Okay, I can explain! I am very, very, very sorry for this long delay! Really, I am!
The reason for having to wait so long was the fact that I started college about a month ago. To be honest, it's been one big adjustment! The workload, the long days etc. have made it very difficult for me to get as much writing done as before, I tried and tried, but every time I started writing, I was just so worn out from the day's work that I only wrote about 400 words at a time. So, please, forgive me.
Anyway, back to this chapter.
I'm sorry to say it, but this is probably the biggest filler chapter you will ever read. There is basically nothing happening in this chapter, except for the letter being explained, sort of.
Please, don't expect some big, creative event to take place regarding the letter. I'm not very creative.
I also just want to say that I'm sure all of you have noticed the absence of Togepi? I'm sorry, but he just won't fit into my plans right now. So forgive me for that.
Anyway, try to enjoy!
I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.
Changing Ways: Chapter 22: Mystery Letter Resolved!:
"Aha! Cyndaquil!" Ash yelled in relief.
"Cynda?" Cyndaquil questioned as it looked at its master, Ash. "Cynda Cynda!" it then angrily exclaimed, irritated with itself. It looked around itself and saw all its fellow pokemon scampering away from where it was standing. Noticing a giant Snorlax towards its left side. Yes, a very easy target indeed. Slow-moving and enormous. The Fire Mouse pokemon jumped in that direction and bounced against Snorlax's back.
"Snor?" Snorlax exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder at the soft disturbance of Cyndaquil bouncing off of his back.
"Cynda Cynda, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil informed Snorlax, before turning around and sprinting away, out of the Sleeping pokemon's reach.
"Snorlax, Snor!" Snorlax whined as he sat down on the grass, his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. He then looked around and noticed a very unsuspecting Bulbasaur roaming through the slightly-long grass. "Snor!" he exclaimed as he started bulldozing towards the unsuspecting Kanto starter.
"Bulba?" Bulbasaur exclaimed as he turned towards the rumbling noise approaching him. He laid eyes on Snorlax, who was coming at him at quite a rapid pace for such a big mass. "Bulbasaur!" he yelled out as he looked at the oncoming Sleeping pokemon in horror.
"Snorlax Snor!" Snorlax happily exclaimed as it made a dive towards Bulbasaur.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur exclaimed as he whipped his vines into the ground below him, sending him flying up into the air.
"Snor!" Snorlax exclaimed, before he crashed face-first into the grass under him.
Bulbasaur landed safely next to Snorlax and then sped off. Snorlax's crash caused a very weak earthquake to tremor through the ranch, earning the attention of a certain Heracross, among others…
"Heracro?" Heracross exclaimed as he walked closer to the crashed Snorlax in front of him. He bent down and gently nudged the Sleeping pokemon in the side with his horn.
"Snor!" Snorlax excitedly exclaimed as he suddenly sat up on the grass. "Snorlax Snor, Snorlax!" he explained as he frantically waved his arms through the air before pointing directly at Heracross.
"Hera?" Heracross exclaimed as he looked at Snorlax in shock, before he understood. "Heracross! Hera!" he exclaimed as he vigilantly shook his head in denial.
"Snorlax!" Snorlax replied. "Snorlax Snor, Snorlax!" he repeated as he stood in a triumphant pose.
"Hera!" Heracross whined as his shoulders slumped in defeat. He then looked up at Snorlax, a furious smirk on his face.
"Snor?" Snorlax asked as he carefully watched Heracross.
"Heracross!" Heracross suddenly yelled as he took to the air and darted towards Snorlax.
"Snor!" Snorlax exclaimed before he turned around and started running away, with Heracross giving chase through the air. This was one of those rare instances in which the Sleeping pokemon showed off tremendous speed for his mammoth form and was giving Heracross a run for his money because of that.
Ash was casually walking around through the ranch. There were no pokemon or a Misty near him. That is, until he heard a rumble coming from his left…
"Huh?" he exclaimed as he turned to the source of the ruckus. He then noticed Snorlax storming towards him. "Hey, Snorlax." He calmly stated as he watched the Sleeping pokemon run past him, completely ignoring his existence. He then heard another sound, which sounded more like buzzing wings. He turned back to his left, only to look directly at an oncoming Heracross, who crashed straight into the pokemon Trainer and sending both of them flying through the air.
"Ash!" Misty called out after she witnessed the scene. She ran up to where Ash and Heracross were currently lying on the grass. "Are you okay?" she asked as she stood over the pokemon Trainer, frowning out of curiosity.
"Fine…just fine…" Ash dazily replied as he lay on the grass, his eyes now replaced with swirly circles.
"Well, uhm…" Misty awkwardly started. "You're it…" she informed Ash, before scampering away.
"Great…" Ash mumbled, still dazed from his collision with Heracross, whom had also flown away from his tagged master.
Yes, it was a tough battle, playing tag with your pokemon. Not only were pokemon faster, stronger and more agile than a human; but a human was slower, weaker and less agile than pokemon! Ash, Misty and most of Ash's pokemon were participating in this little game of tag. Other pokemon, like Misty's Corsola and most of Ash's Water- and Flying-type pokemon were relaxing in the trees and pond nearby, with Totodile irritating everyone in the pond by dancing in the water and splashing it everywhere.
It's been about six days since Ash and Misty returned to Pallet Town, five since they heard that the President of the Pokemon League: Mr. Charles Goodshow, is personally coming to the town of Pallet to tell Ash all about the letter he received from Tracey. They were expecting Mr. Goodshow any day now, and Ash was growing more and more anxious by the hour. The game of tag was now over and all the pokemon, save for Pikachu, scattered throughout the ranch again, doing their own thing.
Ash, Misty, Delia, Professor Oak and Pikachu were now sitting in the living room-area of the lab. Delia had made them a pot of nice herbal tea and Pikachu had some special pokemon food to munch down on.
"Mmm." Professor Oak exclaimed as he took a sip of his tea. "This is splendid, Delia." He complimented Delia as he looked at her, referring to his cup of tea.
"Yeah, Mrs. K." Misty agreed from where she sat on the couch. "This tea is great!" she informed Delia. Ash was perched on the other side, with Pikachu in the middle of the two of them, nibbling on a pebble of pokemon food.
"Why thanks, you two." Delia politely said as she smiled at Professor Oak and then at Misty. She then noticed Ash, who was currently staring off into the distance and impatiently tapping his foot on the carpet. "Ash, sweety?" she asked.
"Huh?" Ash exclaimed as he turned to face his mother. "Uh, yeah, Mom?" he asked as he curiously looked at her in expectance.
"Are you okay, hunny?" Delia asked as she frowned at Ash. "You seem very quiet." She remarked.
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Mom." Ash answered before he started tapping his foot on the carpet again. "I'm just excited, that's all!" he added with an excited fist-pump.
"Yeah," Misty started. "Mr. Goodshow could be here any second now, eh, Ash?" she said as she knowingly smirked at Ash.
"Yeah!" Ash enthusiastically agreed. "And I can't wait!" he excitedly added.
"Well Ash," Professor Oak started. "You must be dying to know what all of this is about?" he inquired.
"You bet I am, Professor Oak!" Ash said as he stood up off of the couch in his excitement.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he stood on the couch and did an excited paw-pump.
Misty sighed at Ash and Pikachu's antics. "You two will never change." She remarked. "When are you going to grow up?" she added as she gave the two of them a sceptical look.
"Please, Misty." Ash said as he crossed his arms and turned away from Misty. "You're just jealous because you aren't as important as I am." He stated as he smirked over his shoulder at the red-head.
"What?" Misty said as she glared at Ash. "I'll have you know that I'm the Cerulean City Gym Leader!" she reminded the pokemon Trainer with a scowl on her face.
"But you didn't receive an official letter from the Pokemon League." Ash informed her as he swung his finger from side-to-side in front of the red-head's face.
Misty glared at Ash's finger, before she lashed out and tried to bite down on his poor limb with a growl. But Ash had anticipated such a move from the red-head and had quickly pulled his finger out of her reach.
"Settle down, you two." Professor Oak apprehended Ash and Misty. "We don't want you breaking anything." He added as he took another sip of his tea.
Ash sat down and gave Misty a look, which the red-head recuperated. "Sorry." The two of them simultaneously apologised to each other and to Professor Oak.
"There." Delia stated. "Now was that so hard?" she asked as she sweetly smiled at the two of them.
Before Ash and Misty could start their respective protests; the sound of the doorbell emulated throughout the building, signalling that someone was at the front door.
"OH BOY!" Ash suddenly exploded as he jumped up off of the couch.
"WAAAH!" Misty, Delia and Professor Oak exclaimed simultaneously at the sudden noise, before all three of them fell backwards off their respective seats.
"ASH!" Misty furiously yelled as she sat up on the carpet, her hand resting on her chest. "You scared the living daylights out of me! Don't do that!" she scowled as she glared at where Ash was standing, or where she thought he was standing…
Ash, in his pure excitement, was already busy walking through the doorway on the other side of the room when Misty started talking. "Not now, Misty!" he silenced the red-head. "That's gotta be Mr. Goodshow!" he excitedly stated before he darted through the doorway towards the front door of the Lab.
Misty, Delia, Pikachu and Professor Oak all looked after the running Ash, before they all sighed in exasperation…
'Come on, come on!' is what went through Ash's mind as he raced to the front door. The hour had finally come, he would finally find out what's going on! He stopped in front of the door to catch his breath. He then finally put his hand on the doorknob. "Hey, Mr.-"he started, until he looked up, that is.
"Who is it, Ash?" Misty asked as she, Delia, Professor Oak and Pikachu stepped up behind Ash.
"Is it Mr. Goodshow?" Delia inquired.
"Oh, it's only you…" Ash finally said, albeit a little disappointed, before he stepped out of the doorway, revealing…
"Tracey?" Professor Oak uncertainly exclaimed.
"Uhm…hello?" Tracey uncertainly waved as he half-heartedly smiled, not sure if he was intruding because of the way Ash reacted.
Yes, it was Tracey Sketchit and not Mr. Goodshow who stood in the front door of the Lab, much to the surprise of everyone, save for Ash, who was deeply disappointed.
"Awh man…" Ash whined. "It's just Tracey…great." He grumpily mumbled, before he was knocked down onto the ground by a powerful fist from behind. "Uhhhh…" he exclaimed in pain and dizziness as he got back up again.
"Ash Ketchum!" Delia yelled. "Have I taught you no manners!?" she scowled as she glared at Ash. "That was very rude! Now, apologise immediately!" she ordered as she crossed her arms over her chest, impatiently waiting.
"Sorry…" Ash mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed because of his mother apprehending him in front of everyone.
However, he wasn't standing there for long after that, because…
"TRACEY!?" Misty yelled as she jumped forward and shoulder-charged Ash out of the way in the process.
"Hey," Ash started with a glare. "What're you doi-"
"Tracey, what're you doing here?" Misty continued, interrupting and ignoring Ash's protests.
"Well, uh…I came back to the Lab, of course…" Tracey uncertainly said as he carefully looked at everyone in front of him, wondering what the heck is going on.
"But what about the Gym?" Misty fearfully asked. "You left it under my three bumbling sisters' care!?" She frantically asked as she stared at the pokemon Watcher in disbelief. Images of the Cerulean Gym in flames, her Water-type pokemon grilled into a nice seafood platter with a bit of tartar sauce on the side and her three sisters shrugging their shoulders in innocence, signalling that they couldn't help it, all flooded her mind. "WAAAAAAH!" she suddenly screamed in horror, causing everyone around her to jump back out of surprise.
"Misty, what the heck!?" Ash irritatedly asked as he glared at the red-head, rubbing his now-aching ears.
"Tracey!" Misty shrieked. "Why did you leave the Gym in Daisy, Lily and Violet's care? Do you realise what you've done!?" she demanded as she glared at Tracey, or rather where she thought Tracey was standing.
Tracey, on the other hand, was now situated in the corner of the room. He was huddled up in a ball with a blue-ish aura around him.
"Uh, Tracey?" Ash inquired as he frowned at Tracey and his weird behaviour.
"Those…names…" Tracey stated from his blue-ish corner.
"Uh, this all seems so familiar…" Ash stated as he stared at Tracey, his brow lifted in confusion.
"You can say that again…" Misty replied as she gave Tracey an amused look.
"Those…names…" Tracey repeated as he huddled tighter in the corner.
All of the room's occupants, save for Tracey, were now sweat-dropping at the pokemon Watcher's antics.
"Pikachu…" Pikachu exclaimed as he sighed and shook his head in exasperation.
"So uh," Misty uncomfortably started. "What happened?" she asked the pokemon Watcher, curious to know if the Cerulean Gym was still standing.
"So much…attitude…for such…beautiful girls…" Tracey mumbled from his blue-ish corner.
[FLASHBACK…]
"Lily!" Tracey yelled from the pool room, covered in dirt marks and sweat, with a pool-cleaning net in his hands.
"Like, what!?" the pokemon Watcher heard the voice of Lily, the second youngest of the Waterflower sisters, booming through the building.
Tracey grunted before he put the pool net down next to the pool. He then proceeded to walk out of the pool room and started venturing through the building, in search of Lily. "Lily!" he called out again as he walked through the living room. "Where are you!?" he yelled.
"I'm, like, here!" he heard Lily's voice calling out to his right.
He walked in the direction from which he heard Lily's voice, which lead him outside behind the building.
"Lily!" he called out again as he started walking around the corner. "Where are y- he started again, before he caught sight of Lily…
She was lying face-down on her stomach on a beach chair. Tracey presumably figured that she was working on her tan, a magnificent sight already. But that wasn't what caught the pokemon Watcher's attention, nor the fact that Lily was wearing a two-piece bikini. What caught his attention the most, was the fact that Lily's bikini bra was untied and spread out underneath her, leaving Tracey staring at her bare back.
"Uh…" Tracey mumbled out as he gawked at Lily, his eyes wide and round.
"Hmm?" Lily exclaimed as she looked up from her pillow. "Oh, Tracey." She stated. "What do you, like, want!?" she demanded as she glared at the pokemon Watcher, not happy at being yelled at.
"I uh…I…I…" Tracey stuttered as his face started getting redder and redder. After taking a deep breath; he tried again. "T-the pool." He stated. "You have to clean t-the p-pool…" he mumbled, trying to keep his gaze as far away from Lily as possible. "It's y-your turn today…" he added.
"Me? Like, clean the pool?" Lily repeated in disbelief.
Tracey nodded and stole a glance at Lily. "Y-yeah…" he mumbled before quickly diverting his eyes to the now-very-interesting sky.
Lily gave Tracey a long look before she spoke again. "But Tracey," she started in a childish manner. "I can't clean the pool NOW." She stated. "I have to stay here and perfect my tan first!" she informed the pokemon Watcher as she gestured to her supermodel-like body.
Tracey sighed at the second-youngest Waterflower's response. "Lily, it's your turn. Daisy and Violet did their shifts yesterday and the day before that!" he scowled.
"Oh come on, Tracey." Lily said in a whining voice. "Please let me finish my tan?" she said as she pouted at Tracey with big puppy-ish eyes.
"I…uh…" Tracey stuttered as he looked at Lily's pleading face. "N-no." he stated after turning his gaze back to the sky. "You have to do it now." He ordered.
"Come on," Lily started again. "Please, Tracey?" she pleaded before she started smirking at the pokemon Watcher. She then slowly started lifting her upper body off of the chair, leaving her bikini bra behind and giving Tracey a slight view. It wasn't all that revealing. It was more of a teasing preview, which certainly made an impact on Tracey…
The pokemon Watcher was now gawking at Lily's slightly-revealed chest area, his eyes as big as dinner plates and his face redder than a tomato. "Uhhh…uhhh…" he exclaimed, unable to form words as he continued to openly stare at her.
"Pleeeease…" Lily kept on going with puppy-like eyes before she lifted herself a bit more, revealing a tiny little bit more cleavage and the general form of her 'assets' to the pokemon Watcher.
Tracey's eyes grew even wider as his view improved slightly. Being the 16-year old teenager he was; the sight of Lily slightly exposing herself was a hormonal dream come true for the pokemon Watcher. "I…uh…" he once again stuttered out as he stared at Lily. "O-okay, sure. I'll clean the pool, then. N-no problem!" he yelled as he ran away from where she was lying on the chair, desperate to get away as soon as possible and avoid any further embarrassing encounters with the second youngest Waterflower sister. Teenager or not; stuff like this was very, very, VERY embarrassing.
Lily simply stared after Tracey as he hastily retreated around the corner and presumably back into the Gym, hopefully to do her chores. She then triumphantly grinned from ear-to-ear as she made peace-sign with her right hand. "Boys will be, like, boys…" she stated before laying herself back down again, continuing her tanning session. It wasn't her fault she was blessed with a stupendous body, was it? "Guess I, like, inherited Misty's share of beauty too…" she remarked before burying her face into the towel she set down for that exact purpose…
Tracey sighed as he pulled the net through the water, albeit very sulkily. He was currently cleaning the pool of the Cerulean Gym very depressingly. "How did this become my job again?" he asked himself as he continued dragging the net through the water. Images of Lily's boobs flashing in front of the pokemon Watcher flooded his mind, causing him to violently shake his head from side-to-side. "Stupid Lily…" he muttered, his face bright red out of embarrassment as he thought about the unfortunate event. He then sighed and continued cleaning the pool.
"Lily!" he heard someone call from the hallway to his right.
"Huh?" he exclaimed as he turned towards the doorway, where the source of the voice identified itself as none other than Daisy.
"Like, where are you, little sis?" he heard Violet calling out as she appeared behind Daisy in the doorway.
"Tracey?" Daisy asked after she took notice of the room's only-previous occupant: Tracey. "Like, what're you doing in here?" she asked as she frowned at the pokemon Watcher out of curiosity.
"Uhm, cleaning the pool?" Tracey stated as he held the net in the air, as if it wasn't obvious what he was doing there.
"Cleaning the pool?" Daisy repeated as she continued frowning at Tracey. "Look, I've, like, fed all the pokemon that lives here in the Gym." She informed the pokemon Watcher.
"And I've, like, paid all of the Gym's bills." Violet added. "You know, like electricity, water and, like, food!" she elaborated.
"Wasn't Lily, like, supposed to clean the pool?" Daisy asked as she lifted her brow at Tracey.
"Well, y-yeah, she was-"Tracey nervously started.
"Then what are YOU doing here?" Daisy interrupted him in mid-sentence.
"Yeah, like, why isn't LILY cleaning the pool?" Violet demanded as the two sisters impatiently glared at the pokemon Watcher.
"Yeah, Tracey." Daisy added. "Like, where is she by the way?" she added as she impatiently looked at the pokemon Watcher.
"I…uh…" Tracey nervously started as Daisy and Violet started closing in on him. He then sighed in defeat. "Alright…" he started his explanation.
The next ten minutes was spent with Tracey informing Daisy and Violet of his encounter with Lily outside, including explaining their sister's flirtatious ways of convincing him to do her part of the Gym's chores for the day, maintaining a deep red blush on his face through the entire explanation.
"Oh." Daisy plainly stated as she slightly glared at Tracey after he finished his story. "So, you let Violet and me work the whole day, but, like, give Lily slack just because she, like, tried to flirt her way out of it?" she clarified as her glare intensified on the pokemon Watcher.
"Well…yeah…" Tracey slowly answered. "But I couldn't help it!" he quickly added to strengthen his defence in the situation. "I didn't know what else to do…so I chickened out…" he added as his entire face turned red out of embarrassment.
"Ohhhh, that Lily!" Daisy angrily stated as she clenched her fists in front of her out of anger with a scowl on her face. "She didn't even do a single one of her chores, while me and Violet did, like, all of ours!" she yelled. "She thinks that she can get out of, like, every little thing that involves her getting her hands dirty," she ranted on. "By just, like, shaking these!" she exclaimed as she put her hands on her own boobs and wiggled her upper body to emphasize them.
Tracey gawked at Daisy as she performed her little 'wiggling scene'. His face then turned redder than a tomato before he turned his attention back to cleaning the pool at a more rigorous pace than ever before, whilst whistling a hasty tune.
"Tracey!" Daisy angrily stated. "Like, stop that!" she ordered as she irritatedly glared at Tracey. She then walked over to the pokemon Watcher and yanked the net out of his hands.
"W-what're you doing?" Tracey stuttered out as he looked at Daisy in surprise.
"Like, to set things right!" Daisy answered before she turned on her heels and started walking away, with the net in-hand.
"Where're you going now?" Tracey asked as he watched Daisy walk away from him with the net.
"I'm going to, like, get Lily over here to do her chores!" Daisy yelled as she looked back over her shoulder at Tracey. She then disappeared through the doorway, probably en route towards Lily.
Violet stared after her older sister before she turned to face Tracey and nonchalantly shrugged at the pokemon Watcher.
Tracey sighed. "This can't end well…" he remarked more to himself than anyone else.
"Nope." Violet agreed. "It, like, can't." she agreed as she and Tracey waited for the outcome of Daisy's little 'visit' to Lily…
A little while later, Tracey, Violet and Daisy were all sitting on one of the stands in the pool room. Lily, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky…
"Daisy, can't I finish the chores, like, later?" Lily moaned as she looked up at Daisy from where she was currently standing, which was next to the pool with the cleaning net in her hands.
"No!" Daisy harshly yelled back from where she was sitting next to Violet. "You have to finish them, like, NOW! Because you're not going anywhere before their done…" she informed Lily matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, little sister." Violet agreed from next to Daisy. "We did our part, so you have to, like, do yours." She informed Lily.
Yes, Lily was finally cleaning the pool, a chore which was initially hers and that had to be finished quite some time ago. After Daisy found out about her second youngest sister's flirtatious seduction of Tracey; she angrily forced Lily to get dressed properly and straight into the building towards the pool, where her tasks awaited her. And she wasn't happy with this turn of events AT ALL.
Lily groaned as she pulled the net through the pool once more. This didn't turn out to be her day after all. She looked up to where her two sisters; Daisy and Violet, sat along with Tracey. She glared sharply at her two sisters, before she laid her eyes on Tracey. 'Of course!' she thought as a smirk slowly started making its way onto her face. "Oh, Tracey," she started in a sweet singing voice.
Tracey perked up and looked down at Lily. "Uhm, yeah?" he uncertainly exclaimed.
"Won't you be so kind as to, like, help me clean this big, gigantic pool?" Lily as she looked at Tracey with big, puppy-dog eyes and puffed up, pouty lips.
"Uh…" Tracey exclaimed as a blush started forming on his face. "S-sur-"he started as he got up onto his feet, ready to blindly assist Lily.
"Oh no you don't!" Daisy interrupted Tracey as she grabbed his collar and yanked him back down onto his seat by it. "Lily!" she yelled as she turned her attention from the pokemon Watcher to Lily. "You're going to, like, clean that pool all by yourself, missy!" she informed her second youngest sister. "And as I said before: You're not going anywhere until you, like, finish all of your chores!" she reminded her.
"Fine…like, whatever, Daisy…" Lily mumbled as she begrudgingly started pulling the net through the pool again.
"And you!" Daisy started again as she turned her anger towards Tracey, who fearfully cowered under her wrath in response. "You better start to, like, man-up, buster!" she informed the pokemon Watcher as she picked him up by his collar. "Because I will not allow you to favour Lily above us again!" she viciously exclaimed. "Do I make myself, like, clear?" she venomously asked as she gave Tracey an intense glare.
"C-Crystal…" Tracey managed to stutter out before he nervously started giggling.
"Good." Daisy firmly stated before she dropped Tracey to the ground and sat back down next to Violet.
Tracey got back up onto his feet and pluffed down in his seat next to Violet. "Why me?" he groaned as he buried his face in his hands, depressed about his current predicament…
"Lily! Violet! Daisy!" Tracey yelled through the hallway as he repeatedly banged on Daisy's door. "Wake up!" he yelled again.
"Like, what the heck, Tracey!?" Lily yelled from behind the closed door of the room adjacent to Daisy's.
"What's your, like, problem!?" Daisy yelled as she plucked the door open, causing Tracey to jump back a few feet out of surprise. "Why are you yelling?" she demanded as she peeked out from behind the door, angrily glaring at the pokemon Watcher for his rude awakening of the three of them.
"What's with all the, like, noise?" Violet sleepily mumbled as she peeked out of her room into the hallway.
"It's time to get up!" Tracey announced as he turned to Violet. "You guys have chores that need to be done!" he added.
"It's, like, six o'clock in the morning, Tracey!" Lily informed Tracey as she looked out into the hall from behind her door. "We need to sleep!" she added.
"Yeah," Daisy agreed. "We usually wake up at, like, eight o'clock at the earliest!" she informed Tracey as an irritated glare made its way onto her face.
"And if my calculations are correct," Violet started before she gave a large yawn. "That's still, like, two hours of sleep!" she informed the pokemon Watcher.
"Well, yeah. Normally it would have been like that." Tracey agreed with a nod of his head. "But the pokemon have to be fed, and they also need their morning exercise!" he added.
"Like, since when does all of this happen?" Daisy inquired. "Violet, did you know about this?" she asked as she glanced over to Violet's door, but her younger sister was not there anymore. The door was instead closed again. "Violet?" she repeated, but there was still no answer. "Lily, did you see Vio-"she started again as she turned towards Lily's room, but her second youngest sister was also nowhere to be found and her door closed shut. "I guess they're, like, sleeping again…" she figured as a sweat drop formed on the back of her head. "I think I'm gonna, like, hit the sack again too." She announced as she gave off a rather large yawn before she also started closing her door.
"Wait!" Tracey interrupted Daisy's attempt at closing her door by shoving his foot in front of it. "You guys can't go to sleep again!" he informed her. "The three of you have got chores to do!" he added.
"Tracey, I'll repeat myself." Daisy said as she opened the door again. "Since when does all of these activities, like, occur in the morning? I have no awareness of it!" she admitted to the pokemon Watcher along with a shrug of her shoulders.
"But still," Tracey started. "They're chores and they have to be performed each day. It's like a routine." He explained to Daisy.
"But, I never knew these chores, like, existed!" Daisy protested. "And I know that Violet and Lily knew about it either." She explained. "So, if I didn't do it, and neither Violet nor Lily did it, then who…like…did…it…" she slowed down as realisation hit her. "Misty…" she muttered out.
"Yep." Tracey nodded. "She did these chores every single morning when she was still here way back before she started traveling with Ash and Brock, and a while ago when they were here." He explained. "She even wrote it down for me before she and Ash left." He added as he flashed Daisy a list of all the chores that Misty wrote down for her three sisters to do daily.
Daisy stared at the list as a guilty expression started making its way onto her face. Is this what she, Violet and Lily made their little sister go through each day? Letting her do stacks of chores, paper work and then endure continuous verbal abuse from the three of them? She bit her bottom lip slightly as she sadly looked down. They were doing this because SHE wanted Misty to go with Ash and continue her journey. Then why was she acting as if all of this responsibility wasn't her problem? This was going to have to change.
"Daisy? Hello?" Tracey exclaimed as he waved his hand in front of Daisy's face.
"Okay, we'll, like, do it!" Daisy informed Tracey.
"Okay," Tracey started as he turned to Lily's door. "Let me just wake your sisters up…" he said as he started turning the doorknob.
"WAIT!" Daisy yelled as she slapped Tracey's hand off of the doorknob and moved in between him and the door. "Uhm, I think I should wake Lily and Violet up…" she stated.
"Why?" Tracey asked as he frowned at Daisy. "What's the difference between me and you waking them up?" he further asked.
"Well, you see…" Daisy trailed off. "Violet and Lily tend to, like, sleep very comfortable…" she explained.
"So?" Tracey asked as he gave Daisy a confused look. "What's that got to do with me waking them up?" he quizzically asked.
"Well…" Daisy awkwardly trailed off.
"Well?" Tracey repeated. "What is it, Daisy?" he asked as he lifted his brow at the oldest Waterflower sister.
Daisy sighed in exasperation. She then proceeded to walk closer to Tracey and started explaining the situation in his right ear.
Tracey intently listened before his face started getting redder and redder as Daisy explained the situation to him. "Do they really sleep in that!?" he suddenly yelled out in embarrassment.
Daisy immediately clamped her hand over Tracey's mouth. "Will you, like, hush up?" she hissed as she glared at the pokemon Watcher. "So, you see, that's why I think that it would be better if I woke them up." She explained. "It'll keep you from walking into anymore, like, awkward situations." She added with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I agree!" he announced, his face redder than a tomato, before he hastily sped down the hall, trying to get as far away as possible. The last thing he needed now was another 'Lily-confrontation'.
Daisy watched Tracey disappear through the doorway down the hall. "Uhm…okay?" she exclaimed as a sweat drop formed on her forehead. "Well, I guess I've got to get dressed and then wake Violet and Lily up…" she figured as she turned to her room. "Misty better be, like, having the time of her life out there…" she mumbled as she closed her door after she walked into her room…
"I'm, like, done!" Lily announced as she got back up onto her feet next to the pool, with a brush in hand. "You can go now, Dewgong." She informed Dewgong, whom was floating in the pool in front of her.
"Dewgong Gong!" Dewgong exclaimed before diving beneath the water.
"Very good, Lily!" Tracey complimented.
It has been about four days since the morning that Tracey tried waking the three sisters up, four days since Daisy's little wakeup call and her decision to do the Gym's chores along with her two sisters. They have definitely improved and were now doing everything themselves around the Gym.
"Well," Tracey started once Daisy, Violet and Lily stood in front of him, all three finished with their various chores. "I'm proud to say that the three of you have passed Gym-leading 101!" he announced…
[…]
"And now I'm here." Tracey finished the story.
Misty exasperatedly sighed. "Yep, that sounds like my sisters alright…" she remarked. "And I guess you were their latest victim." She added as she turned to Tracey.
Everyone then started laughing at the unfortunate situations Tracey recently found himself in at the Cerulean Gym.
"Hey," Ash suddenly spoke up. "Listening to this story has made me kind of hungry…" he announced.
Everyone sighed at Ash's one-track mind.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he shook his head from side to side in exasperation.
"Well, how about I make all of us some lunch then?" Delia suggested from where she was sitting.
Everyone cheered at her suggestion, with Ash leading from the front in great excitement.
"Okay, I'll get started right away." Delia stated before standing up and disappearing through the doorway, presumably on her way to the kitchen.
"Hey, why don't we feed all the pokemon in the ranch while we wait?" Tracey suggested. "I bet they're all pretty hungry as well." He added.
"Good call, Tracey." Professor Oak complimented. "Boy, were they hard to feed for an old man such as myself." He added with an embarrassed laugh while scratching the back of his head.
"Don't worry, Professor Oak!" Ash exclaimed. "We'll help you out, right guys?" he stated as he gestured towards himself, Misty and Pikachu.
"Right!" Misty stated.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"I guess you missed having me around for all those chores, eh, Professor Oak?" Tracey stated as he knowingly nudged Professor Oak in the ribs.
"Uh, well you see…" Professor Oak awkwardly started with a nervous laugh while scratching the back of his head again. "Yes. I did." He finally exclaimed. "I have grown accustomed to ordering you around and letting you do the chores around here. I have grown lazy over these past couple of months with you around here." He shamefully admitted.
"Wait." Tracey stated. "You make me sound more like a servant than an aid?" he exclaimed.
"Servant, aid. What's the difference?" Professor Oak nonchalantly stated.
Professor Oak's last statement caused Tracey to stare at him in disbelief with his mouth hanging wide open in shock.
"Tracey; you're Professor Oak's slave!" Ash remarked with a snicker.
"Wow, Ash, did you figure that out all by yourself?" Misty sarcastically asked as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Tracey stared at Professor Oak for a little while longer, before he sighed in defeat. "I guess I kind of am his slave…" he admitted.
"Now, let's go feed those pokemon!" Professor Oak excitedly exclaimed, to which Ash and Pikachu responded by cheering in approval. "And by 'we'; I actually mean the four of you," he said as he pointed towards Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Tracey.
"Hey wait!" Ash exclaimed. "That's unfair!" he informed Professor Oak with a scowl on his face. "How come we've got to do all the work?" he demanded.
"It's simple, Ash." Professor Oak started. "While the four of you are feeding the pokemon, I will be helping your mother with lunch. So the sooner you finish, the sooner we eat." He explained to Ash.
"Alright!" Ash cheered with an excited fist pump, the only one that is naïve enough to actually believe Professor Oak's statement. "Come on, guys!" he said as he grabbed both Misty and Tracey by their hands, with Pikachu already situated on his shoulder. "Let's go feed those pokemon!" he declared before he sped away, with his three companions in tow.
Professor oak watched the three children and Pikachu disappear around the corner. "Ash will be Ash." He stated with a victorious peace sign and triumphant grin. "Now, let's go see what Delia is cooking." He stated before he started walking the opposite direction from where Ash and co. just sped off to…
Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Tracey were busy feeding the pokemon in the meantime. Since the ranch was divided into various parts and habitats; they had to split up to make sure that all of the pokemon got their lunch on time.
"There," Ash started as he got back up onto his feet. "All done." He declared as he dusted his hands off against each other.
He and Pikachu were currently feeding the pokemon inhabiting the grassland area of the ranch, while Misty was feeding the pokemon living close to the water (no surprise there.), and Tracey was covering the remaining parts of the ranch, seeing as he did this on a daily basis and was used to the workload.
All the pokemon cheered in gratitude at the food provided to them by Ash and Pikachu before they started digging in.
"It was nothing, you guys." Ash replied to the cheering as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. His thoughts were soon interrupted though, by a splendid aroma that filled the air. "Mmmm," he exclaimed as he sniffed in the air. "What's that?" he asked out loud as he started moving towards the source of the heavenly smell. His nose soon led him and Pikachu straight to Professor Oak and his mother, who were busy decking a table outside with all sorts of delicious food and various drinks.
"Oh," Delia exclaimed after she noticed Ash approaching the table. "Hello there, Sweety." She greeted her son with a polite smile.
"Hey…" Ash mumbled back, his attention caught by the feast set out in front of him. "Mmmm…" he exclaimed as his mouth started watering in anticipation.
"Wow, that smells great!" he heard the all-too-familiar voice of Misty stating from behind him.
"You got that right." Tracey added as he and Misty stopped next to Ash, presumably finished with feeding the pokemon.
"You guys are just in time for lunch!" Delia informed the two of them as she set out the plates.
"Alright!" Ash cheered. "Let's dig in!" he announced as he made a dash for the pile of sandwiches situated on the left-hand side of the table, intent on finishing the entire plate. But he was stopped short of his destination by a hand halting him.
"Hold it right there, mister!" the owner of the hand, his mother, ordered. "Have I taught you no manners!?" she angrily asked her son. "Ladies first!" she informed him.
"But Mom!" Ash started whining, but seeing his mother's facial expression harden, he submitted with a sigh. He then turned to Misty. "Sorry, Misty." He apologised. "You can go first." He resentfully informed her as he stepped out of the way.
This caused Delia's eyes to widen slightly in surprise. Did her son, Ash Ketchum, whom was always in front of the line when it came to pokemon and food, and rarely showed manners concerning those two things, just apologise to Misty and allow her to dish up first?
"Thanks, Ash." Misty thanked Ash as she stepped forward, silently giving his hand a soft squeeze on the way, which caused Ash to slightly blush at the redhead's show of affection.
Everyone got their plates filled up with Delia's delicious lunch and were soon sitting around the table. Pikachu sat next to the group of humans on the ground with a bowl of pokemon food in front of him.
"Alright, everyone;" Delia started. "Dig in!" she announced, to which everyone responded to with cheers of approval.
What filled the area after that was the clinging of cutlery on plates and the sound of Ash devouring his food at an inhuman pace, while the others calmly ate their respective meals in silence…
"Ah!" Ash exclaimed after finishing his third plate. "That hit the spot, eh, Pikachu?" he stated as he turned to Pikachu.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with Ash, his bowl also empty.
"Thanks a lot, Mom!" Ash thanked his mother as he turned back to face her.
"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Misty, Tracey and Professor Oak all simultaneously thanked Delia for the delicious meal.
"It was my pleasure!" Delia responded with her usual happy demeanour.
All of the dirty dishes were taken back to the kitchen where Delia cleaned them all, after which everyone retired to the lounge area of Professor Oak's lab where they were currently enjoying some lemonade. The sun was starting to set in the distance as the day came to a close. It was then that the group of humans, along with Pikachu, heard the bell of the front door ring once more.
"Oh boy!" Ash loudly exclaimed as he hastily put his glass down on the table and jumped onto his feet before he sped off towards the front door.
The other humans present quickly put down their respective glasses and hastily followed Ash, accompanied by Pikachu.
"Come on, come on." Ash exclaimed as he ran through the various corridors. He finally got to the front door and like before, he stopped first to catch his breath, and then he plucked the door open.
"Why, hello there, Ash. What coincidence it is meeting you here." A rather unfamiliar voice greeted Ash. It was the voice of none other than the president of the Pokemon League: Mister Charles Goodshow!
Ash stared blankly at Mr. Goodshow for a few moments, before he erupted in a loud cheer. "Alright!" he exclaimed with an emphatic fist pump.
"What is it, Ash!?" he heard Misty calling out from behind him.
He turned around and saw his mother, Pikachu, Misty, Tracey and Professor Oak all standing behind him. "You guys!" he excitedly started. "Mister Goodshow is finally here!" he declared as he stepped out of the way, revealing Mister Goodshow to the other occupants of the building.
"Hello there, everyone." Mister Goodshow politely greeted along with a wave of his hand.
"Hello, Charles!" Professor Oak greeted.
"Hey!" Misty, Delia and Tracey all greeted simultaneously.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted.
"Please, come in, Charles." Professor Oak invited Mister Goodshow in. "How are you?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Very good, very good." Mister Goodshow answered. "And yourself, Samuel?" he asked.
"Oh, I can't complain." Professor Oak responded.
Ash watched the conversation between the two, getting more annoyed by and anxious by the second.
"I've been doing some new research on interaction between pokemon and humans which I think could really-"Professor Oak started.
"Excuse me, Mister Goodshow!" Ash interrupted Professor Oak and Mister Goodshow's conversation. "What is the letter and all of this about?" he curiously asked the old man. "Please tell me? Please?" he begged.
Mister Goodshow simply laughed at Ash's behaviour for a few moments. "Oh Ash, still as vigilante as ever, I see." He remarked after he finished laughing.
"Vigilante?" Ash repeated with a confused look on his face. "Wait, never mind that!" he said as he quickly shook his head. "So, what is it about?" he asked again.
Mister Goodshow laughed again. "Calm down, son." He said as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he handed the envelope to Ash. "This will explain everything. Not that there is much to explain, actually." He remarked as he put his finger on his chin in thought.
Ash hurriedly ripped the top of the envelope off and pulled out its contents: Another letter. He tossed the empty envelope aside, unfolded the letter and then started reading its contents.
It was quiet for a few moments as Ash read the letter. He looked up after a while, straight at Mister Goodshow with a confused frown on his face.
"Give me that!" Misty yelled as she took the letter out of Ash's hand. "Dear Ash Ketchum, pokemon Trainer from Pallet Town." She started reading the contents out loud. "We hereby wish to inform you that your title as the Champion of the Orange League, located in the Orange archipelago, has been challenged!"
As I said, really nothing happening in this chapter.
As for the letter, not that big of a surprise to you guys, eh? I bet most of you are pretty irritated by this lame turn of events. But I assure you, this is just the starting block. There is still a lot of action to come!
Please don't stop reading this story because of all of this build-up to this bland discovery.
Please review, please! Reviews keep me going, so type, type, type!
I'll try to write as quickly as possible. I promise!
Until next time!
Cheers.