembering what happened almost a year ago."

"When I was warped into the dimension of the Unknowns?" her father asked.

"Yeah. You didn't get to see Mrs. Ketchem and Ash."

"You miss them don't you?"

"Yeah. How come I never missed them before Papa?"

"Probably because you couldn't remember them before." Mrs. Hale answered for her husband. "You were so young when you first met them, and then you were separated from them for a long time."

"Hey. I'm the professor. I have the answers." Professor Hale said indignantly.

"Ok then Professor Hale. What do you propose we do about the situation?"

"How about we call them? There's a vid-phone over there." He answered pointing to the vid-phones.

"Yay." Molly said.

0000

"Slowpokes. All of them."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SLOWPOKES AARON KETCHEM!" both girls yelled at Aaron.

"Calm down. Why don't we go in and let our Pokemon rest?" Ash said trying to calm the girls down.

"You two planned this didn't you?" Andy pointed out. "You meant to get us lost so that we'd end up in Greenfield."

"Of course. I wanted you guys to see what Greenfield really looked like in the spring." Aaron said.

"I don't believe this." Misty said.

"You trick us." Marie added.

Ash and Aaron didn't say a word. They just looked very pleased with themselves and walked into the Pokemon Center. Inside, was pretty much no different from any other center. There were vid-phones lined up on the walls with people using them to call friends and family; there was a common area with vending machines that sold drinks and snacks; and Brock's favorite: The main desk with a very familiar nurse.

"NURSE JOY! Can you help me? I think I'm suffering from Love sicyeowch"

"I think its more like your suffering from insanity." Misty said while holding Togepi in one arm and pulling Brock by the ear.

"Sorry Nurse Joy." Ash apologized. "He's always like this."

"It's alright Ash. How are you? I see you finally met Aaron." Nurse Joy said.

"I'm fine. Yeah I met hold on. How did you know?" Ash asked amazed

"Dad used to bring me here a lot. He would ask Professor Hale about Mom while I played with Molly. I doubt she'd remember me though because she was only two the last time I saw her." Aaron answered.

"How is Molly?" Ash asked Nurse Joy. "Did Professor Hale come back?"

"She's fine Ash. In fact she was here a while ago. I don't know if they left or not though."

"They?" Ash asked

"Yes. Her father came back as well as her mother."

"That's great! She finally has her family back together." Aaron said

"Yes. Everyone in Greenfield is very happy for her. I take it you would like to have you pokemon examined?"

"Yes please."

"Can you do ours too Nurse Joy?" The rest of the gang asked

"Sure. It'll be a few minutes."

0000

"Ok. Thanks Delia. It was nice talking to you. Say Hi to Dan for us. Ok. Bye." Professor Hale just got through talking to Delia Ketchem who had informed him of the twins meeting and the set up.

"Oh well. It was nice to see Mrs. Ketchem." Molly said just a little disappointed.

"Yeah. It's been such a long time. Why are you so down sweetie?" Mrs. Hale asked her daughter.

"I think I know." Professor Hale said. "She wanted to say hi to Ash and possibly Aaron. Right?"

"Yeah."

Mrs. Hale sighed at the look on her daughter face. Molly had already told her parents of what happened that day in Greenfield.

'She really wants to thank him for helping Entei break through that barrier.' She thought to herself while looking up from her daughter to see a group of six trainers talking in pairs in the common room while sitting on the sofas.

The first two were a couple of seventeen year-old boys who seemed to be laying out a route on a map. One had brown hair and green eyes. The other also had brown hair but she couldn't see his eyes for they were slits. The second two were a couple of redheaded girls. One was holding a Togepi while the other was obviously informing her about certain traits Togepies have.

The last two Mrs. Hale recognized immediately. She couldn't help but to smile when she saw two boys who looked exactly alike. She knew these two. She held them as babies when she and her husband went to visit his colleagues from Professor Oak's lab. Each of them used to play with her daughter when she was just a baby.

"Don't worry Molly." She told her daughter. "I'm sure you'll see them again."

"Dear. I would raise her hopes like that." Her husband informed her.

"Honey. Even though you say you're a professor, you aren't very observant." She said pointing to the common area. Even though Ash and Aaron left, she had hoped that her daughter could recognize Ash's friend whom she recognized from Molly's description.

Professor Hale looked up

"It's just four trainers. So?"

"Papa. Two of them are Ash's friends. Come on." Molly said while dragging her father with her Teddiursa at her feet. "Brock! Misty!"

The four trainers looked up to see a blond six-year-old dragging her father with a Teddiursa at her feet.

"Molly!" Brock and Misty yelled.

Molly hugged them and introduced her parents to them. Misty and Brock introduced Marie and Andy to them. Marie was ecstatic to meet Professor Hale.

"Oh my gosh. You're Professor Hale! I've always admired your work. I want to study Legendary Pokemon just like you. Can I have you autograph?"

"Hey. How come you never ask for my autograph?" a voice called out.

Everyone looked to see Ash and Aaron standing side by side. Aaron had an indignant look on his face while Ash was just smiling at his brother's antics.

"I'm never going to get over this." Andy whispered to Brock.

"Tell me about it."

"ASH! AARON!" Molly cried and hugged the brothers while knocking the wind out of them.

"Whoa. Nice to see you too Molly." Ash said.

"Yeah." Aaron agreed. "Now how about letting us breath?"

After Molly let the twins go, they said their hellos to Professor and Mrs. Hale. Professor Hale informed them that they just talked with their mother and she was fine.

"Why don't we go up to the house and talk over dinner?" Mrs. Hale suggested.

"Good idea." Everyone agreed.

0000

"THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?"

Andy and Marie were not informed about which house belonged to the Hales. So when they pulled up in front of the mansion at the center of town, they had the shock of their lives. (For now).

"Yep." Molly informed them.

"Wow."

At dinner, Marie and Andy were still marveling over the mansion. Ash and Aaron were talking to the Hales while Molly was talking with Misty and Brock.

"So Molly. You finally have your own real Pokemon."

"Uh huh" she nodded "Papa gave him to me for my birthday."

"Your mother informed us of the switch." Mrs. Hale told the twins.

"Very sneaky." Professor Hale stated.

"Wow."

0000

Later that night:

"Ash?" a timid voice came from next to Ash who was reading the guide he swiped from Brock.

He turned toward the owner. "Yes Molly?"

"I never really thanked you." Molly admitted.

"Thanked me? For what?" Ash asked confused.

"If you hadn't come to get you mother from me and Entei and then helped Entei break the Unown's barrier, I never would have gotten Mamma or Papa back. So thank you."

"Molly. It was you who told Entei to stop fighting. You also believed in him so he could break through the barrier. I understand why you turned to the Unowns. You were without a mother for a year and then your father disappeared. You were scared. Just remember: If anything like that happens again, just turn to your friends. Teddiursa, Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, Sky, everyone in Greenfield. They'll all be here to help. And also, Aaron and I would try to come as soon as we can. Our parents too. You are never alone. Ok?"

"Ok. Thanks for the advice." She said while starting to head from the room.

"Your welcome. And Molly…"

She turned toward him.

"I'm glad your parents are back."

She smiled at him and left.

"She's gone." He informed his twin who was pretending to be asleep.

"That was deep."

"Think it was too much for a six year old?"

"Maybe. The way you said it probably made more sense to her. What will Brock say when he sees you swiped the guide?"

"I get up early enough. I just go back to sleep."

"Hmm. I wonder what Misty would say if she heard you just now?"

"What? The guide swiping?"

"No. What you said to Molly."

"I know exactly what she would say and do. She would grab me by my shirt and yell in my face: "Who are you and what have you done with Ash Ketchem!""

"I think the more direct quote would be "WHO UMPH"

"Are you trying to wake the entire house up?" Ash asked with his hand muffling his brother. "And besides, there's a six year old in the house."

"Sorry. I forgot."

"I'm going to go on and return the guide so I can sleep in."

"Ok. No midnight sessions?"

"Nah. You're too tired."

"How did you know?"

"I'm your twin. We have a connection. Goodnight."

SNORE

"Wow. He was tired."

While trying hard not to wake up the sleeping Pikachus on the sofa in the room, Ash tip-toed to Brock's room. Ash opened the door to see if Aaron woke Brock up. Thankfully, he was still sawing logs. Ash tip-toed to Brock's backpack and slipped the guide back in.

On his way out Brock started to stir.

"Nurse Joy?" SNORE

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Ash made his way back to his room and went to bed.