Chapter 6: Dinner night
The doorbell rang to the Ketchum residences and Ash answered the door to see the other four standing outside. "Look who I found at the subway," Misty replied, pointing to the other three.
"We, kind of got a little lost," May replied nervously.
"What do you mean, we?" Max asked. "I told you it was three stops not two."
"No you didn't!" May yelled back at her brother. "I remember you saying that it was two stops, I suggested three!"
"You so did not!"
"I so did too!"
"Guys, calm down," Ash said, "come on in, dinner is almost ready."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" May called out, dashing into the entrance so fast she nearly forgot to take off her shoes.
"Mention food and my sister completely changes her attitude," Max said, walking past Ash into his house.
"Thanks again for letting us over," Brock said, handing him a bowl of red jello, "I made this for dessert."
"Thanks, Brock," Ash replied, letting the teen into his house, "just please, don't hit on my mom."
Brock smiled nervously in return. "Don't worry, Ash. I won't."
"Hi there, Mrs. Ketchum; it's good to finally meet you," Misty said at the entrance to the kitchen.
"I'm glad to meet you all too," she replied, checking some of the pots on the stove, "I just hope that my son doesn't get you all in too much trouble."
"Mom," Ash complained.
"Oh come on, son. They know I'm just having some fun," she replied in a cheery tone. "Now just find a seat at the table and dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
"Do you need any help in there?" May asked.
"No, but thanks; I have everything under control in here. But you could set the table for me; Ash will show you where utensils are."
"No problem, mom, there over here," Ash said, opening up a cupboard and pulling out the plates.
The food was set and everyone was sitting at the table with the five saying. "Let's eat!"
But as they were eating, Mrs. Ketchum would keep looking at May. "I can't tell why, but do I know you?"
Slurping up one of the noodles, May replied. "I'm told we do, my father is Norman."
Mrs. Ketchum's face instantly brightened up. "Little May? Is that really you? Oh I haven't seen you in ten years, how is your family?"
May smiled. "They are doing fine, my dad sends his regards. Also he is the newest member of the family," she said, pointing to her little brother.
"Don't tell me, you name is Max, right?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.
Max nearly chocked from that statement. "How did you know?"
Ash's mom smiled. "Your mother and I were really good friends, she always told me if she were to have a son she would name him, Max. But that reminds me son, you still haven't introduced me to your team yet."
Ash swallowed hard. "Oh yeah, well that's, Brock and Misty over there and you already know May and Max."
"Oh my, it feels like only yesterday I watch you two playing Team Rocket and now tomorrow you all are going out in the field. Children grow up way too fast these days."
May and Ash looked at each other, then back at Mrs. Ketchum. "We used to play Team Rocket together?"
Concern appears on the mother's face. "Well, you two were really young and it has been awhile. But not to worry, I have home movies we could all watch after dinner."
The two nearly spit out what they were drinking. "Oh, I would love to see them," Max said.
"Shut it, Max," May whispered.
"Well then, let's finish up and afterwards I will pop in a disk."
After the meal, the kids helped with the dishes. Mrs. Ketchum went into the closet and pulled on the cord to activate the light, she coughed. "It has been awhile since I've been in here, maybe I should tidy up this place tomorrow. But where is that box?"
She looked around until she found a box high on the shelf that was labeled Ash's Childhood. "Ah, there it is."
She stood on the tips of her toes to reach the box. Slowly she pulled the box off the shelf but the weight shift changed, nearly loosing her balance to catch the box in time a CD case fell from below the box and landing on the ground.
She looked at the disk to read the label, Urgent. Her eyes went wide and she started to shake just from the sight of that disk. "Mom, do you need any help in there?"
She snapped out of her daze. "No sweetie, I'm fine," she answered, kicking the case underneath the crack right below the shelves. "Just get the DVD player ready and I will be there in a minute."
"Alright, mom," Ash shouted back.
His mom looked back down at the crack she just kicked the case into and then walked out with the box.
"Found it," she called out, pulling out a disk from the box labeled Ash and May TR.
"This is going to be good," Max said with his sister tightening a fist at him.
"Mom, there isn't anything embarrassing on this disk, is there?" Ash asked.
"Don't worry, Ash. What could two childhood friends do that would embarrass proud members of the Elite Team Rocket today?"
May and Ash looked at each other uneasily when Mrs. Ketchum put in the disk and pressed play.
With a shaky view, the video showed May and Max's mother and father and Akio Ketchum watching May and Ash wearing Team Rocket costumes and playing with toy rifles in the backyard. "Honey, are you sure that giving them these toys is alright at their age?" Mrs. Ketchum asked in concern from behind the camera."
"It's alright, honey. You can tell it's in them to be great agents of Team Rocket someday."
Then the camera focused on Norman's wife to show a small lump in her stomach. "So, have you two decided on what you are going to call the new member of the family?"
Norman's wife gently rubs her belly. "Well, if it's a boy, we decided on the name, Max," she answered, "but if it's a girl we are still deciding."
"I just can't believe you two are moving soon," Akio added.
"Well, with the new addition to the family our house is just too small and sadly the best price is on the East Side for a home," Norman replied.
"But with the child daycare center at Team Rocket Headquarters the kids can still be together," Akio said, with the camera turning back towards the two children.
"Look out! It's a Pikachu! Get it!" Ash said to May, pointing at the invisible object in front of them and pretending to shoot at it.
"Yay, we got the Poke'mon menace!" May replied excitedly with both of them jumping up and down with joy.
"See, what did I tell you?" Akio said, leaning down to the kids. "You got that Poke'mon good."
"We did, didn't we?" Ash boosted.
"Did I do good, daddy?" May asked as Norman placed his hand on his daughter's head.
"You did really good, May," he answered, causing a large smile to appear on his daughter's face and she hugged him.
"Thank you, daddy."
"Mommy, mommy, did I do good too?" Ash asked.
The camera moved up and down. "Yes, sweetie, you did really good."
"So kids, what do you two plan on doing when you two grow up?" Akio asked.
"Join Team Rocket to eliminate the Poke'mon menace," they cheered with the parents chuckling to it.
"Ah come on you two," Mrs. Ketchum said, "you have to have more thought of then just getting rid of some Poke'mon."
"Then we will get married too," May said, shocking four year old Ash and the parents.
But for the ones watching the TV, May and Ash's face turned bright red with May's hand already over her brother's mouth.
"Oh I see, so when you marry my son, how many children to plan to have?" Mrs. Ketchum antagonized to the little girl.
May thought about it and held up her hand. "This many!"
Their faces turned a stronger shade of red as May was now using both hands to silence her squirming brother.
Ash then turned it off. "Mother, you knew that was on it, didn't you."
His mother put up an innocent smile. "Oh sweetie, it has been awhile. How am I supposed to remember something like that?"
Ash slapped his forehead, unaware of Misty with her hand over her heart. This pain again, why does it keep coming.
"But I would like to know how Ash never knew his father was a Team Rocket Agent," Brock said.
Mrs. Ketchum looked shocked. "I always thought he knew from how much he bragged one day becoming a Team Rocket agent."
Ash scratched the side of his cheek with his index finger. "I did brag a lot."
"But anyway now, you still have a few hours before you all have to head back to Headquarters," Mrs. Ketchum said, "so how about I hook up the karaoke machine and we start having some real fun."
To Be Continued
If anyone knows my style of writing, you know I am only setting up before the real fun begins. Please read and review, I'm only getting started. But it might be a while before I update again, depends on the number of reviews.