Next chapter!
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Guys; we've finally passed the 100 000-word mark! WOOHOO! And there is still a lot to come. The action is coming.
Anyway, this is also kind of a filler chapter so don't expect a lot!
Enjoy!
I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.
Changing Ways: Chapter 21: Upbringings of Pallet:
The sun was out nice and early the next morning. Pallet Town was as peaceful as ever. The Dodrio had awoken most of the townsfolk with its cry. Well, all the occupants of the Ketchum residence were awake, that is. Ash, Misty and Pikachu didn't realise just how tired they actually were, until their heads met the pillows under them. It was exactly what the three of them needed: A nice, peaceful night in a comfortable bed. Well, that was true in Misty and Pikachu's cases. As for Ash; it wasn't a very comfortable night. Yes, he at least had a roof over his head, but the fact that he had to sleep on the floor in his room didn't help that much. For him, it was just like any other night while they were traveling: Sleeping on the ground. But, to be honest; it really didn't bug him that much, mostly because of Misty's actions right before they went to sleep. It made him peaceful and happy. All three of them were currently sitting around the table in the kitchen having breakfast.
"Mmmm, Mom; this is delicious!" Ash proclaimed after he swallowed the piece of pancake he was chewing on. Man, it was good to be home for the pokemon Trainer.
"Yeah, Mrs. Ketchum. This IS delicious!" Misty agreed with Ash as she took another bite of her own pile of pancakes.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he put another pellet of pokemon food into his mouth. Although Delia didn't make his breakfast; he was happy that he got some of Professor Oak's special pokemon food, which of course, tasted absolutely divine for the yellow mouse.
"Why, thank you, children." Delia said as she turned around to face Ash, Misty and Pikachu at the table. "Who wants more pancakes?" she asked.
"Oh! Me, me!" Ash excitedly declared as he waved his arm in the air. He had cleaned up most of the previous plate his mother made, but there was just no filling his black hole-like stomach.
"No thanks, no more for me, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty politely said. "I've had enough." She stated as she neatly put her knife and fork on her plate.
Mimey had already eaten breakfast along with Delia, so the Barrier pokemon was currently working in its master's pride and joy: Her garden.
"Okay, sweetie." Delia said to Ash as she turned back to the oven. "More pancakes, coming up!" she declared as she started cooking a few more pancakes for her son, while Ash looked on in expectation.
Misty sighed at Ash's overly love for food. "Jeez Ash, take it easy." She sarcastically said.
Ash turned to Misty and merely stuck his tongue out at her, which resulted in an all-out tongue sticking-war between the two of them.
"Here you go, hunny." Delia exclaimed as she put another pile of pancakes in front of Ash, who didn't waste any time and started devouring the meal.
It was at this moment that Ash also remembered why he had come back to Pallet Town. "Hey Mom." He started after he swallowed. "What's all this about the letter?" he asked as he shoved another fork-full of pancake into his mouth.
"What letter, sweety?" Delia asked as she frowned at Ash from where she was standing.
Ash gave his mother a confused look. "You know what letter, Mom." He said. "The one that said I should come back home ASAP." He explained to his mother.
Delia gave Ash an empty stare. "What're you talking about, hun?" she curiously asked.
Ash gave his mother a stare of disbelief. How could she not know of this? "You mean you don't know anything about it?" he asked.
"About what?" Delia answered with a confused look in her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.
"About the letter, Mom!" Ash yelled in frustration. "The letter that Tracey brought to me in Cerulean City that said I should come home immediately." He explained.
"Hmm…" Delia exclaimed as she gave the situation some thought. "Nope, I don't know what you're talking about, sweety." She finally said.
Ash groaned at his mother's answer. "Now what am I supposed to do?" he complained. "The Pokemon League sent me a letter requesting me to come home, but now I don't know what to do from here." He sighed.
"Did you say the Pokemon League?" Delia asked, interrupting Ash's thoughts.
"Yeah, Mom. The Pokemon League." Ash said as he nodded in approval at his mom.
"Oh, why didn't you say so, hunny?" Delia said.
"What do you mean, Mom?" Ash asked as he sat up in his chair, looking at his mother with great expectancy.
"Well, I mean that Professor Oak talked to me about something regarding the Pokemon League." Delia casually said.
"He did?" Ash and Misty simultaneously asked as they stared at Delia.
"Yep." Delia exclaimed. "I think he said that you should go to him once you get here, or something like that." She explained as she placed her finger on her chin in thought.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" Ash asked as he glared at his mother in frustration.
"Hmmm…" Delia exclaimed as she thought about it. "I guess it slipped my mind." She finally said as she innocently shrugged her shoulders, causing Ash to sweat-drop and fall down face-first on the floor.
"Mom!" Ash moaned as he got back up onto his chair.
"Sorry, Ashy!" Delia apologized at Ash.
Misty snickered from the other side of the table, which changed into giggling after a while.
"What's so funny?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty in confusion.
"Oh, nothing." Misty casually said. "Ashy." She added as she knowingly smirked at Ash.
Ash growled at Misty. Great, now he wouldn't hear the end of that name. His attention then went back to the more important subject: The letter. "But, then we have to get to Professor Oak's as soon as possible!" he announced as he got up from his chair. However; he sat back down in his chair almost immediately after that.
"What's the matter now?" Misty curiously asked as she frowned at Ash.
"I've gotta finish my breakfast!" he declared before he started shoving fork-after-fork of pancake into his mouth. "Can't faste good fwood!" he exclaimed with his mouth full of chewed-up pancake.
"Ash! That's disgusting!" Misty yelled as she looked away from Ash and his overly-packed mouth.
"Ash Ketchum!" Delia shrieked as she gave Ash a furious glare. "Where are your manners!?" she yelled at her son.
"I'm fowwy, Mom!" Ash yelled back as he defensively cowered under the table, his mouth still full of food.
"Ash!" Delia yelled.
"Fowwy!" Ash replied.
"ASH!"
"I'M SORRY!"…
A while later, after Ash had received a fair amount of scolding and lessons about rudeness in front of guests by his mother as well as finishing his breakfast at last; He, Misty and Pikachu were now on their way to Professor Oak's lab to find out a bit more about the official Pokemon League letter that Ash received.
"Wow," Misty exclaimed as she looked around them. "I've never noticed how beautiful Pallet Town is." She remarked.
"Yeah," Ash exclaimed as he looked at Misty. "You're used to this much openness in Cerulean City, are you?" he asked.
"Not even close!" Misty answered. "Everything there is so crowded. No space." She remarked. "But here…" she added. "There're so much open fields here. A whole lot of nature." She continued.
"And you haven't even explored this place yet." Ash informed her. "There's really a lot of stuff to do around here." He added.
"It sure looks like it." Misty agreed. "It's a real bummer that we can't really explore, since this usually is a short pit stop before we go on our next journey." She remarked.
"Yeah, I guess so…" Ash glumly stated. He really wanted to show Misty around his hometown, but she was right. They never had any real time to truly explore Pallet Town and its surroundings.
The two of them along with Pikachu walked the rest of the way to Professor Oak's lab in relative silence and soon reached the front gate of the laboratory. The three of them proceeded to climb the relatively long flight of stairs and finally stood in front of the lab's front doors.
Ash knocked on the door a couple of times, excited about finally finding out what's going on regarding him and the Pokemon League. His excitement was quelled however, when no-one answered the door.
"Hmm…" Ash exclaimed before he knocked again, but there still wasn't any response from the other side of the door.
"I guess no one's home." Misty figured as she expectantly looked at the door.
"Only one way to find out!" Ash declared as he stepped forward once more. He then placed his hand on the doorknob, and turned.
Much to Misty's surprise; the door clicked and when Ash gave it a little force; the door slowly swung open. Ash, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. Pallet Town was well-known for the town with the least crime in the Kanto region, so finding the door unlocked was a normal occurrence for the pokemon Trainer.
He then proceeded to start walking into the lab, but was abruptly pulled back by his collar. "Hey, what gives!?" he angrily yelled as he turned around and found himself looking right at Misty, who also bore a glare on her face.
"What do you think you're doing, Ash!?" Misty angrily yelled at Ash.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked as he frowned at the red-head in confusion.
"I mean, you can't just walk into someone's home uninvited!" Misty informed Ash as she pulled him back even more.
"Why not?" Ash protested. "I do it all the time! Professor Oak doesn't mind." He informed the red-head.
"Ash," Misty started. "It's RUDE to just waltz into someone's house!" she said as she moved her face closer to Ash's to emphasize her point.
"Oh yeah!?" Ash asked as he stood up to Misty, ready for a battle with the red-head.
"Yeah." Misty venomously whispered, her breath blowing against Ash's face.
Ash's glare disappeared. "Wow." He suddenly exclaimed.
Misty gave Ash a weird look. "What?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What is it?"
Ash blinked at Misty. "Well uhm…" he uncertainly started. "Your breath smells kind of…nice…" he innocently remarked.
Misty's mouth was now hanging open as she stared at Ash with wide eyes. "M-my breath?" she softly repeated.
Ash innocently nodded at Misty.
Misty's cheeks were now pink and it was busy darkening into a deep red colour. She then hastily pulled herself away from Ash and looked to her left, avoiding looking at the pokemon Trainer. "Uhm…thanks?" she uncertainly asked as she kept her hand slightly in front of her mouth so that Ash couldn't really smell her breath again.
"Sure thing, Misty!" Ash innocently exclaimed in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanour, not really realising that he just gave Misty a compliment. He then turned back in front of him. "Hello? Anybody in here?" he suddenly yelled into the lab.
Ash's sudden yelling snapped Misty out of her embarrassed state. "Ash!" she softly hissed. "Don't do that!" she added.
"Do what, Misty?" Ash asked as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, frowning in confusion. "You said I shouldn't be so rude, so I yelled into the house." He stated. "Someone's bound to know that we're here now." He added with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, Misty!" he moaned. "Just follow me." He said as he walked in through the front door.
Misty watched as Ash disappeared around the corner. She then sighed. "Hey Ash! Wait for me!" she yelled before she ran in after the pokemon Trainer.
The two of them, with Pikachu situated on Ash's left shoulder, were now walking through the laboratory. Ash had somehow managed, to get them lost…
"Uhm…" He exclaimed as they now stood in front of a corridor that split in two directions: Left and right. He was trying to get to the living room of the lab, figuring that Professor oak is probably reading some book there. "Which way is it again…" he asked himself as he frowned towards each side.
"Ash," Misty interrupted his thoughts from behind him. "We've been standing here for almost three minutes." She informed the pokemon Trainer. "Is there somewhere we're heading?" she impatiently asked.
"Yeah, we're going to the living room." Ash informed Misty as he nervously laughed while scratching the back of his head. He then turned back in front of him. "Uhm…it's this way!" he announced as he turned to the left and followed that corridor.
Misty shrugged her shoulders and followed Ash down the corridor, with Ash praying that it would lead to the living room.
Unfortunately; Ash was wrong. The corridor didn't lead them to the living room. Instead, it led them right to the lab section of the building.
"Ash, I don't think this is the living room…" Misty remarked as she looked around them.
"Oops…" Ash exclaimed as he took a couple of steps back. "I-I think we should get out of here…" he suggested. "I don't want to accidently break something. This stuff looks expensive…" he said before he rapidly left the room, followed by Misty.
They returned to the three-way fork and then walked down the right-hand corridor, hoping that this one would lead them to the living room. Much to Ash's relief; this corridor led the gang straight into the living room. But much the three's disappointment; Professor Oak was nowhere to be found in this area.
"Man," Ash started. "Where could the Professor be…" he wondered out loud. "He's usually around here, reading some books about pokemon." He explained.
"Well, let's keep looking for him then?" Misty suggested, to which Ash replied by nodding in agreement. She took a look around them, until she spotted a closed door in the corner of her eye. "Hey Ash, where does that door lead to?" she asked as she pointed to the said door.
Ash followed Misty's finger and saw the door. "Oh." He simply stated. "That leads outside to the Oak Corral." He said matter-of-factly.
"Why don't we go look there?" Misty suggested.
"Sure." Ash answered before the two of them and Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, walked towards the door.
Ash turned the doorknob, opened the door and stepped outside, followed by Misty. Once outside; the three of them were greeted by a beautiful scene, with pokemon roaming all over the grassy field in front of them.
"Wow." Misty exclaimed as she looked around them. "There're a lot of pokemon here." She remarked.
"Yeah, well." Ash started. "I don't play around when I'm catching pokemon." He stated as he held his head high in the air.
"Oh please, Ash." Misty said, deflating Ash's ego. "How many pokemon have you caught? And how many of them are currently residing here?" she asked as she looked at the pokemon Trainer with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot impatiently tapping on the grass.
"I own…uhm…" Ash stuttered before he started counting on his fingers. "Let's see…" he mumbled to himself as he kept counting. "41!" he suddenly exclaimed.
Misty sighed at this. "Okay. First off:" she started. "The 30 Tauros you caught doesn't count. Only one species of pokemon." She informed him. "And besides; Brock caught one of those Tauros, so you actually have 29." She added. "So, that leaves your tally at?" she asked as Ash started counting on his fingers.
"Twelve…" Ash mumbled in defeat.
"I see…" Misty said with a triumphant smirk.
"Whatever." Ash mumbled, but his eyes caught a glimpse of something after that. "Professor Oak!" he excitedly called out.
"Professor Oak?" Misty repeated with a slight frown before she turned to where Ash was looking.
Yes, it was indeed Professor Oak whom Ash spotted. He was currently putting out bowls of pokemon food, presumably for all the pokemon that lived on his ranch.
"Hmm?" the Professor exclaimed as he turned around. "Ash?" he asked as he saw Ash, along with Misty and Pikachu, approaching him.
"Hey, Professor!" Ash happily said as he stopped in front of Professor Oak.
"Hello, Ash, Misty!" Professor Oak happily greeted back.
"Hey, Professor Oak!" Misty greeted.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu also greeted from on top of Ash's shoulder.
"Hello, Pikachu. How are you?" Professor Oak asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu positively exclaimed.
"I was wondering when you would drop by, Ash." Professor Oak stated as he turned his attention to Ash.
Before Ash could answer, however; the four of them heard a rumbling noise coming from their right, growing louder and louder. They turned their attention towards the noise and noticed a giant cloud of dust starting to approach them.
"Uh – Oh…" Professor Oak exclaimed.
"What's that?" Ash asked out loud, referring to the cloud of dust. Upon closer inspection; the pokemon Trainer started noticing what was in the cloud: All of his pokemon who stayed at the ranch! "Are those my pokemon?" he asked as he turned to where Professor Oak and Misty were standing. But they weren't standing there anymore.
"Over here, Ash!" he heard Misty call out. He followed her voice and found her and Professor Oak now standing far away from him.
"Cowards." He stated. "Right, Pikachu?" he asked as he turned to look on his shoulder. But much to his surprise; Pikachu was not there. "Pikachu?" He said again.
"Pikapi!" he heard Pikachu yelling. He turned to the yellow mouse's voice and found him standing next to Misty on the ground.
"Not you too!" Ash moaned, but before he could dwell any further on the subject; the stampede was on him. "HELP ME!" he yelled as every single pokemon of his that lived on the ranch, welcomed him home.
The pokemon eventually made a circle around their master as Misty, Professor Oak and Pikachu approached him.
"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked as she looked down at Ash.
"Splendid…" Ash replied, his eyes now replaced with swirly circles as he lay on the grass.
After all the commotion, which involved all of Ash's pokemon on the ranch greeting him individually with powerful hugs, licks and stampedes, with Bulbasaur having to calm down all the pokemon and convince them that Ash is already partially crushed; Ash Misty and Professor Oak were now back inside the building. Ash had decided to let Bayleef, Totodile and Kingler out of their pokeballs to play with his other pokemon, while Pikachu decided to join his fellow pokemon too.
"So, Professor Oak," Ash started.
The three of them were now sitting in the lounge area of the building.
"What were you doing outside?" he curiously asked.
"Simple, Ash." Professor Oak replied. "I was feeding the pokemon, of course." He stated. "Since Tracey isn't here right now; I took over his job for the time being." He explained.
Ash and Misty both nodded in understanding.
"So," Ash started again. "I take it you know about the letter, Professor Oak?" he asked the Professor.
"Are you talking about the letter that you received from the Pokemon League?" Professor Oak inquired, to which Ash responded by nodding. "Yes, I do." He answered as he affirmatively nodded.
"Great!" Ash exclaimed. "Can you tell me what it's all about, Professor?" he asked as with great excitement.
Professor Oak shook his head negatively. "I'm afraid not, Ash." He said, which caused Ash's excitement to change into curiosity. "I really don't know what it's about." He stated.
"You don't?" Ash repeated. "But my Mom said that you told her to tell me that I have to come see you as soon as possible to find out more!" he explained.
"Ash, you didn't let me finish." Professor Oak interrupted Ash. "Like I was saying; I don't really know what it is about." He repeated. "But, I've received a notification on my e-mail that Mr. Goodshow himself come down to Pallet Town and explain to you in person." He informed Ash.
"Really?" Ash asked as he stared wide-eyes at Professor Oak.
"Yes, Ash." Professor Oak replied. "He will be arriving sometime in the next four to seven days." He explained. "So I suggest you stay here and wait for him." He suggested.
"I guess you're right, Professor." Ash agreed. "I guess I could do with some off-time." He figured.
"We could hang around at your house for the time being." Misty suggested as she looked at Ash.
"Yep, good idea, Misty." Ash replied as he got up from his seat. "Thanks for the information, Professor." He said as he turned to Professor Oak.
"My pleasure, Ash." Professor Oak replied as he too got up from his seat. "Now, if you will excuse me; I've got some errands to take care of." He said.
"Sure, no problem, Professor Oak." Ash assured Professor Oak.
"Take care, you two." Professor Oak said before he excused himself from the room.
"Come on, Misty;" Ash started. "Let's find Pikachu and head on home." He declared.
Misty got up from her seat and the two of them went back outside again.
"Pikachu!" Ash called through cupped hands.
"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed as he stuck his head out from behind a bush. He was currently in conversation with Bulbasaur.
"Come on, buddy. We're heading back home!" Ash yelled again.
"Pika!" Pikachu yelled back at Ash. "Pika Pika, Pikakapika!" he exclaimed as he waved goodbye to Bulbasaur.
"Saur, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur bid farewell to the yellow mouse.
Pikachu then scampered off towards Ash and Misty. "Pika!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto his master's right shoulder.
"Are you ready to go, buddy?" Ash asked as he scratched Pikachu behind his left ear.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he affirmatively nodded.
"Alright, let's go." Ash declared before he and Misty went back inside again.
The three of them walked through the building and followed the corridors all the way back to the front door through which they entered earlier. Once they were back outside; they walked down the stairs, exited the premises through the front gate and then started walking back to Ash's house down the street. They reached the Ketchum residence pretty soon and the three of them went inside through the back door.
"Hey Mom!" Ash yelled as he walked through the kitchen and kicked his shoes off, looking around for his mother. "Where are you?" he yelled again as he walked into the living room.
"Ash, is that you, hunny?" Delia asked as she peeked through the window from outside. She was wearing a white garden hat with dark yellow gloves and a garden-spade in her hand.
"What're you doing, Mom?" Ash asked as he opened the front door and stepped outside, followed by Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty behind him.
"Mimey and I are working in the garden, of course." Delia stated.
"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed as it looked up at the children.
"Oh, okay." Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway," he started again. "I just wanted to tell you that we'll be staying here for a while." He informed his mother. "Professor Oak said that Mr. Goodshow is coming to Pallet Town to explain what the letter is about, so I have to wait for him." He explained.
Delia immediately lighted up after hearing that. "So, you're staying at home for a while?" she clarified.
"Yep." Misty answered for Ash. "If it's okay with you if I stay here, Mrs. Ketchum." She added.
"Of course, Misty!" Delia stated. "You can stay here as long as you like, dear!" she added.
"Thanks so much, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty said, sort of relieved that she had permission to stay at the Ketchum residence.
"Oh, this is wonderful news!" Delia said as she jumped up onto her feet in joy. "My baby will be spending time at home!" she continued.
"Yeah." Ash said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we're gonna go inside now." He announced before he started walking back inside, followed by Misty and Pikachu.
"Okay, sweety." Delia answered before she and Mimey resumed their gardening.
Ash pluffed down on the couch and stretched out. Misty sat down next to him while Pikachu climbed up onto the single chair opposite the couch.
"So," Ash started as he turned to Misty. "What do you want to do now?" he asked her.
"Hmm…" Misty exclaimed as she started thinking. "Well, I don't know, Ash." She answered. "I mean, I don't really know Pallet Town that well. So I don't know what here is to do." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Hmm…" Ash exclaimed as he frowned at the ground. Then an idea suddenly appeared in his head. "Hey, I know!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah?" Misty asked as she looked at Ash, waiting for an answer.
"Well," Ash started. "Remember this morning when you said that we never get the time to explore Pallet Town?" he asked, to which Misty responded by nodding. "Well, why don't we do it now?" he suggested. "Why don't I show you around Pallet Town? All the fun places to visit?" he elaborated.
Misty looked at Ash for a moment. "That's a great idea!" she finally stated.
"Alright!" Ash cheered as he got up from the couch. "Pikachu, do you want to join us? Or do you want to go play with the other pokemon at Professor Oak's?" he asked. "I bet you guys have a lot of catching up to do?" he added.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu answered as he showed two of his fingers at Ash, signalling that he wants to do the latter.
"Okay." Ash stated as he walked to the front door. "Hey Mom," he started. "Me and Misty are gonna go explore Pallet Town, 'kay?" he informed his mother.
"Okay, sweety." Delia said as she looked up at Ash. "Have fun!" she added before turning her attention back to the garden.
Ash, Misty and Pikachu then went back into the kitchen, with Ash and Misty putting their shoes back on, before they walked out through the back door and into the ground road, on their way to Professor Oak's Lab once again.
Ash knocked on the front door. Luckily for him; the door was opened this time by Professor Oak.
"Ash? Misty?" the Professor asked as he looked at the three of them in confusion. "What brings you back here?" he asked.
"Hey, Professor Oak." Ash said. "Well, I'm going to give Misty a little tour around Pallet Town and Pikachu wanted to stay here with all the pokemon. So I was wondering if it's alright if he can stay here? We'll come pick him up later." He politely asked.
"Sure, it's not a problem at all." Professor Oak assured Ash. "Come on, Pikachu." He said as he stepped out of the doorway.
"Okay, buddy. Have fun and see you later!" Ash said as he looked at Pikachu.
"Pika, Pikapi. Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu stated before he jumped off of Ash's shoulder and headed inside with Professor Oak.
"Take care, you two." Professor Oak said before he closed the door.
"Alright." Ash said as he turned to Misty. "Let's get this tour started!" He declared with a fist-pump.
"So," Misty started as she turned her attention to Ash. "Where are we going first?" she inquired.
The two of them were currently walking down one of the dirt paths.
"Well, I've got a few places to show you that are really fun." Ash said. "So we're going to do the hills first." He informed her.
Misty just shrugged her shoulders, seeing as she didn't even know what he was talking about, and followed Ash down the road.
They started walking out of Pallet Town and were now on the outskirts, where nature took over.
"Wow," Misty exclaimed as she looked around them.
There were vast hills all around them, spanning into the horizon far away.
"Yeah, Pallet Town is famous for its beautiful hills and grasslands." Ash informed Misty. "Come on, follow me." He said as he started walking again. "I want to show you something." He added.
Misty nodded and followed the pokemon Trainer.
Ash led the red-head up onto one of the hills and stopped in front of a big tree.
"A tree?" Misty asked as she gave a sceptical eye. "You want to show me a tree?" she elaborated.
"No, Misty. Just hang on." Ash said as he started circling the tree. "Where is it…" he muttered to himself as he started climbing up the tree. "Aha!" he exclaimed and jumped off onto the ground. "Here it is." He said as he showed Misty a wooden board. It appeared to be a piece of broken-off tree branch.
"Yeah? A branch?" Misty asked as she frowned at Ash in confusion. "What about it?" she asked.
Ash sighed in exasperation. "Just watch." he said as he walked to the side of the hill. He then placed the branch on the ground, put his foot down on the back side and then turned put his front foot on, sending him down the hill.
"Ash!" Misty yelled as she ran to the side, only to see Ash skiing down the side of the hill on the branch. She then breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Ash stopped at the bottom of the hill and looked back up to Misty and waved to her before he started climbing the hill back up towards the red-head. "That was fun. It's been ages since I've done that." He stated as he finally stopped next to her. "I'm glad no one stole my board." He said as he looked at the piece of tree branch in his hand.
"Your board?" Misty repeated as she frowned at Ash.
"Yeah. You see, me and Gary always used to race down this hill." Ash started as he pointed down the hill. "Well, this is my board and he always tried to steal it!" he angrily said. "So I hid it here in the tree, and I guess he never found it! The best board ever!" He triumphantly declared as he held the board victoriously in the air.
"Uhm…okay…" Misty said as she gave Ash a weird look.
"Anyway," Ash started again. "Do you want to try, Misty?" he asked as he held the board out to her.
"Uh…" Misty exclaimed as she nervously looked down the hill. "N-no thanks. I'm good." She finally said after turning back to Ash.
"Come on, Misty!" Ash tried again. "It's not that bad!" he tried persuading her. "I'll go down with you?" he finally suggested when he saw that the red-head wasn't going to budge.
Misty gave him a sceptical eye. "Really?" she asked.
"Sure!" Ash said as he put the board down on the ground. "We'll go down together!" he said.
"O-okay…" Misty conceded. To be honest; she really did want to try this hill skiing-thing out. But, being a girl; she WAS scared, even though she'd never admit it to Ash.
"Great!" Ash said. "Do you want to sit in front or at the back?" he asked as he looked at the red-head, anxious to get this ride started.
"Uhm…the back?" Misty half-heartedly chose as she uncertainly stepped closer.
"Okay," Ash said as he sat down on the front of the board. "Well, get on, then." he said as he expectantly looked at the red-head.
Misty looked at Ash and then down at the board. She then slowly got on the board and sat down behind Ash.
"Are you ready?" Ash asked as he looked over his shoulder at Misty.
"Uh huh." Misty said as she nodded.
"One," Ash started counting. "Two," he kept going. "THREE!" he yelled as he shoved himself forward, causing the board to start sliding down the hill.
As soon as the board started picking up speed; Misty shrieked at the top of her lungs and her arms immediately latched themselves around Ash's torso in front of her, with her head planted on his left shoulder.
Ash, on the other hand, was having a blast. Sure, this wasn't nearly as fun as it was when he was standing on the board instead of sitting. But it was fun nonetheless. It was kind of funny to see Misty screaming like this, but he would never tell her that, seeing as it would probably earn him a severe beating from the red-head.
The board eventually came to a stop at the bottom of the hill.
Ash loosened his grip on the front of the board. "That was fun, eh, Misty?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, who remained quiet and kept her grip around Ash's torso. "Uh, Misty?" Ash repeated. Still getting no answer; he slowly wiggled himself out of the red-head's grip and stood up. 'Oh boy, this isn't good…' he thought to himself as he gulped. This could only be a bad sign for him.
Misty slowly brought her fists up to her chest and then closed her eyes, a sign that she would explode any minute.
Ash took a few more steps away from Misty in fear.
"T-That…was…" Misty slowly stuttered out, her eyes still closed and fists still clenched against her chest. "AMAZING!" she finally squealed.
"WHAT!?" Ash almost yelled as he stared wide-eyed at Misty.
"That was so awesome!" Misty said as she got off of the board. "Let's do it again!" she excitedly suggested.
Ash merely stared at Misty for a few moments, before he fell down face-first.
A good part of the afternoon was spent sliding down various hills around Pallet Town. Misty enjoyed this activity very much and Ash, much to his own surprise, had to really move to keep up with the red-head. There was also an interesting scene in which Misty stole Ash's board and ran away with it, leaving the pokemon Trainer furious that someone finally managed to steal his beloved board.
The two of them went back into Pallet Town and walked through one of the dirt roads. They had spent most of their time playing in the hills, and it was late noon. Ash decided that Pallet Town itself didn't really have any real places worth showing, so he bought himself and Misty each a cone with ice cream and they were currently sitting in a grass field somewhere outside of Pallet, watching the sunset.
Ash didn't waste time in devouring his poor cone. He ordered a quadruple scoop for himself and a double scoop for Misty. He had already inhaled the first two scoops and was currently busy with the third.
Misty, however, ate at a much slower pace, only licking her ice cream every now-and-then. She looked at the sun that was now slowly setting over the mountains in the horizon. She then stole a quick glance at Ash, who was sitting next to her on the grass, licking large amounts of ice cream into his mouth. She looked at the pokemon Trainer for a little while longer, before she turned back to the sunset in front of them. She then slowly stuck hand out and softly rested it on the top of Ash's hand, which was on the ground next to her. She felt Ash stiffen, which caused a slight pink shade to form over her cheeks, but she didn't dare to look in the pokemon Trainer's direction.
Ash, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about his delicious ice cream and was now staring at Misty with his mouth hanging wide open. He looked down to Misty's hand resting on his, which caused his cheeks to turn bright red. Every fibre in his body was yelling at him to jerk his hand away. He was actually very close to doing it, but something in his head told him that doing that would hurt the red-head's feelings severely. So, instead of doing that, he took a deep breath and a look of determination appeared on his face. He then slowly turned his hand under Misty's hand and laced his fingers in between the red-head's. As soon as he did is; he quickly turned his attention back to the now-very-interesting sunset.
Misty looked at her and Ash's hands in shock, almost to the point of dropping her ice cream. She looked up at his face and noticed his cheeks were burning red. It was at that point that she realised that Ash was also new to this relationship. It wasn't only her who felt that way. Both of them were in it, together.
The two of them stole a quick glance at each other, before Ash quickly looked in front of him when he made eye contact with the red-head
Misty sincerely smiled as she gently closed her fingers against Ash's hand and turned back to the sunset.
The two of them stayed like that until their ice cream cones were finished. They then headed to Professor Oak's lab, where Ash didn't even bother walking up all the stairs. He instead called out to Pikachu from the fence of the Oak Corral, to which the yellow mouse responded and came running to them. The three of them were now on their way back to Ash's home, having just entered the Ketchum residence through the front gate.
"Hey Mom!" Ash yelled as he opened the front door. "We're home!" he yelled again.
Much to Ash, Misty and Pikachu's surprise; all of the lights were off and the house was empty.
"That's weird…" Ash mumbled as he looked around. "Where could they be?" he asked out loud.
"Hey, Ash," Misty said from behind Ash. "Look at this." She said as she pointed towards a piece of folded paper stuck on the front door, with 'Ash' written on it.
Ash took the note off of the door and unfolded it. "Dear Ashy," he started reading the contents of the letter in irritation. "At the Pallet House. Come down. We're waiting for you here. Mom and Mimey." He read out loud. "What's Mom doing there?" he asked out loud.
"Only one way to find out." Misty stated as she stepped outside again.
Ash sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He said as he stepped outside, closed the door behind him and walked back to the front of the group, seeing as he was the only one who knew where the Pallet House was.
The gang eventually stopped in front of a wooden building with the words 'Pallet House' in red located above the entrance.
"Well, here we are." Ash announced. He then walked to the entrance door and opened it up, followed by Misty and Pikachu on his shoulder.
Once they entered the building; they were greeted by a lot of people, familiar and also not-so-familiar.
Ash immediately started looking around for his mother, curious as to why she told them to come here. He eventually found her at a table in the left hand-side of the room, along with Mimey as well as Professor Oak. "Mom!" he called out as he started making his way over to them, with Misty following him.
"Ash?" Delia asked as she looked up. "You guys are finally here!" she excitedly said.
"Well, yeah." Ash agreed as she stopped in front of the table. "But why are we here, exactly?" he asked as he gave his mother a confused look.
"That's a good question, hunny." Delia answered. "This is you homecoming party, of course!" she informed Ash.
"My homecoming party?" Ash repeated.
"Yes, sweety." Delia answered. "We decided to have one for both your homecoming and your achievement in the Silver Conference." She explained to her son.
"Yes, Ash." Professor Oak agreed. "You should be very proud of yourself." He praised Ash. "You even managed to beat my grandson along the way." He added, albeit a bit gloomy.
"Yeah." Ash said as he nervously chuckled at the memory. "Hey, where is Gary, anyway?" he suddenly asked at the mention of his rival.
"He's on another journey, Ash." Professor Oak informed Ash. "He was only home for about a day before he set off again." He explained.
"WHAT?" Ash suddenly exclaimed. "He's on another journey and didn't tell em anything?" he added. "So that means that he's already got a huge head-start over me!" he suddenly panicked. "We've got to hit the road first thing in the morning!" he announced to Misty and Pikachu.
"Whoa, slow down there, Ash." Misty calmed Ash down. "You can't leave now." She informed the pokemon Trainer.
"That's right, Ash." Professor Oak agreed.
"Why not!?" Ash moaned like a five year-old.
"Because the Pokemon League president wants to see you here personally?" Misty informed Ash. "Have you forgotten about that?" she asked as she frowned at the boy.
It took a moment for Ash's brain to process this new information. "Uh, yeah. I kind of forgot hehe…" he finally said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Delia, Professor Oak, Mimey, Misty and Pikachu all sighed at Ash's one track-mind.
"Anyway," Delia changed the subject. "This is a party in your name, sweety." She said as she looked at Ash. "So feel free to eat all you want." She informed her son.
Ash didn't need any second invitation and immediately ran off to the table where all the food was located.
The rest of the evening was spent eating and telling stories about Ash and Misty's past adventures. That is, however, until music started playing and the people started dancing in the middle of the room…
Ash, Misty and Pikachu all sat at the table where Delia, Professor Oak and Mimey also sat, looking at the festivities in the middle of the room.
"Hey Ash," Misty started as she turned to Ash.
"Yeah?" Ash asked as he looked at the red-head next to him.
"Do you want to uhm…" Misty trailed off as she looked down.
"What is it, Misty?" Ash asked as he curiously frowned at Misty.
"Do you want to go…d-dance with me?" Misty squeaked out as she looked up at Ash, her cheeks pink out of embarrassment.
"D-dance?" Ash repeated as he looked at the red-head with wide eyes, to which Misty responded by shyly nodding. "But, I don't know h-how to dance…" he informed the red-head.
"T-that's okay." Misty informed him. "I'll help you!" she added.
"Uhm, okay." Ash said. "Sure, why not, then?" he added as he smiled at the red-head.
"Really?" Misty asked, her expression immediately lighting up.
Ash responded by nodding affirmatively.
"Come on, then." Misty excitedly said as she grabbed Ash hand under the table and stood up, yanking the pokemon Trainer up with her.
The two of them started walking to the dance floor.
"So, uh, what now?" Ash asked as he stood in front of Misty on the dance floor. He really didn't know anything about dancing.
"Well," Misty started as she frowned. "You put your hands here." She stated as she took Ash's hands and placed them on her hips, which caused Ash's cheeks to immediately turn red. "And now just follow me." She said as she put her hands on his shoulders.
"O-okay…" Ash stuttered out.
Misty then slowly started moving around the dance floor, and Ash mimicked her by looking at her feet and following them.
"Ash," Misty softly whispered.
"Hm?" Ash exclaimed as he looked up at Misty. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Don't look at my feet." Misty said. "Look at me." She instructed Ash as she softly smiled at the pokemon Trainer. Misty had a lot of experience with dancing. She watched her sisters' shows many times when she was young, and they were filled with dance-scenes. So she knew what she was talking about.
The two of them danced to the slow song, with Misty leading and Ash nervously following her around on the floor. It took a while; but Ash started adjusting to the song's beat and was getting better and better.
The slow song stopped after a while and was replaced by a livelier tune. The two of them were joined by Delia, Professor Oak and even Mimey and Pikachu, and the three dancing couples: Ash and Misty, Delia and Professor Oak and finally Pikachu and Mimey, danced the rest of the night at the Pallet House, enjoying their off-time to the fullest…
As I said; not really much happening.
But, I'm happy to say that all will be revealed in the next chapter!
Please, don't forget to review, ALL OF YOU! The more you review, the faster I write.
Also, I'm heading off to college in two days, so please don't be angry if I don't update for 2 weeks or so. I have to adjust first.
Until next time.
Cheers!