All right, time for another chapter. Looks like the Brendan/May coupling got a good response. That's relieving, considering Ash and Misty will have to share the spotlight this time around. Actually, now that I think about it, the whole 'Ash/Misty/May/Brendan' love square from the first story was featured quite prominently in the plot. Still, this time Brendan and May have their own problems to face together. Anyway, let's get started. This one's a little slower in progression due to the many characters involved, and a tad more serious…
---Kouji Tamino
-----
Another Series of Events
Episode 2: Catching Up
Meanwhile, in the far away region of Kanto, in a house about 30 minutes from Cerulean City, Ash was getting off the phone with Brendan. From the bathroom came a freshly showered Misty, whose long, wet and red hair was wrapped in a yellow towel like a turban. Wearing another one around her body, she smiled at her boyfriend. "So, did you remind May, Max, and Brendan? I hope they can make it…" Unraveling the cloth, she let her locks cascade down her back, drying it furiously. "Shower's all yours, babe."
Walking over to her and putting a hand on her bare shoulder, he gently whiffed in the light fragrance of her sweetly scented body wash, chuckling. "Gee, I hope there's enough hot water left…" He muttered sarcastically. This earned him an annoyed glare. "What? I was joking! Although, that shower was pretty long..."
Snorting haughtily, Misty turned up her nose, swinging her hips seductively as she made her way to her clothing drawer. "Just for making fun of me, I'm not doing that while we're in bed anymore…"
Tilting his head in confusion, he gave a peculiar expression. "What's that?" He asked, completely and sincerely unaware of what she was talking about.
Giving Ash a deep, sexy chuckle, she shook her rump teasingly. "Oh, you know… That…" She yelped as Ash suddenly grabbed her from behind, tossing her across the room and back onto their bed. "Eeek! Ash, wait, I--" she moaned as he kissed her deeply, gently pushing her down on her back…
-----
Elsewhere, in the actual city limits, one Tracey Sketchit was awakening in a bed that wasn't his… naked. Groaning in pain, he grabbed his throbbing cranium, attempting to put the pieces of last night together. "Ugh… Damn, okay, let's see… Daisy begged me for about 45 minutes to go drinking with her, I finally caved in and said 'Okay, but only a few…' Things got out of hand I started to… drink until I ended up here." Freezing for a moment, the former Pokémon Watcher's eyes widened, suddenly feeling very, very sick. "Oh my god… Did we--?"
Shaking his head, Tracy searched around for his boxers, quickly putting them on before getting out of bed. "No way, I'm just overreacting… Maybe nothing happened." Taking large steps down the stairs, he continued to theorize. "Maybe I took up the bed and she slept elsewhere." His theories came to a crashing halt, shattering on impact as he became witness to a waking man's greatest fantasy: A woman cooking breakfast in an apron and not much else. To the horribly confused Tracey's relief, Daisy was wearing at least a pair of panties, so perhaps his theories still held water. Though he had to admit, the sight was quite appealing. "Um, morning, Daisy", he greeted, waving weakly.
Turning to the man, an exhausted but happy looking Daisy smiled cheerfully at him. "Morning, lover! I was wondering when you were going to like, wake up and stuff!" Grinning at him with half lidded eyes, she licked her lips. "Last night was wonderful… Hard to believe that was your first time."
Screaming, Tracy leapt back a bit. "YOU MEAN WE REALLY--?" His lightly repaired theories had been smashed beyond repair at that very moment. Not he would really mind, once he calmed down that is…
"Oh, I know! I was like, just as surprised as you!" Daisy admitted, no longer paying attention to her cooking. "You have no idea how long I've been trying to do you! For a minute I was beginning to think you were gay."
"Um, no…" Tracey muttered, blushing. "Trust me, if you got a look at my sketchbook, you'd know I wasn't…" He chuckled inwardly, referring to the fact that he often got caught drawing girls instead of Pokémon on occasion. Gasping, he pointed at the small cloud of smoke forming behind the blonde. "Um, Daisy… The food is burning!"
Turning around quickly, she screamed as she saw that he was right. "Like, oh my god! Tracey, get the extinguisher!"
Later that morning, the pair was sitting down to a breakfast that Tracey himself had cooked up after averting the possible burning down of the house and the attached gym. Staring down at her meal pitifully, she looked up at the assistant of Oak Lab with wide, glossy eyes. "I'm like, sooo sorry, Tracey. I just wanted to make you a nice breakfast after making love, like a real couple." Sighing, she looked over to the side. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be…"
"That's not true, Daisy…" Tracey assured her, smiling slightly. "And it's alright, everyone makes mistakes." Chuckling, he poked a bit at his food. "To tell the truth, I like you a lot." He yelped in shock as Daisy suddenly leapt over the table and tackled him into a tight hug, his chair flipping backwards and sending them both crashing to the ground.
"Oh Tracey, I love you!" The somewhat air headed woman shouted, planting kisses all over the very appreciative man. This was going to be a very interesting week…
-----
Elsewhere, in Pallet Town, Professor Oak was in his field, examining all the Pokémon the trainers of Pallet had left with him. Smiling cheerfully as he determined that all were in good health, he slowly stood up, groaning as he felt yet another creak in his back. "Oh boy… Something tells me that this old body of mine is trying to tell me something." The Pokémon Prof smiled as his eldest grandchild approached, carrying a tea tray. "Good morning, Daisy! How goes things with you?"
The woman smiled back, sighing happily. "Oh, not much. But for some reason, I'm in a particularly happy mood." Giggling, she sighed again blissfully. "Brock came over a few minutes ago, and he said that he had a surprise for me on his birthday. His birthday, of all things! Isn't he sweet?"
Nodding, Oak dusted his clothes off as he walked towards her. "Brock is a good young man. Kind to others and intelligent. I'm very happy for the two if you, sustaining a relationship for so long." Picking up a cup of tea, he took a sip. "Thank you, Daisy…"
"What's so surprising about us being together for 2 years, Grandfather?" Daisy asked, tilting her head, a tad perplexed. "Both Ash and Misty and Brendan and May have been together for that long…"
"Yes, but both of those couples knew other for many years as friends, their feelings slowly growing for each other. For you and Brock, it was almost literally love at first sight." Sweat dropping, he partially retracted his statement. "Well, perhaps for Brock at least…"
Pouting, Daisy stomped her foot, the vibrations making her spill her tea. "Grandpa! That's not nice!" Gasping as he took note of the mess she had made, she gave another sigh, this time in annoyance. "Whoops…"
-----
Inside the lab, sitting on a sofa, were Gary and Brock, talking over the tea that Daisy had brought them. "Wow, so you were involved in the revival of Prehistoric Pokémon?" he asked, utterly amazed. "And this was back during the time the others and I were in Hoenn? Gary, that's genius!" One thing puzzled him, though. "With such a promising career, why did you come back to Pallet?" Of course, it was none of his business why Gary did what he did, but he was extremely curious as to what could make a man give everything up like that.
Frowning, the younger Oak sibling ran a hand through his hair. There was a very valid reason for his choice. "Well, you see… Grandpa had a heart attack 6 years ago. I rushed to Pallet and… never looked back." He had left the island where he had been studying to be a researcher, informing everyone of the situation. They wished his famous grandfather well, and hoped Gary would return soon. He never did, feeling too obligated to stay in Pallet in case there was another attack. He gave up his dream and a potentially great career for the love of his family.
Brock was utterly speechless. How could he have been so dense? Of course it was trouble in the family that had made Gary drop everything. He would have done the same if something bad happened to his mother, father, or many siblings. "Gary, I'm sorry…" he began, ashamed of asking such a question. "I didn't know."
"Nah, it's all right." Gary assured the slightly older man, patting him on the shoulder. "But to think, that at any moment, I could have to take my grandfather's place…" The thought made his stomach churn. He'd rather go back to reviving extinct Pokémon and leave the lab to Tracey, but he just couldn't abandon his family like that.
"Hey, don't think like that." Brock replied, crossing his arms. "In hard times, it's best to think about the good, and not ponder on the bad too much." Sitting up, he stared at the young researcher hard. "It's always a good idea to be prepared for a possible future, but don't let it consume you."
"Thanks, Brock", Gary replied with a grin. "You're wise beyond your years." Chuckling, he gave Brock a smug grin. "Now I know you didn't come all the way over here just to ask me that…" Crossing his arms, he gave the man a playfully stern look. "What was so important that you had to get my sister, your girlfriend of all people, out of the room?"
"It's… kind of awkward." Brock began, pulling out a small jewelry box. "After all these years of literally flirting with every pretty girl I ever met, I think she's the one…" Gulping, a grin spread across his face as he stood up, raising his fist triumphantly. "I REALLY THINK THAT DAISY IS THE--" He was suddenly silenced by Gary, who clamped a hand over his mouth and brought him back down onto the couch, making him lay there.
"Shhh!" Gary Oak shushed, whispering. "You wanna ruin the surprise!" Grinning his approval, he continued. "If you're gonna propose to my big sister, then you're gonna do it right." Letting Brock go, they both sat back up straight. "So, when do you plan to pop the question?"
"On my birthday…" Brock replied, staring down at the box containing the ring. "I hope she likes it." Suddenly getting cold feet, he began to have second thoughts. Years of oblivious girls, subtle rejections, misunderstandings, and the occasional ear tug from Misty and Max began to rush through his mind. "What if she says no? Worse yet, what if I come on to strong and she breaks things up between us?" He groaned in worry.
"Relax, man!" Gary shouted, patting him on the back. He was a little worried by his friend's sudden low self-esteem. Thinking of ways to help him out, he jogged his memory banks for anything that could reassure him of Daisy's mutual feelings. "Besides, you wouldn't believe how much she talks about you! Last time, she started ranting about how wonderful you are! She was practically in ecstasy!" Staring at his hand, he winced. "I fact, she almost scolded my hand because she wasn't paying attention while serving tea a few weeks ago!"
"Ouch…" Brock flinched in sympathy. But Daisy was really that into him? They had been dating for almost two years, but he never thought it would last thing long. "Was it really that bad, er good, er, I mean…? Never mind…" That settled it, then. He was going to propose to her on his birthday, no matter what.
-----
Back at Ash and Misty's house, the couple had emerged from the shower for a second time, Ash dressed in a sleeveless black shirt, baggy jeans, his Hoenn hat and gloves, and a pair of blue and white running shoes. He glanced over at his girl with a grin, she was dressed in a yellow t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a set of baggy jeans to match Ash's, and some white sneakers. Winking, she tilted her head cutely. "So… Ready to do some birthday shopping?"
As Pikachu ran into the room and crawled up to her shoulder, Ash smiled. "Ready when you are?" Looking over to his yellow friend, he chuckled. "You ready, buddy?"
"Pika! (You bet!)" the electric mouse shouted intensely.
To Be Continued… The Events Get Under Way…