Wow, so you guys really liked the first chapter, huh? That's pretty awesome, considering how short it was. You're all awesome! So, here you go, the second (and much longer!) chapter! Again, nothing too substantial happens here. Just alot of catching up (hence the chapter title, heh) and some cute, hidden fluff moments. I think you'll enjoy it, though. Hopefully :P
Character Ages:
Ash: 16
Misty: 16
Iris: 16
Cilan: 19
Delia: 35
Ash just kept staring at his long time friend, his expression unreadable. His eyes were shimmering, his lips set in a straight line and quivering ever so slightly. He was overjoyed, really, but he couldn't seem to express those feelings at all.
Misty, meanwhile, was doing the exact same thing, although she was able to bend her delicate lips into a smile.
"Hi, Ash," she greeted softly.
"H…hi…" Ash stammered.
Rolling her eyes, Iris pushed past Ash and held her hand out towards the foreign red head. "Hey there! My name's Iris! It's nice to meet you!"
"Oh, hi…" Misty's smile diminished slightly, although Iris didn't take any notice of that small change. "You must be Ash's travelling companion! Am I right?"
"Mmmhm," Iris nodded eagerly. "Me and Cilan!"
"Cilan?" Misty inquired.
"That would be me," Cilan stepped forward and bowed, which caused Misty to giggle sweetly. That simple little sound was enough to lead Ash to blush slightly. "Just as Iris said, my name is Cilan! I'm a Pokémon connoisseur!"
"A Pokémon connoisseur?" Misty repeated. "I've never heard of that before!"
"Yes, they're mostly native to Unova, although I would love to see the profession spread throughout other regions as well," Cilan nodded, clearly excited to be discussing his vocation.
"That's amazing!" Misty gushed. "I'd love to know more about what you do!"
"Not a problem!" Cilan beamed. "The job of a connoisseur, you see, is to-"
"Okay, why don't we take this conversation inside?" Ash interrupted his green haired friend, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Ash, that's so rude," Misty narrowed her eyes. "Cilan was answering my question, and you just totally cut him off!"
"I said you could keep talking about it inside," Ash corrected. "I didn't tell him to not discuss it."
"Such a kid," Iris grumbled. Misty heard her, however, and an itchy little smile appeared on the red head's face.
"Isn't he, though?" Misty asked Iris. "It's like babysitting with that one."
"Hey!" Ash cried.
"Oh, all over the entire region of Unova!" Iris gasped. "I swear, we could've replaced him with a five year old and not have known any better!"
"I know exactly how you feel," Misty sighed. "Before, when you called me Ash's mother, I realized I might as well be with the way he acts around me! I'm always ending up having to look out for him and practically take care of him."
"Okay, inside!" Ash's face was completely red now as he ushered everyone into his decently sized home. Closing the door behind him, Ash leaned against it and let out a quiet whine, which Misty responded to with a gentle laugh. "What's so funny?" Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, don't get so worked up, Ash," Misty winked at him. "We're just teasing you."
"I'm not laughing," Ash rolled his eyes.
"Right, because you have no sense of humor," Misty shrugged. Pikachu was still residing in the teenage girl's arms, cuddling up against her body and purring gently.
Standing up straight, Ash breathed out and took his hat off to shake out his long, dark hair. "Where's my Mom, Mist?"
That nickname caused Misty to blush. Gasping when she realized this small issue, Misty raised Pikachu to her face and rubbed her warm cheek against Pikachu's fur. "She had to go out and get a few things. I was visiting, so I told her I would watch over the house while she was gone. I didn't realize you'd be home so early."
"You knew I was coming home?" Ash asked quietly.
"Your Mom told me," Misty lowered Pikachu, but continued to scratch behind the little thing's ears. "We were having a really nice talk before she left, and it just came up."
"Just came up, huh?" Ash raised an eyebrow before smirking mischievously.
"Oh, what's that look for?" Misty deadpanned.
"Are you sure you weren't asking about me?" Ash ribbed.
"Of course not," Misty huffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw a look of hurt flash across Ash's face, but she chose to ignore it. "It's only natural that, when talking to someone's mother, she will bring her child up. Her only child. Don't be foolish, Ash."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Ash muttered.
Misty began to feel guilty, but she wasn't about to admit that to Ash. No way. That was basically admitting defeat. And she wasn't about to do that.
"Why don't we go sit in the living room?" Misty suggested. "We can't do much of anything until your Mom comes back."
"Okay," Ash smiled once again, although it wasn't his usual wide, lopsided grin. And that pang of guilt ended up hitting Misty again.
He and Misty walked into the living room, where Iris and Cilan had already settled themselves onto one of the couches. Ash and Misty took the couch across from them, and right away Iris began to ask Misty questions that had been building inside the purple haired girl's head since she first laid eyes on the red head.
"So, Misty, do you live in Pallet Town too?" Iris grinned.
"Oh, no. I live in Cerulean City. It isn't too far from Pallet, but it's definitely a much different environment."
"Well, you must be pretty close with Ash to be in his house all by yourself," Iris blinked.
"His mother invites me over all the time," Misty giggled. "I guess you could call us friends! I'll come over and help her out with some chores and things like that, or we'll just sit and talk. She's really a mother figure to me! Plus, it's always nice to come here and take a break from training and battling."
"I see, so you're a trainer just like Ash?" Cilan chimed in.
"Not quite," Misty smiled slyly. "I have a bit more talent than Ash."
"What?" Ash whipped his head around to glare at Misty. "I won the Unova League! What do you call that?"
Ignoring her raven haired friend, Misty looked back over at Cilan and continued, "I'm a gym leader."
Iris and Cilan both gasped, which threw Misty off a little bit.
"You're a gym leader?" Iris was giving Misty a wide eyed stare.
"Yes, I'm the leader of the Cerulean City gym!" Misty giggled at the surprise of the two teenagers sitting before her. "I specialize in water types."
"That's incredible!" Iris shrieked in amazement before glaring at Ash. "How come you never told us about how awesome Misty was?"
"You didn't even know who Misty was before she answered the door!" Ash complained.
"You know, Misty, it just so happens that I'm also a gym leader!" Cilan proudly puffed his chest out.
"Wow, really?" Misty grinned. She loved meeting other gym leaders and talking about daily gym affairs with them. It made her feel as though she belonged to some special, secret kind of club.
"Indeed! I run the gym in Striaton City along with my brothers! You would like my brother Cress. He's quite fond of water types."
"Water types are the best Pokémon out there!" Misty chirped. "They're so strong and beautiful…I've only ever raised water types! Well, except for my sweet little Togepi…I mean, Togetic."
"I see, so you must be a very powerful gym leader!" Cilan grinned.
"I guess you could say that," Misty blushed as she looked away sheepishly. "The head of the Kanto gyms organization is always complimenting me on how well I'm doing and how the gym is kept. But sometimes I wonder if he's only doing it because I'm the second youngest gym leader in the region."
"The second youngest?" Cilan suddenly looked even more impressed.
"Of course, I'm only 16 years old, and just barely. The only gym leader who's younger than I am is 14."
"Wow, they really hire some young kids to be gym leaders in Kanto," Iris sweat dropped.
"You and I are in good company then," Cilan leaned in towards Misty. "My brothers and I just so happen to be the youngest gym leaders in Unova!"
"Really?" Misty's eyes brightened. "How old are you? And how old are your brothers? Your brothers must be a bit younger than you, then. It's not like you're a little kid or anything!"
"Oh, we're all the same age; 19," Cilan answered. "We're triplets!"
That revelation took Misty by surprise. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have two siblings who were the exact same age as you; having been born at the same time and raised all together like that. Having three sisters who were older was bad enough. "Are you guys close?"
"Very," Cilan confirmed with a nod. "I don't know what I would do without the guidance of my brothers!"
"That must be nice," Misty sighed rather dreamily.
"What do you mean?" Cilan asked curiously.
"Well, I have three older sisters, and I can't really say the same about them," Misty shrugged her shoulders. "I can hardly trust them to run the gym while I'm gone. They'll try to battle for a little bit, but they really weren't meant to be Pokémon trainers, let alone gym leaders. They'll lose a couple of times, get bored, and begin to just give out gym badges. That's why I can't be away from the gym for long periods of time. I assume your brothers are capable gym leaders when you're not around?"
"Yes, of course," Cilan blinked. "They don't always win, and sometimes they get discouraged, but they never just give away badges."
"It's only my sisters. Leave it up to them to be so stupid about something so important."
"Are they a bunch of little kids too?" Iris inquired with a smirk.
Laughing once again, Misty replied, "Oh yes. Ash is a dream compared to them!"
"Mistyyy," Ash whined, rolling his eyes back.
"I'm still only teasing," Misty gave Ash a gentle shove on the shoulder. "So, Iris, are you a trainer too?"
"Yeah, I train dragon types. In Unova, I come from a place known as the Village of Dragons. We pride ourselves on raising strong, well battling dragon types! One day, I hope to be a dragon master!"
"Just like me!" Misty grinned. "Well, except, I want to be a water master."
"You and I would make such a good team!" Iris trilled.
"I definitely think so!" Misty agreed happily. Pikachu jumped out of her arms, and Misty watched curiously as Pikachu jumped up in between Iris and Cilan and poked at the girl's violet hair with his little black nose.
"Pika…" Pikachu beckoned.
"Ax?" A small green dragon popped out of Iris' hair, causing Misty to shriek and jump slightly. She lost her balance on the couch and fell over onto Ash's lap, which instantly set her and the dark haired trainer into blushing fits.
Iris and Cilan quickly took notice of Ash and Misty's embarrassment, but otherwise said nothing. They just watched the two teenagers trying not to stare at one another, while not at all moving from their compromising position. After awhile, it got awkward for everyone involved, however, and Cilan decided to try and extricate the younger two from any further embarrassment.
"Misty, do you need some help?" Cilan offered kindly.
"Huh?" Misty sounded as though she had just been taken out of a trance. "Oh, no! No, I'm just fine, Cilan. Thank you." She clumsily pulled herself off of Ash's lap and sat back up, straightening herself out and trying to get rid of the redness that was covering her fair cheeks. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about a thing."
"Alrighty then," Cilan chuckled.
"So…Iris, what kind of Pokémon is that?" Misty quickly tried to change the subject. "You know, the one that just…came out of your…hair."
"This is my partner, Axew," Iris giggled. "Sorry that kind of freaked you out. Axew likes to take naps in my hair. It's comfortable for him there!"
"He's such a cutie!" Misty giggled.
"Ax! Axew!" Axew giggled, clearly happy to have been complimented like that.
At that moment, the front door to the house opened again, and an older woman stepped into the house. Her face was covered by two brown paper bags, however, both of which were stuffed with various food items and other goods. Behind her was a Mr. Mime, carrying three bags of his own. Without even seeing her face, Ash knew exactly who this was, and though he tried to fight it, he just couldn't. A huge smile broke out on his face as he jumped up and quietly approached her.
"Hi Mom! Need help with those?"
"Ash?" Delia instantly dropped both bags. Everyone in the room gasped, including Ash, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he managed to bend down and grab onto both of them, stopping any of the glass jars inside the bag from breaking, or any of the food to become damaged.
"That was a close one," Ash sighed, standing back up to his full height with both bags in his arms.
"Ash, dear, I wasn't expecting to see you home this early!" Delia was holding a hand over her wildly beating heart, staring at Ash with wide eyes as if she still couldn't believe that he was standing right in front of her.
"We made fast time," Ash grinned. "Are you not happy about it?"
"Oh, of course I'm happy, sweetheart!" Delia wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and rubbed her cheek against the top of his head. "I've missed you so much!"
"Mom…this is really nice…but can we not do it in front of my friends?" Ash could feel his face getting hotter than it had than with anything else that had occurred today. And that included Misty falling over on his lap.
"Yes, I'm sorry, dear!" Delia giggled as she let go of her son. "Sometimes I forget that my little baby is all grown up and doesn't want to give his Mommy any affection in front of his friends."
Misty choked back a laugh and covered her mouth with her hand. Iris turned her head away and tried not to burst out laughing, while Cilan just sweat dropped and smirked anxiously.
"Yeah…thanks Mom…" Ash sighed, walking swiftly into the kitchen to avoid his snickering friends and to rid himself of the grocery bags.
"Thank you for taking care of the house while I was out, Misty," Delia gratefully addressed the younger girl. "I really shouldn't leave you with such responsibilities."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty waved a haphazard hand. "It was no problem, really!"
"And you two must be Iris and Cilan!" Delia turned her attention onto the newcomers. "My apologies, I don't know where my manners are today! I'm Ash's mother. It's lovely to finally meet the two of you!"
"And you as well, Mrs. Ketchum," Cilan stood up and hurried over to the brunette in order to grab hold of her hands and bow to her. Delia blushed slightly and giggled behind her hand.
"Well, you certainly are quite the gentleman, Cilan!" Delia complimented the connoisseur.
"Thank you for letting us stay here for a little while, Mrs. Ketchum!" Iris suddenly popped up next to Cilan. "It's really gracious of you!"
"Oh, it's not a problem!" Delia grinned. "Ash's friends are welcome here anytime."
"If you need any help cooking, I'll be glad to assist you!" Cilan offered as he stood straight up. "I'd like to think that I'm a pretty competent chef."
"It's true, Mom!" Ash came bounding back into the living room. "Cilan and his brothers run a restaurant in Unova that doubles as a gym! It's awesome!"
"A professional chef, how impressive!" Delia trilled. "I would be honored if you helped me out, Cilan!"
The connoisseur followed Delia into the kitchen, leaving Iris, Ash, and Misty to their lonesome. The three chatted for a little while longer until dinner was ready, at which point the three younger trainers filed into the kitchen and took seats at the dinner table.
"So, Cilan, tell me," Delia looked towards the mint haired young man. "I've never quite heard of a Pokémon connoisseur before! What does that entail?"
"Yeah, I want to know too!" Misty chimed in. "I asked before, and Cilan was going to give me an answer, but Ash very rudely cut him off."
"I did not!" Ash refuted.
"Ash Ketchum, I thought that I raised you better than that!" Delia scolded. "You should never interrupt someone while they're talking!"
"But Mom, I didn't!" Ash exasperatedly complained.
"Either way, you should know that's wrong," Delia wagged a finger at her only son, who leaned back in his chair as a sign of defeat. "I'm sorry about that, Cilan. So, tell me, what do you do?"
"Well, I evaluate the compatibility between trainer and Pokémon," Cilan explained. "Through those assessments, I can give advice on how to further strengthen that bond, which in turn helps the partners in both battling and life."
"That's amazing!" Misty gushed. "You're incredible, Cilan!"
At this, Ash growled lowly, although no one could hear him. For that, Ash was grateful. He didn't quite know where that reaction had come from. It was sudden and unexplained. Ash just wanted to know why Misty was so quick to compliment anyone who wasn't him. Would it kill her to give him some praise?
"I agree," Delia smiled. "A wonderful chef with wonderful Pokémon talent!"
Iris didn't say anything on the subject. She just sat there with a content smile on her face, feeling proud of Cilan for his many talents.
"Ash, you never told me what happens once you win the Unova League," Misty finally turned her attention onto Ash after eating and talking to Iris and Cilan for awhile.
"Because I never told you I won the Unova League," Ash smirked. "My Mom told you."
"Well, I still want to know," Misty giggled airily.
Ash smiled. He loved the sound of Misty's laughter. It reminded him of when they traveled together, all over Kanto and Johto, and how much fun they had. He much preferred to see Misty happy and cheerful than anything else.
Why am I getting so emotional and weird? Ash shook the thoughts out of his head. I'm not a girl!
"Well," Ash found his voice again, "once you win the Unova League, you move onto the Champion League, where you face the Elite Four, and eventually, the champion of the region."
"Did you beat the champion?" Misty's eyes were shining at the prospect.
"No," Ash looked down, feeling ashamed of admitting this fact to Misty. "I made it all the way up to Grimsley, the third member of the Elite Four. It was a close battle, but in the end, his Bisharp was too much for Emboar."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ash," Misty frowned. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, Mist!" Ash's head shot back up, a wide grin overtaking his face. That relieved Misty almost instantly. "I'm not brought down by this at all! That's the farthest I've ever gotten before! That was the first time I've made it to the Champion League, and I don't intend on giving up now!"
"Typical Ash," Misty smiled at her long time friend.
"So what do you plan on doing now, dear?" Delia asked her son.
"I haven't given it a lot of thought, to be honest," Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I figured I would stay home for a little bit and think about it. I know that I'll be doing something, but of what I'm not sure."
"Well, there's no rush," Delia assured her child. "I'm quite happy to have you home with me, Ashy."
"Mom," Ash whined, his cheeks turning red again as everyone at the table laughed innocently.
Once dinner was finished up, Ash and Cilan went to work with Delia on washing the dishes, while Misty and Iris were left back in the living room to have some more conversation. By the end of the night, they were practically the best of friends. This made Ash both happy and somewhat concerned. Happy because he liked it when all of his friends got along, and concerned because he knew that Misty and Iris would gladly team up to gang up on him at any time.
"I'm tired from such a long day of travel," Iris yawned behind her hand.
"I agree," Cilan nodded, earning a wide grin from the dragon trainer. "I think it's about time that Iris and I turned in for the night. What do you say, Ash and Misty?"
"That sounds good to me," Ash stretched his arms out. "I'm kind of tired myself."
"I think I'm going to head back home now," Misty smiled delicately at the three other trainers, earning confused glances from all of them. "I just shouldn't leave my sisters in charge of things for so long. They can't be trusted."
"Mist, you must be crazy," Ash narrowed his eyes. "It's nearly 10 o'clock!"
"I know, but if I start now, I could reach home by sunrise," Misty calmly reasoned with the aspiring Pokémon master.
Delia heard this conversation from the kitchen and briskly marched into the living room, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Misty, you're not going anywhere tonight! You know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything ever happened to you!"
Mom always talks about Misty like she's her daughter, Ash rolled his eyes. I wonder why that is?
"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty smiled kindly. "But I have my Pokémon with me just in case something was to happen. Nothing will, though."
"No, you're not going to talk me out of this one," Delia continued in a very motherly tone. "You are going to stay here tonight, and tomorrow, Ash will take you back to Cerulean City."
"Huh?" Ash looked up at his mother with weary eyes.
"Mrs. Ketchum, it's okay, really," Misty rubbed her upper arm. "I can go out and walk home on my own. You don't have to force Ash into doing it."
"She's not forcing me," Ash replied a little too quickly. Misty turned towards Ash and gave him a surprised look. "I mean…yeah. I'll walk you home, if you want. No big deal."
"If…if you really want to," Misty looked over her shoulder so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with Ash. That would just make things awkward for the both of them.
"I agree with my Mom, though," Ash continued after clearing his throat. "You shouldn't be out so late at night. Just stay here. It's one night. It won't hurt you!"
"Well…" Misty thought it over carefully.
"Oh Misty, don't be silly, you're staying here!" Delia interrupted the young gym leader's thoughts. "Ash, why don't you go ready the guest bedroom for her?"
"Mom, do I have to?" Ash groaned. "I'm tired."
"I'll help you, Ash," Misty offered. "I'm not tired like the rest of you guys, since I didn't spend the whole day on an airplane."
"Thanks Misty," Ash grinned at her and got to his feet. Misty returned the action and jumped up herself, following her best friend upstairs and smiling at his back the entire time.
I feel like Iris and Misty would be such good friends. They could both tease Ash together ^^ Did you catch any of the Wishfulshipping hints? Of course, this isn't a Wishfulshipping story, but I just love that pairing too! If you don't watch Black and White, you simply have to. It's sooo much better than Diamond and Pearl, in my own opinon. I love Iris and Cilan. They're going to play a big role in the story!
Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Remember to review and tell me what you think! Now, I have to continue reading my awful book for AP Lit...Ernest Hemingway, so boring. Why can't we read fanfictions for english? :P