The look of surprise on Ash's face when he finally woke up and found Misty in the kitchen enjoying pancakes was enough to make staying over worth it. "Hey, Ash you sure slept in," Misty spoke as normally as possible to make the situation even weirder for Ash.

"Misty, why are you still here? Not that I'm not happy, but I'm confused," Ash looked at her before glancing to the pancakes.

"When aren't you confused Ash?" Misty teased with a smirk looking at his somehow wilder bedhead and the rumpled clothing that he fell asleep in.

"I'm not confused all the time," Ash replied, but it looked like he realized how odd his response sounded so he just grumbled a bit.

"Really though, good morning. Now I expect you plan on demolishing the rest of these pancakes," Misty said watching him grab a plate and fork before almost literally shoveling food into his mouth. She just rolled her eyes at the display, but a small smile played on her lips.

"What do you want to do today?" Ash asked, but it was almost impossible to understand through the food in his mouth. After travelling with him for so long she learned to interpret his full mouthed speech patterns.

"I was hoping we could head over to Professor Oak's to see your Pokemon. I miss them and so do my Pokemon, I made sure to bring them with me, they'll be glad to see you again," Misty spoke in a completely normal tone devoid of food muffling her voice.

"Yeah, I was planning to visit Professor Oak to see my Pokemon anyway, so that's perfect," Ash replied his words slightly more clear as he slowed his eating down,

"You know it's gross to eat like that," Misty pointed at his full mouth.

"shworry," Somehow Ash managed to sound sarcastic around the pancakes in his mouth. Misty couldn't help laughing despite how gross it was, with Ash it seemed to suit him. She chose not to hit him, partly because she thought he might choke.

"I'm going to shower and get ready, see you later Pikachu," Misty finished her pancakes and put the plate and utensils in the dish washer. Ash responded with something completely unintelligible and Pikachu gave her a little wave followed by a "Pika."

After her shower Misty came to the realization that she didn't have any clothing so she called out, "Mrs. Ketchum," nervously she reverted back to calling Delia, Mrs. Ketchum. She was standing in the guest room in only a towel and was very aware of her predicament. She could hear Ash in the other shower down the hall so thankfully he couldn't barge in and accidentally see her.

"What's wrong, Misty?" Delia asked when Misty's head popped out of the door with the rest of her body hidden.

"I didn't exactly bring any spare clothing," Misty admitted not able to look directly at Delia. She'd been so excited to see Ash she hadn't bothered bringing any other clothes plus originally she didn't plan on staying.

"Oh dear," Delia's eyes widened slightly not having thought about that when she extended the invitation to stay the night, or more forced misty to, "Well don't worry I have plenty of spare clothing."

"Do think it'll fit?" Misty imagined herself wearing the clothing of Ash's mom and it didn't look pretty.

"I have tons of old clothing from when I was a model," Delia said offhandedly.

"You were a model?" Misty asked with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"I'll bring you some clothing," Delia didn't answer her question as if she divulged something she hadn't planned on mentioning.

Misty found herself clad in Delia's old clothing and it was far different from anything she could have expected. It was a black skirt shorter and tighter that what she usually wore and a tight long sleeved blue shirt with a slightly revealing V-neck. Misty felt awkward staring at herself and felt even more awkward because she knew that Ash's mom had dressed like this at one point.

"Misty you look great," Delia cheered when Misty came out

"Delia I look like I'm trying to be sexy or something," Misty did think she looked good, but she felt like she didn't look like herself.

"Don't worry about it, you look fine and I'm sure Ash will like it," Delia winked before setting off to the kitchen again. Misty followed wanting to ask more about her career and what that wink was for, but didn't get the chance.

When they stepped into the room Misty found Ash was already dressed and was now eating snacks in the kitchen, despite just having polished off a pile of pancakes. He started say hello, but he froze mid-word and started choking. "Ash, I thought you were supposed to turn blue when you're choking, but look at you, you're turning red." Misty didn't completely recognize the tone in Delia's voice, but she didn't seem overly worried about Ash chocking.

"Ash are you, OK?" Misty asked feeling slightly uncomfortable at Ash's stare.

"Yeah," he replied still coughing.

"Ash doesn't Misty look pretty?" Delia asked once again in an odd tone. Ash just nodded mutely his gaze still locked on Misty.

"You should tell her she looks nice, it's polite to compliment a lady," Delia told her son this time Misty did see a small smile on Delia's face.

"You look really nice Misty," Ash's tone was hoarse which Misty assumed was from the choking. She turned away to hide her blush and started walking to the back door. She almost expected him to make a joke about her not being a lady, but she was pleasantly surprised. At that point she thought the change of clothing may not have been horrible.

"I'm going to head outside for a bit, come out when you're ready to go," Misty said over her shoulder not noticing Ash's eyes following her. She stepped out the door, but she still heard Delia asking Ash what he thought of her outfit and him grumbling and mumbling.

"Come on out guys," Misty threw her Pokeballs in the air, she made sure to carry Seadra in her arms like she did when it was only a Horsea. Seadra still like to be held despite his more intense look. There was a small chorus of their voices when she released them 'Hyah," from Staryu, 'Haah', from Starmie, "Seadra-sea," From Seadra and "Poli," from Politoad. Psyduck just looked confused, "Psy-ya-ay-ay." Misty sighed at Psyduck and smiled at everyone else.

The backdoor opened only a few moments after her Pokemon came out. Politoad started cheering and clapping so she knew it was Ash before she turned around.

"Hi everyone," he greeted the Pokemon that he had been on so many adventures with.

"Pika-pi," Pikachu cheered jumping off Ash's shoulder to talk to Misty's Pokemon.

"They all look excited to see you and Pikachu," Misty looked at her Pokemon.

"How can you tell, they don't even have faces," Ash pointed to Staryu and Starmie not loud enough to be heard by the Pokemon a few feet behind Misty.

"I can tell because I'm sensitive to others emotions," Misty replied defending the emotional states of her Pokemon who were busy chattering with Pikachu in their odd language.

"I remember saying the same thing in our gym battle," Ash looked at her imagining the match and how he used Butterfree and Pidgeotto before he got most of his team.

"And I remember giving the same response," Misty remembered how silly it seemed now.

"I also remember how I won," Ash smirked at Misty who immediately frowned.

"No, I distinctly remember my sisters giving you the badge," Misty replied placing emphasis on the words 'distinctly' and 'giving'.

"Well I would have won," Ash bit back.

"No, you wouldn't have," Misty refused to give in.

"Your Starmie was already hurt it would have gotten knocked out with one more gust," Ash pointed at Starmie who just stared back without eyes once it noticed the finger pointing at it.

"Starmie knows recover just like Corsola, I would have used recover and had Starmie go back in the water so gust wouldn't be able to hit it," Misty refused to reveal that she hadn't really planned that, but she might have come up with it in the heat of battle, they would never know. Starmie agreed with a light, 'haah'.

"Fine, but if I used Pikachu I would have won anyway," Ash shrugged.

"It's not my fault you couldn't control Pikachu besides he likes me too much, right Pikachu," she looked down at her yellow friend who jumped upwards.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" He asked Pikachu a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"Pika," Pikachu replied with a shrug getting onto Misty's shoulder avoiding Seadra.

"Sometime, we need to battle to see if you really deserve that Cascade badge," Misty felt herself falling right back into the feeling of their first battle, which compared to how much that had both improved seemed a bit juvenile.

"How about now?" Ash challenged.

"It needs to be in the gym, you'll be battling to get the Cascade badge again," Misty set the place already feeling her muscles tense.

"Alright I challenge you to a battle," Ash started out intensely, but his voice tapered off as he added, "sometime in the future." Ash gave Misty his best serious battle look, but it failed somewhat when he didn't have an actual time and just had to say 'sometime in the future.'

"I accept your challenge, as Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym I'll take you down," Misty didn't comment on his lame attempt at challenging her.

"Do you wanna go to Professor Oak's house, now?" Ash asked nonchalantly slipping right back into normalcy.

"I've been ready, we've just been waiting for you," Misty swung one arm wide gesturing to her Pokemon who gave a little chorus in agreement the other arm held Seadra close.

The walk to professor Oak's was quiet, the comfortable silence broken only by Ash pointing out different things in the town and Pikachu talking to Misty's Pokemon from its perch on her shoulder.

The first thing that happened when they first stepped into the back of the large yard was Muk trying to jump on them. Misty was extremely happy for all the working out she did at Cerulean gym because she was able to get out of the way. Looking at Ash he had seemed to put on some muscle, but he didn't have the grace Misty had.

Well in her opinion it was grace in reality she did a clumsy back handspring after Pikachu jumped away and she dropped Seadra in a nearby pond, but she was happy she didn't actually fall. She stumbled, but Ash was the only one who got caught underneath Muk. "Hi Muk," she greeted him keeping just out of his range. "Muk," he groaned back in greeting.

"Hi, Bulbasaur," she opened her arms hoping for a hug from the usually serious Pokemon who had watched the whole event and she wasn't disappointed.

"Saur, Bulbasaur," it replied hopping back out of her arms not long after it was swept into the hug.

"It's good to see you too," Misty made her rounds of the area saying hello to all the Pokemon she knew and being introduced to new ones by Ash. She allowed her own Pokemon to do as they pleased seeing old friends, Psyduck just stumbled around a bit, but even he seemed to be glad.

She hated to do it, but after only a little while she knew she needed to get back to the gym, if she wanted to improve the rank of the gym she needed to spend as much time there as possible. "Ash, I need to head home."

"Already?" He seemed disappointed at the fact that she wasn't going to be staying longer.

"I need to get back to the gym," she was as disappointed as he seemed to be, but there were more important things than hanging out with Ash now that she knew he would be around. If she helped the gym it would be better in the long run.

"Are you guys not allowed to take breaks or something?" Ash asked sounding annoyed at the entire Pokemon league over the fact that Misty wouldn't be staying.

"That's not it, you know I'm trying to improve the gym. I'll tell you about how much time a gym leader can take off later if I decide to take time off. Visit me anytime, calling ahead it probably better, but if you're in the area pop in no matter what," Misty kept herself from giving in to his puppy dog eyes, she wanted to stay, but she was resolute.

"OK, Misty," Ash sighed his whole figure dramatically slouching. Misty shook her head at the display, but was slightly pleased that he was so upset to see her go.

She ran over gave him a quick hug, said goodbye to Professor Oak and the Pokemon, and then collected her own Pokemon before stopping to thank Delia for her hospitality. She was told to come back anytime and that the door was always over.

Misty caught the first bus home and stepped into the gym happy to find it quiet. "I'm home," she called out.

"Oh, hey Misty yo-" Violet froze looking at Misty who was more than a little confused.

"What?" Misty looked around to see if there was anything wrong.

"Like, what are you wearing?' She shrieked grabbing the attention of the other two sisters who ran in asking what was wrong before also asking what she was wearing.

"What it's jus-," then Misty actually remembered what she was wearing. She hadn't thought about it once she left, but it did explain the stares she got from a few young men when she walked by. She was immediately horrified.

"I like thought you liked him, but did you go buy something cute for him? That's like so sweet and look at you, you're like a real woman. I never knew you had that kind of fashion sense," Lily looked her over walking in a full circle around her, Misty felt like a doll on display and she didn't enjoy it at all.

"No, no I just got this from his mom," Misty defended herself, although she was being complimented not made fun of.

"His mom?" It was clear Violet didn't believe her.

"Delia used to be a model so she had old clothes that she shared with me," Misty explained expecting her sisters to make fun of her.

"Wait Delia a model. A model named Delia," Daisy looked at Misty in complete shock.

"You don't mean the Delia," Violet gasped.

"Um, maybe," Misty didn't get the fascination.

"Don't move," Lily commanded her before running away and reappearing with a few old magazines. "Is that her?"

"It looks like her just younger," Misty confirmed looking closely at the cover which did feature a younger version of Ash's mother. Misty always thought Ash's mother was beautiful, but she never expected her to be such a popular model, much less someone her sisters' knew of.

"Oh my god," Violet screeched like a banshee and Misty barely resisted covering her ears.

"I don't get it," Misty looked back and forth between her sisters who were all far more excited that Misty had seen them in a while.

"She was like our inspiration for modeling," Daisy explained shaking the magazine.

"Really?" Misty raised an eyebrow, somehow her life was tied even further into the Ketchum's than she thought and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"When we were young we totally looked up to her, but she like totally disappeared one day," Violet continued.

"Nobody knew what happened, we have to meet her," Lily finished.

"You could come with me the next time I visit Ash," Misty said almost as a question.

"Wait, Ash. You need to date him," Violet said it like it was now a fact that she needed to be in a relationship with Ash.

"No, you need to like marry him," Lily continued making it even more extreme.

"What, Why?" Misty was trying to absorb all the information.

"Then she'd be our in law, plus his mom is a model so he's probably going to end up really hot," Lily said like Misty was the crazy one for not getting it.

"You're so lucky you get to wear her clothes and she has like great taste. You look sensational," Daisy complimented her. Calling someone sensational was the highest praise they offered, but Misty was past the point of being happy at the compliment.

"Right," Misty stretched out the word and realized that now her sisters were backing her entering a relationship with Ash. "I need to reopen the gym so I'll fill you in later," Misty backed away and opened the gym desperately trying to escape their harassment. She spent the day taking on challengers and in between matches dealing with her sisters. After her first battle started off with a guy openly staring at her she made sure to change.

A/N

Ok another chapter down, I feel like this one is a bit shorter than usual, but I had to make a cut-off point and this was the best place. As I said everything I say has some place in some form of continuity in the franchise so read the trivia and it will give an explanation to Delia's past. Also I'm not sure if Delia and the Sensational Sisters have ever met, they probably did off screen at some point, but I'm going to assume or pretend they haven't.

Pokemon in Gym

-Politoad

-Staryu

-Starmie

-Seadra

-Psyduck

-Corsola

-Seaking

-Gyrados

-Tentacool

-Slowpoke

-Krabby

-Cloyster

-Caserin

-Azumarill

-Dewgong

-Various Pokemon mainly used for shows

Trivia

-Delia had dreamed of becoming a model when she was younger (So I decided that she achieved that dream)

-Delia also dreamed of being a Pokemon trainer (I may or may not work with that later)

-Delia and Ash have always been voiced by the same person in the English Dub

-Delia was once a student of professor Oak along with Spencer Hale (Check the third movie Spell of the Unknown: Entei if you don't know who that is)

-Entei kidnaps Delia to be a mother for Molly Hale who he becomes a father for when her father Spencer vanishes due to the unknown. (Once again check the third movie)

-According to Bulbapedia, which is my general go-to for info/fact checking, in the novel she is 29, but another source said 35. I'm going with 33 which is her originally being 29, but in my world people have the ability to age and four years have passed.

-Meaning she had Ash at nineteen so that is when she disappeared from modeling and starting working in the restaurant she now owns.

-I included more dialogue from Ash and Misty's gym battle where he pointed out Staryu doesn't have a face when Misty said it looked like it was in pain. Misty claimed she was sensitive to others emotions.

-Muk was Ash's ninth Pokemon in Kanto, but he sent it to Professor Oak because it smelled terrible. Apparently the odor went away because nobody reacted to it later.

-It tends to glomp people, literally anyone it doesn't care if they're Ash or Team Rocket. The Pokemon likes hugs.

-I did completely make up that the sisters were inspired by Delia