Hello all! I'm back with a brand new chapter! This is a fun pace, isn't it? Last week was my most demanding work week for my entire break, so now I've got a bit of extra time to be writing, when I'm not doing sorority things (namely crafting and tidying up our little space on campus.) Hopefully I can get a few more chapters written before I return to school...in two weeks :(
LAST TIME: Aiden and Misty resume their battle, invigorated by the sudden appearance of Ash. The battle is very grueling, and very close, but in the end, it is Aiden who comes out the winner and earns his 8th and final gym badge!
Chapter 54: On the Road Again
Misty sighed and took a sip of her tea, staring out into the backyard as she drank. Surprisingly enough, she'd gotten a wonderful night of sleep after the battle the day before. It must've taken more out of her than she thought. It didn't hurt, however, that Ash had taken the rest of that day off, enabling them to actually spend some time together. For the first time in a long time, the two had actually gone to bed together, and it was more than Misty could've asked for. Getting to fall asleep in Ash's strong arms, listening to his breathing as she'd laid her head against his strong chest, was simply wonderful. He'd already left for the day to continue his training, but finally, Misty felt at peace. She was still concerned about her husband, of course. She worried about him every single day he walked out that door to continue his G-Men training. But this was a level of calmness she hadn't felt in a very long time, and for that, Misty was grateful.
"Mom!"
Misty smiled to herself and placed her tea on the table, casting her eyes downward. "Well, that peace and quiet didn't last long…"
Michelle came charging down the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes sparkling. She was still dressed in her purple sleep top and shorts, and her red hair still showed signs of bed head.
"I just found out that there's going to be a Pokémon Contest held in Cyan Town!" Michelle squealed, clasping her hands together.
"Cyan Town?" Misty repeated. "That's just one town over!"
"I know!" Michelle giggled. "It's the perfect chance for me to get my fifth and final ribbon!"
"It certainly sounds like it," Misty agreed, wrapping both hands around her warm teacup. "When is the Contest?"
"In two days," Michelle replied, causing her mother's eyes to widen.
"My goodness, that's so soon," Misty murmured.
"It is, but I just have to enter, Mom," Michelle sighed. "I don't want to wait any longer to get my fifth ribbon! I'm starting to worry that I won't get it."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, darling," Misty giggled. "You are going to get that fifth ribbon for sure! I believe in you."
"Thanks, Mom," Michelle breathed, pulling out her chair at the table and sitting down. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"No, I was waiting for everyone else to get up," Misty replied. "Do you know if Aiden, Elizabeth, and Brandon are still sleeping?"
"I'm not sure," Michelle answered. "I thought I might have heard Aiden and Brandon talking to one another, but it could've just been my mind playing tricks on me."
"Well, I might as well begin preparing breakfast now," Misty decided, getting to her feet. "Those two will be ravenous by the time they get down here, and I don't need two hungry pre-teen boys on my hand. That's just asking for trouble!"
Michelle giggled and turned around in her seat, watching as her mother turned the stove on and began gathering her ingredients. It was good to see her mother acting like herself again. Michelle knew it was all because of her father. He really knew how to push Misty's buttons, but he also knew how to put her together again. Michelle felt so lucky to have two parents who loved one another so much, and were so devoted to one another. She may have made faces at their romantic displays, along with her brother and sister, but deep down inside, Michelle was grateful for it.
"Man, it smells great down here!"
Michelle turned her head towards the stairs, while Misty looked over her shoulder. Aiden was trampling down the stairs, Brandon following close behind. Aiden had his nose up in the air, eyes closed as he sniffed around excitedly.
"Good thing I got that head start," Misty giggled.
"I thought I heard you two!" Michelle chirped. "I just didn't believe it."
"I could hardly sleep last night after that battle with Mom!" Aiden crowed, throwing his arms down. "It was so exciting! I was restless all night!"
"Clearly," Brandon grumbled. "I had to listen to his shuffling all night! Tossing and turning, over and over. That made it hard for me to sleep!"
"You could've hit me with a pillow or something!" Aiden chuckled. "I would've tried to keep it down."
"And you used to wonder why I wouldn't let you watch TV before bed when you were little," Misty commented from the stove. "You've been a light sleeper since day one, and getting you all revved up only makes things worse! Obviously, that hasn't changed."
"Mom…" Aiden groaned, his cheeks flashing red.
Smirking, Michelle turned her gaze onto her mother, draping her arms over the back of her chair. "Hey Mom, you should tell one of those stories about Aiden from when he was little! You know, when he couldn't sleep at night and he'd cause all kinds of trouble…"
"Quit it, Michelle!" Aiden snapped.
"I'd like to hear some of those, actually," Brandon chuckled, taking a seat next to Michelle.
"You only want to hear them so you can make fun of me," Aiden grumbled.
"I never denied that," Brandon replied with a shrug.
"You three are so funny," Misty laughed. "It must be quite the experience traveling around with you guys!"
"I'd certainly like to think so," Michelle boasted, puffing her chest out.
Aiden snorted and rolled his eyes. He decided to drop the oncoming insult geared towards his sister, however, when he saw his mother drop some bacon on the hot pan in front of her.
"What else are you making?" Aiden asked, rushing up to his mother's side.
"Can't you have anything be a surprise, sweetheart?" Misty laughed tiredly.
"Not when it comes to food I can't," Aiden refuted.
Misty smirked and rolled her eyes. "Or presents or trips or visitors or-"
"Hey Mom, what's that on your neck?"
Misty looked at her son and raised an eyebrow. He was looking curiously at the side of her neck, head tilted to the side. Misty reached up and touched the spot, wincing when she pressed down just a bit too hard on it. She smiled afterwards, however, and pulled her shoulders back.
"It's nothing," Misty assured him.
"Are you sure?" Aiden prodded. "It kind of looks like a bruise."
"You could call it that," Misty murmured, her cheeks beginning to grow red. Her mind traveled back to the gym battle the day before, when Ash had given her that very mark before sending her back into the battle area. It hadn't started to darken until that night, although Misty wasn't at all surprised by it. Ash had a bit of a habit of leaving hickies on her…most commonly on her neck. She'd gotten pretty successful at getting him to leave them other places after they became parents, because Misty didn't necessarily want their kids to see them. Ash had obviously had a lapse of memory, however, and left it there anyway. When Misty playfully reminded him of it the night before, Ash had just smirked and, in just as playful a fashion as Misty's tone, lapped the mark with his tongue.
"So I got a little bit excited," Ash had chuckled lowly. "That's just so you remember that you're mine, and I'm yours."
And it was that last line that had led to Misty giving Ash his very own mark, one that he would have no choice but to show off at G-Men training that day.
"Does it hurt?" Aiden asked, going to poke at the mark.
"Aiden, don't poke Mom!" Michelle cried.
Brandon, on the other hand, just smirked and shook his head. "So dense…"
"Hey, why am I dense?" Aiden muttered with a pout, walking back over to the table.
Misty sighed, relieved that her son seemed to be done asking questions about her little love mark. It was once Aiden left her alone, however, that Misty realized she didn't have another child on her back.
"Guys, where's Elizabeth?" Misty asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"She's still asleep," Aiden replied. "I poked my head into her room, but she's passed out. Pichu is with her!"
"Huh, I was wondering where that little troublemaker went," Michelle mused.
"Pikachu slept in Elizabeth's room with her last night, so my guess is that's why Pichu went there," Misty giggled. "That little mouse just loves Pikachu!I'm sure they'll both be sad to see that Pikachu is gone, but at least now they'll have each other to keep company. I've noticed that Pichu and Elizabeth get along pretty well and love to play together."
"That's because they're both little," Michelle giggled. "Plus, Elizabeth loves all baby Pokémon. So naturally, she thinks Pichu is just the best!"
Misty smiled and looked down at the pan she was currently working on. "I'll have to go wake those two up soon, but I suppose I'll be nice and give them a few extra minutes of sleep."
As Misty continued to cook, Brandon turned his attention onto Michelle, who raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"So, what's the plan now?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Aiden has all eight of his badges, but you're still short one Contest ribbon," Brandon continued. "You're the one calling the shots now."
"Oh," Michelle breathed before lighting up. "I just found out they're having a contest in Cyan Town! That's literally right next door to Cerulean City! I say we head there next so I can try and win my fifth ribbon."
"Sounds great!" Aiden chimed in. "When's the contest?"
"It's in two days," Michelle replied.
"That's pretty close," Brandon murmured. "We'll have to get a move on if we want to make it in time for you to register."
"I know," Michelle sighed. "I was thinking we would leave right after breakfast! You know, freshen up and everything before we hit the road again."
Misty was glad her back was turned to the children, because her lips had bent into a definitive frown. She knew that this was their fate as Pokémon trainers; traveling the world and never staying at home for much longer than a day. But it still wasn't fun for her. Now Misty understood how Delia felt every time Ash jetted off for a new journey almost as soon as he got home. She was soon so wrapped up in her own angst, however, that Misty didn't catch a whiff of the smoke coming up from her pan.
"MOM!"
That yell courtesy of Aiden and Michelle did the trick, however. Gasping, Misty pulled the pan off of the stove and grimaced, using the hand that wasn't holding onto the pan handle to try and fan out the smoke rising from the now slightly charred bacon.
"I'm so sorry, you guys," Misty sighed, dumping the bacon onto the plate she'd left out on the counter. She had gotten much better at cooking over the years, but one miscalculation or distraction and she went right off the rails. "I started daydreaming and well…that happened."
"It's okay!" Aiden assured. "I like my bacon extra crispy!"
"Well, hopefully those will still be edible," Misty sighed. "I'll finish getting the rest of breakfast ready after I go wake up Elizabeth and Pichu. You three can help yourselves to some of the bacon in the meantime."
The young trio didn't have to be told twice. As Misty headed upstairs, Michelle jumped up and grabbed the plate, placing it in the middle of the table. All three grabbed one piece each and took a bite, but Michelle and Brandon were quick to make a face.
"Yuck," Michelle spat, sticking her tongue out.
"They're definitely crispy alright…" Brandon grumbled, glaring at his piece.
"I don't know what you guys are talking about," Aiden laughed, having already finished his first piece and reaching for a second. "This is delicious!"
Brandon looked over at Michelle, who sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Aiden will eat anything," Michelle scoffed. "Even when everyone else in the family knows Mom screwed something up, Aiden will eat every last bite and thoroughly enjoy it. It's so weird."
"Good ego booster for your mom, though," Brandon snickered.
"I guess," Michelle grumbled. "It's not good for the rest of us, though. When that happens, Mom will keep messing it up, because we won't be honest with her and Aiden acts like it's the greatest thing he's ever eaten."
"Moms are great," Brandon chuckled.
"Yeah," Michelle breathed, looking up the stairs her mother had just ascended. "They are."
XXX
Misty smiled as she stepped into the princess pink room and laid her eyes on her daughter. Elizabeth was still fast asleep, eyes closed and breathing gently with her little arms wrapped around Pichu. Unlike her older brother, Elizabeth could fall asleep quick, and stay that way for quite a while. Misty had to wake her up almost every morning, and that was a struggle in and of itself.
Walking over to the bed, Misty leaned over and gently shook the little girl's shoulder. "Lizzie, time to wake up, sweetie."
The small redhead whined and buried her face into Pichu's fur. Smirking, Misty gently shook her again. This earned her nothing more than another whine.
"You can't sleep all day, little girl," Misty teased softy. Standing back up, she strode over to the ruffled pink curtains and pulled them open, allowing sunlight to pour into the room. Elizabeth groaned, and now, so did Pichu. "If you keep on sleeping, you won't get any breakfast!"
That was the key that got both Elizabeth and Pichu up. The young girl and baby mouse awoke with a start, eyes gleaming as they looked over at Misty.
"Beck-fist?!" Elizabeth squealed.
"Yes, breakfast," Misty giggled. "You two had better hurry down there before the big kids eat it all!"
"C'mon, Pichu!" Elizabeth cried, hopping out of bed. "Let's eat!"
"Pi!" Pichu squeaked, following right after the girl.
Misty smirked and followed after the young pair, down the hallway and right down the stairs. She watched as Elizabeth took a flying leap into her own seat, Pichu following suit onto the table. Both of their faces fell, however, when all they saw on the table was a plate of charred bacon.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the plate and scrunching her nose up as she looked over her shoulder at her mother.
"It's bacon!" Misty replied.
"It looks icky," Elizabeth commented, causing Misty to sigh.
"Well, it probably tastes icky too, considering almost all of it is still there…"
"I think it's great, Mom!" Aiden trilled. "I've already had six of 'em!"
"I'm glad you like it," Misty giggled sadly. "But I can't blame everyone else for not being so into it."
"Mommy, can I have fruit?" Elizabeth asked, blinking her wide green eyes.
"Yes, you can have fruit," Misty replied, walking over to the fridge.
"Don't burn it!" Elizabeth cried, earning a disapproving look from her mother.
While Misty was busy preparing the remainder of breakfast for everyone, Elizabeth looked straight at her brother and smiled at him.
"Play with me today, Aiden!" She squealed.
"Sorry, Lizzie, but I can't!" Aiden said. "Michelle has a big Contest coming up really soon, so we have to get going."
At this, Elizabeth frowned. "You're leaving?"
"We have to," Michelle replied sympathetically. "But don't worry. We'll be back before you know it!"
Elizabeth huffed and looked down at the floor. "I don't want you to go."
Misty walked back over to the table, placing a bowl of peaches and cream in front of the young girl. Elizabeth looked back up and made a face at her bowl. Her mother just smiled sadly and ruffled the girl's hair. She knew Elizabeth wasn't upset with the food; it was one of her favorites. She was upset with her brother and sister for deciding to leave.
Feeling the hand on her head, Elizabeth looked up at her mother, her expression softening a bit. Misty was a little confused by the sudden change in Elizabeth's temperament, which must have been somewhat obvious on her face.
"Mommy," Elizabeth began, her voice completely serious, "let's go with them!"
"What?" Misty breathed, putting her arm down by her side.
"Let's go with Aiden and Michelle!" Elizabeth giggled. "To the Contest!"
"Oh, sweetheart, I don't know…"
"I'm bored, we're not doing anything," Elizabeth whined, stretching herself across the table.
"Elizabeth, the table is not your bed," Misty sighed. "Sit up, please."
Elizabeth obeyed her mother, but was still persistent on her grand idea. "We can go with them, Mommy! It'll be fun!"
Misty was about to open her mouth to argue with Elizabeth again, but quickly nixed that idea when she began to think it through a little more. It actually might have been fun to get out on the road again, even if it was only for a day or so. All of the walking and fresh air had always been a great way for Misty to clear her head, and as much as she hated to admit it, that was still something she needed to do.
"It could be fun…" Misty murmured, earning a hopeful squeal from her younger daughter.
"Mom, you're seriously thinking about coming with us?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah, I thought you'd be tired of traveling by now," Michelle added.
"I always loved traveling with your father and Brock," Misty sighed, smiling at the memory. "I felt like I was in my element. It was pretty amazing to be surrounded by nature all the time."
"Even though you hate things like bug Pokémon?" Aiden asked with a smirk.
"There's much more to nature than bug Pokémon, sweetheart," Misty teased. "Outside of those creepy creatures, I really do love the outdoors! Fresh air, good exercise…I actually don't think it would hurt for me to get out there again."
"So can we?!" Elizabeth pleaded, jumping up and down in her seat. "Can we go, Mommy?!"
Misty gently bit her lower lip and looked at the three older children sitting at the table. "Would you three be okay with me and Lizzie tagging along to Cyan Town?"
"I think that'd be so much fun!" Michelle giggled.
"I don't have a problem with it!" Brandon chimed in.
Misty looked over at her raven haired son, who had remained silent on the matter. "Aiden?"
The boy glanced up and grinned. "Oh, yeah! Sure thing, Mom!"
"That certainly took you a while to respond," Misty hummed.
"Sorry, I was distracted by the bacon," Aiden replied, nodding towards the plate. "If no one else is going to eat it, I'm just gonna go ahead and take the rest of it for myself."
"Be our guest," Michelle snickered, pulling her bowl of fruit closer to her. Misty made an unamused noise, to which her older daughter laughed nervously and blushed. "Sorry, Mom. Love you!"
Misty smirked and rolled her eyes as Michelle began to heartily eat her alternative breakfast. "Love you too, Shelly."
XXX
"Look at me, Mommy! I'm a Pokémon trainer!"
"Elizabeth, get down from there right now!"
The young girl frowned and looked down at her mother. "Why?"
"Because it's dangerous! You could fall and get hurt!"
Pouting, Elizabeth sat down and gently scooted herself off of the big boulder she'd climbed atop. Once her feet hit the ground, she shuffled over to her mother and looked up one again, still looking grouchy.
"Thank you," Misty said.
From behind her, Aiden snickered and shook his head. "Can't say I'm surprised it only took Elizabeth 10 minutes to get in trouble."
"Especially since she acts the most like you," Michelle commented.
"Hey!" Aiden cried.
"Brandon, is this what you have to deal with all the time?"
Aiden and Michelle both straightened up as soon as they realized their mother was now facing them.
"Pretty much," Brandon replied.
"Now I know how Brock must have felt traveling with me and Ash," Misty sighed. "Come on, you two. Quit fighting. We have to keep going if we want to make good time in getting to Cyan Town."
Aiden and Michelle looked at one another, but soon began following after their mother, Brandon doing the same. Elizabeth, meanwhile, had gotten over her mood and was now skipping along the trail, stopping every now and then to examine a flower in the grass. She tried to stay ahead of the group to do this, but she would often get distracted by a particularly beautiful one or a wild Pokémon and end up falling behind.
"Elizabeth, come on," Aiden whined, finally getting fed up and stomping his foot. "You're slowing us all down!"
Misty smiled at the pouting girl and held her hand out towards her. "Lizzie, would you like to walk with Mommy?"
Elizabeth grinned and nodded her head, grabbing onto Misty's hand and skipping alongside her as they resumed their trek. It wasn't long after that when Aiden's stomach began to growl, bringing a blush to the boy's face.
"You're hungry already?" Michelle groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Of course I am!" Aiden cried. "It's been a few hours since breakfast, after all."
"I'm hungry too!" Elizabeth shouted, throwing her arms up.
"Why don't we stop for lunch?" Brandon suggested. "A little bit of a break won't hurt any of us."
"Brandon is right," Misty agreed. "Besides, I see a great spot just up ahead! There's lots of room to let the Pokémon run around, and a nice little lake, too!"
Once the group had gotten themselves settled and released their Pokémon, Brandon pulled some ingredients out of his bag, confusing Misty. When the young boy saw Misty's puzzled expression, he laughed softly and smiled at her.
"I'll go ahead and make lunch, Mrs. Ketchum," he offered kindly.
"Are you sure?" Misty asked.
"Of course!" Brandon replied. "You were nice enough to make breakfast for all of us this morning. I insist."
"I would hardly call burning bacon and then pouring fruit and cereal into a bowl cooking," Misty murmured, blushing at the not so distant memory.
"It was still nice of you," Brandon refuted. "So don't worry! I got this."
"Well…I can't say no to that!" Misty giggled. "Thank you, Brandon!"
With the aspiring breeder busy preparing lunch, Misty looked out towards the lake and smiled. She grabbed her bag and pulled a fishing rod out of it, holding the pole between two hands as she moved towards the water. Michelle, who had been watching Elizabeth play with Eevee, caught sight of her mother out of the corner of her eye. Picking her head up, Michelle walked in the same direction, taking a seat next to Misty as soon as she was settled.
"Do you go fishing at every body of water you see?" Michelle asked. She wasn't being facetious; she was genuinely curious.
"I try," Misty giggled. "It's so relaxing."
"Did you go fishing when you traveled around with Dad and Brock?"
"Of course! All the time! Sometimes we even went fishing together. But your father was a bit of a pain. He's not patient enough to be a good fisher. He wasn't back then, anyway. I think he's definitely improved in that respect."
Michelle smirked at this. "But you're still better than him at it, aren't you?"
Misty returned her daughter's smirk and gave the girl a little wink. "You said it, not me."
Smiling, Michelle looked out over the lake, a cool breeze hitting her face. "It must've been really cool traveling around with them back then."
"Dad and I have told you plenty of stories from our time on the road," Misty giggled. "You remember them, don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Michelle replied. "Still, it's much different being out here with you instead of just hearing the stories. This is kind of like getting to see what you were like back then!"
"Not a bad point," Misty agreed softly. "It was a little different, though. I wasn't married to your father, and I didn't have three children to look after. I was young, and I didn't really have anyone to worry about but myself. I used all of that time on the road to grow, not only as a trainer, but as a person."
Michelle pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head on her knees.
"Is that what you've been doing, Michelle?"
The younger girl hummed curiously and glanced up at her mother. "What do you mean?"
"Do you feel like you've grown at all since starting your journey?" Misty asked.
"Oh yeah, lots!" Michelle chirped.
"That's a good thing," Misty laughed softly. "You haven't been on it for too long, but I can tell that you and your brother have grown since you left home. I'm very proud of both of you."
Michelle smiled and kept her cheek on her knees, closing her eyes as she tried to envision everything she had gone through so far on her journey in her head.
"MOMMY!"
Michelle's eyes snapped open and her head sprang up. The first thing she saw was Elizabeth hanging off of their mother's back, her little arms wrapped around the woman's neck.
"Elizabeth, you scared me!" Misty gasped, looking over her shoulder and giving the child a glare.
"Sorry!" Elizabeth giggled. "It's time to eat!"
"Thank you, Lizzie," Misty sighed. "But do you think you could let us know a little more nicely next time?"
"Okay!" Elizabeth chirped, running back towards the boys.
Michelle and Misty followed behind, taking a seat on the blanket Brandon had laid out.
"Mommy, look!" Elizabeth squealed. "It's a picnic!"
"I see, sweetheart!" Misty giggled. "It sure is cute, isn't it?"
"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "I have a sandwich and everything!"
As the little girl began to eat her lunch, Aiden looked up from his own sandwich and over at his mother. "Hey Mom, was Brock the one who made lunch for you guys when you traveled?"
"Yes he was," Misty replied. "And breakfast, and dinner, and snacks…"
At this, Aiden's eyes widened. "He made everything?"
"Yep!"
"But…didn't you ever cook?" Aiden asked.
"Oh, no," Misty refuted, shaking her head. "Not back then!"
"But…you're good at cooking!" Aiden cried.
"Yeah, but it took me a while to be able to do that," Misty laughed. "When I was younger, I used to think I knew better than the recipes. I thought that I could make them more interesting on my own."
"How'd you do that?" Brandon piped up.
"Easy," Misty continued with a smirk. "I would just throw random ingredients into whatever it was I was making. Ketchup in soup, pepper in oatmeal…you name it, I probably tried it."
"Ew, Mom, that's so gross!" Michelle whined.
"It turns out that just following the recipe as it was made me a pretty good cook," Misty laughed. "I had to learn how to actually do that, though. It took a lot of work from Brock and your grandmother, but eventually they got me under control. Even then, I still make mistakes…like the bacon this morning."
Blinking her eyes, Michelle looked at her mother and asked, "Dad never cooked for you guys, right?"
"Absolutely not," Misty quickly replied. "Brock and I valued our lives far too much to allow him to make anything."
XXX
The group hit the road once more after finishing lunch, and kept on walking until the sun was nearly about to set. The path that they were currently on led them through a small forest. Bird Pokémon were chirping as they began to settle into their nests for the night, and everything was very still.
That is, until a Kakuna fell from one of the trees above.
"B-BUG!" Misty shrieked, her hands clenching into fists.
Michelle caught sight of the bug type and soon began screaming as well. Both she and Misty took off running, leaving behind the three other members of the group.
"Uh…" Brandon breathed.
"In case you didn't know where my sister got her fear of bugs from, now you know," Aiden sighed.
"Cool! Lookit that Pokémon!"
Aiden and Brandon both gasped when they realized that Elizabeth was scurrying towards the Kakuna. Unlike her mother and sister, Elizabeth was not afraid of bug Pokémon. She viewed all of the creatures as friends, and had genuine curiosity about all of them. Aiden and Brandon were old enough to know that the Kakuna likely meant there were Beedrill nearby, however, and that if Elizabeth went anywhere near the bug type, the big bees would go after her.
"No, Lizzie!" Aiden called, running up behind his sister and lifting the child into his arms. "Don't go near it!"
"Why?" Elizabeth whined.
"That's a Kakuna," Aiden explained. "It evolves into Beedrill, but while it's a Kakuna, it can't do much to protect itself. That means there are probably Beedrill around to defend it. So if you get too close, the Beedrill might think you're trying to hurt Kakuna and get upset."
"That'd be bad," Elizabeth replied.
"Yeah, it would be," Aiden laughed dryly. "So let's just leave Kakuna alone, okay?"
"Okay," Elizabeth chirped before waving at the bug type from her brother's arms. "Bye, Kakuna!"
Once Aiden, Brandon, and Elizabeth had exited the forest, they found Misty and Michelle standing several feet away, both leaning over and panting heavily.
"You guys know that Kakuna wasn't going to do anything to you, right?" Aiden teased.
"Yeah, Kakuna can't do nothing!" Elizabeth giggled. "Aiden just taught me!"
"It doesn't matter!" Michelle whined. "They're still gross!"
Standing up straight, Misty looked over at the trio and realized that Aiden was carrying Elizabeth in his arms. Smiling at her son, Misty giggled, "thank you for protecting Lizzie, Aiden."
"Protecting her?" Aiden repeated incredulously. "Hardly! She liked Kakuna."
"I wanted to play with it, Mommy!" Elizabeth confirmed, jumping out of Aiden's arms and running towards her mother. "But Aiden said no, because he said that Beedrill might come out! And that would've been bad."
"Yes, very bad," Misty agreed.
"Whoa, lookit!"
Misty and Michelle both tensed up, afraid that there was another bug Pokémon around. What Elizabeth was fascinated by, however, was not another Pokémon, but rather the sunset that was now very visible over the far hills. The sun was brilliantly orange, and half hidden away behind the deep green slopes.
"That sunset sure is gorgeous," Brandon commented.
"Pretty!" Elizabeth agreed with a giggle.
Misty looked out at the scene and smiled before turning her attention back to the children. "If the sun is setting, that means we should probably settle down for the night."
"Good idea," Aiden replied. "Besides-"
"Let me guess," Michelle cut him off. "You're starving."
"Uh…heh…yeah…"
"Why am I not surprised?" Michelle sighed.
XXX
After eating a hearty dinner, which was once again prepared by Brandon, the group began cleaning up their dishes and table wear in order to set up camp for the evening. Misty soon noticed, however, that Elizabeth was practically falling asleep sitting up, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to keep herself in a conscious state.
"I think someone is tired," Misty teased in a sing song voice.
"Nuh uh," Elizabeth argued, rubbing at her eyes. "Not sleepy."
"Yes you are," Misty giggled, lifting the child up. "That's alright! You're not used to traveling around like the rest of us. Then again, I'm not so much used to it myself anymore…"
Misty grimaced as she felt just how sore her legs were. She was a very active woman, but she had forgotten just how much walking was involved in traveling. Between climbing hills and, in her case, running away from bug type Pokémon, it was a rather tiring experience.
"Would you three mind it too much if I went ahead and put Elizabeth to bed?" Misty called out to the young trainers.
"Of course not!" Brandon replied. "We're almost finished anyway."
"Thank you," Misty called back, watching as Elizabeth perked up just enough to run over to the group.
"What're we gonna do in the morning?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.
"We'll keep on going on Cyan Town," Michelle answered. "That way I can register for the Pokémon Contest!"
"Okay!" Elizabeth giggled, hugging her older sister's legs. "Goodnight, Shelly."
"Goodnight, Lizzie," Michelle giggled, kneeling down to give the younger girl a hug.
Elizabeth repeated the action with Aiden and Brandon, and then all of the Pokémon. She had to make sure she told everyone goodnight, as she informed Misty on their way to get her changed into pajamas.
By the time Elizabeth was dressed for bed and tucked away in her pink sleeping bag adorned by bows, she was pretty much asleep. Misty was relieved knowing she wouldn't have to put too much work into getting the girl there. She had been afraid that Elizabeth would be too full of adrenaline and excitement from the day to settle down. Fortunately, it seemed to have worn her down, and bedtime was very much needed for the girl.
Before Misty could get back up, however, Elizabeth raised her arms in the air, opening her eyes halfway. "Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?" Misty chirped.
"I got to be like a Pokémon trainer today," she giggled, slowly lowering her arms and wrapping them around Teddi, her stuffed poke doll.
"You did," Misty replied, nodding her head.
"Daddy will be proud of me," Elizabeth continued through a yawn. "Right, Mommy?"
"Yes," Misty confirmed. "Daddy will be very proud of you."
"Yay…" Elizabeth mumbled, her head lolling to the side and her eyes closing all the way again. "Daddy…"
Misty smiled and leaned down to kiss the girl's head, stroking her bangs for a few minutes before getting up to get herself ready for bed. Once she turned around, Misty saw that the other three were just about ready for bed themselves, their sleeping bags all rolled out and dressed in pajamas.
"You three move quickly," Misty commented, smiling at the children.
"The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner it'll be morning, which means we can keep on going to Cyan Town," Michelle explained.
"Ah yes, the same thing I always told you when you were a little girl," Misty hummed with a smirk.
"Hey, it works," Michelle chirped before tucking herself in. "Goodnight, Mom!"
"Goodnight, sweetheart," Misty giggled before looking over at Aiden and Brandon. "Goodnight to you too, boys."
"Goodnight!" They both chirped.
Misty stood there for a few moments, looking between all of the sleeping children and smiling at the sight of all of them. It really did remind her of her own travels, exactly where she had started 21 years ago, and met Brock and…and Ash. She hadn't realized it back then, but those travels were life changing.
She hoped that it would be the same for the four young ones sleeping around her.
It was fun to put Misty on the road with the kid so they could see what she was like a traveling trainer and learn more about her own adventures! This was a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for quite some time, so I really enjoyed finally getting to it.
Michelle's contest is up next! Will she win her 5th and final ribbon? You'll just have to stay tuned and find out!