I'm here people, I'm here! My goodness, this chapter took longer for me to finish than I'd expected. But it can't be helped, I got busy! What with school, hockey season starting again (AKA what my life revolves around from late September til late June), and I had to help pick out the new family car since I get to drive it! I found a lovely one that we all agreed on too. And it's chocolate colored! I wanted a pearly light blue but whatever. The chocolate is nice too :P

Besides, I had time to finish tonight, since the annual "meet the team" event scheduled for tomorrow was postponed. Stupid freaking mother nature...

OH, and a note about the aura! I know that in most cases people have different colors depending on their personality or whatever. But that would be a pain in the ass to remember everyone's color, and in the Pokemon anime everyone's aura is blue. Sooo that's what I'm sticking with.

Enjoy :P

"Good morning sugar baby!"

Misty groaned quietly and opened her eyes, allowing the bright sunlight to infiltrate her still tired orbs. She moaned again and rubbed at her eyes, wondering why in the world Ash was talking to her in a baby voice.

"Ash, why can't you talk like an adult?" Misty grumbled as she attempted to roll over. Her efforts were proved futile, however, when she realized Ash was holding onto her. She tilted her head down and noticed Ash staring directly at her stomach, his nose just poking into the side. "What are you up to?"

"I'm talking to the baby," Ash replied without moving. He began babbling nonsensically again, causing Misty to roll her eyes and lean her head back. "Why are you asleep, sugar baby? Why don't you wake up and start kicking?"

"Why do you keep calling him sugar baby?" Misty asked in a fairly turned off tone.

"That's my nickname for him," Ash poked a finger at the four and a half month bump, "because he likes to make you eat all of that candy."

"Hey, I've been good!" Misty accused, a flash of anger darting through her emerald eyes. "I've barely eaten any sugar since that doctor's appointment two weeks ago! And I've stopped gaining weight so rapidly."

"Hmm, I'm proud of you," Ash smiled, pressing a kiss against her tummy. "Who knew you could actually listen to other people's suggestions?"

"Watch it Ketchum," Misty warned darkly.

"Sorry," Ash apologized. He took his hands off of Misty's ribs and pressed them against the sides of her stomach, soothingly rubbing his palms up and down. "Oh, I just want him to start kicking already! He doesn't seem like much of a mover, now does he?"

"I don't know, I can feel him moving around a lot," Misty began to run her fingers through Ash's tangled midnight hued locks. "But it isn't strong enough yet to feel it on the outside."

"Oh, you get to go to the doctor's again today, don't you?" Ash asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, I do. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am," Ash smiled, resting his cheek on the swell of her tummy. "I want to see our baby! He's obviously gotten a lot bigger since last time."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Uh…that he got bigger?"

"So what you're saying is I'm getting fat!" Misty accused. She sat up huffily, her eyes clouding over with tears. Ash sighed and sat up on his knees, crawling over to Misty.

"Babe, I did not call you fat," Ash wrapped his arms around her upper body. "I wouldn't think of it! You look beautiful; promise."

"You still love me?" Misty sniffed.

"Of course," Ash smiled, kissing her cheek. "More than ever, sweetheart."

XXX

"So…I think I like the name Andrew."

Misty flicked her eyes towards her husband, who was looking up towards the ceiling in the doctor's office in deep thought.

"Are you talking to me or to yourself?" Misty arched a delicate eyebrow.

"You," Ash grinned as he looked down at Misty. "What do you think?"

"Umm…I don't like it," Misty answered honestly. Ash frowned in response, so Misty was quick to explain her reasoning. "It'd be too many A's, Ash. Between you, and Aiden…I don't think I want all the boys in this family to have names starting with the same letter."

"Good point," Ash agreed with a small nod.

"Besides," Misty smirked, "people might give him a nickname; call him Drew. You don't really want that, now do you?"

In his mind, Ash pictured the green haired coordinator who May called her husband. The arrogant emerald eyes and the perfectly coifed grassy mop that he always flicked so condescendingly…

"Really good point," Ash shivered, trying to shake the idea from his head.

"And I like the name Benjamin," Misty continued sweetly. "Ben for short. Isn't that just a darling little name?"

"It would be if you hadn't referred to it as darling," Ash scrunched his nose up. "No son of mine is going to have a name that can be considered darling."

"Fun ruiner," Misty huffed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Hey, I'm sure we'll find the perfect name for our little boy," Ash smiled as he rubbed Misty's belly. Just then the door to the examination room opened, startling Ash a little. Misty giggled in response and looked towards the door, although she was rather surprised by who came through the door.

"Excuse me," Misty piped up, "but…you're not Dr. Aaron."

The female doctor looked herself over and giggled. "No, I suppose I'm not! My name is Dr. Rolston. Dr. Aaron wasn't feeling well, so I'm taking over his appointments for the day."

"Oh, I see," Misty grinned at the physician and extended one of her hands. "I'm Misty Ketchum."

"Of course I know who you are!" Dr. Rolston beamed, although she took Misty's hand regardless. "You're the gym leader of this fine city, not to mention the wife of the Pokémon master."

"Yes, that foolish little boy," Misty laughed, motioning her head towards Ash. He was standing in the corner of the room and looked a little surprised when Misty brought him into the conversation. And then it hit him that she'd called him a little boy.

"Not funny Misty," Ash sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. It was no use fighting the hormonal red head. He walked up to the doctor and offered his own hand, along with his signature lopsided smile. "Hi there."

The physician seemed a little star struck at first, but she quickly pulled herself together and shook his hand.

"I feel so lucky," Dr. Rolston chuckled as Ash drew himself back towards Misty, "getting to help a famous couple!"

"Well, I hope we don't disappoint then," Ash grinned at her. "We're kind of boring."

Dr. Rolston proceeded to give Misty her check up, and then instructed the gym leader to lie down and lift her shirt up for the ultrasound portion of the examination.

"Now, do you know the gender of your baby?" Dr. Rolston asked as she spread the gel across Misty's swollen midsection.

"Yes, we do," Misty answered as she looked down fondly at her tummy. Ash chuckled and leaned down to give Misty a kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush ever so slightly.

The doctor touched the wand to Misty's bulge and began running it back and forth. On the screen, which had flickered to life not too long ago, the baby soon appeared. Ash smiled at the sight of his unborn child. It had only been a few weeks, so the baby hadn't gotten too much bigger. He could actually see some noticeable differences, however.

"Judging from the last photos I saw," Dr. Rolston commented with a modest smile, "she's gotten a little bigger!"

"Aww," Misty cooed softly. Then, something about the doctor's remark made her look up with wide, shocked eyes. "Did you just say she…?"

"Yes," Dr. Rolston blinked confusedly, "I was talking about the baby…"

"But we're having a boy," Ash tilted his head.

"No, this is definitely a baby girl," Dr. Rolston pointed at the screen. "I can tell for sure. See, she's facing the right way this time."

Misty looked at the screen, furrowed her brow, and rolled her eyes. The baby had, in fact, turned all the way around. He…no, she…was an awfully crafty little thing.

"A little baby girl," Misty finally spoke, her tone flooded with happy tears.

"Wow," Ash chuckled, his eyes sparkling once he set them on the image of his unborn daughter. "I'm sorry for calling her a boy the past two weeks!"

"I'm sure she doesn't mind," Misty smiled, her voice still shaking. Ash picked this up and leaned down to kiss her squarely and passionately on the lips. Misty reddened under the contact, which caused Dr. Rolston to giggle girlishly at the couple. "Ash…you're so embarrassing…" Misty mumbled, although the smile on her lips told a different story.

"Only because I love you," Ash rubbed under her chin.

"Well well, look what the baby is up to now!"

Ash and Misty turned their attention back to the screen, carefully studying the image of their little baby. Ash didn't understand what the doctor was talking about, but Misty picked up on it rather quickly.

"Is she sucking on her thumb?" Misty asked curiously.

"Yes, she is," Dr. Rolston nodded, pointing towards the baby's arm in order to show Ash what she'd meant. He clearly saw it at that point, which caused the Pokémon master to audibly "aww." Misty found that absolutely delectable.

"That's…really cute," Ash rubbed the back of his neck, a heavy blush forming on his cheeks. He didn't exactly like going soft in front of people; it just wasn't manly.

"Babies do lots of different things in the womb," Dr. Rolston explained with a smile. "This would definitely be one of them!"

"Adorable," Misty cooed quietly.

"Well then," Ash brushed his hair back, "she's taking after her Mommy!" The red tint re-appeared on Misty's face. Ash really was the sweetest husband in the entire world.

XXX

"Alright Vaporeon, now let's try aurora beam!"

"Vay!" The bubble jet Pokémon opened her mouth and unleashed a bright array of colors straight into the air. Misty smiled at her partner's feat, but that wasn't the end of her call.

"Excellent! Starmie, counter it with your thunderbolt!"

"Heya!" Starmie's red center jewel lit up before discharging bright yellow electricity, which instantly collided with Vaporeon's aurora beam. The two attacks, which were of equal strength, cancelled one another out and left an impressive cloud of smoke hanging in between the two platforms.

"That's incredible!" Justin complimented. The brunet boy was moping around the pool, although he'd also been observing Misty's training.

"Isn't it? I'm always so proud of my Pokémon," Misty gushed, her expression positively beaming. "And Starmie's new thunderbolt attack will really put challengers off guard."

"Being pregnant isn't going to stop you, now is it?" Justin asked with a little smile.

"Of course not," Misty patted her ever growing bump. "I'm not the kind of person who can just sit around and be a trophy wife. I've got a job to do, baby or not."

"You're probably the coolest person I've ever met, Misty," Justin chuckled, leaning on the top of the mop. "I like your resiliency."

"I'm happy to hear that," Misty replied blissfully. As soon as she finished her response, a sharp jab came from her midsection, causing Misty to emit a small gasp.

"Are you alright?" Justin inquired worriedly.

Misty looked down at her stomach and back up again before a wide smile grew on her face. She hurried off of her platform and over to Justin, grabbing the young man's wrist and pressing his hand against her swollen midsection.

"Just wait," Misty murmured excitedly, her eyes sparkling like emeralds.

Justin did as Misty told him, and after a few seconds, he felt a thrust against his palm. His eyes widened for a moment before they returned to normal size and he chuckled quietly.

"A kick," Justin smiled at Misty. "He's moving!"

"She," Misty corrected without thinking. She quickly caught on to what she'd said, and her expression turned to surprise.

"She?" Justin repeated. "Aren't you having a boy?"

"Um, I kind of forgot to mention this…" Misty blushed. "The doctor made a mistake on that last ultrasound. I'm actually having a girl; we found out this morning."

"Ah, I knew it!" Justin victoriously cheered. "I just knew you were having a girl."

"Well, now you've got one up on my husband," Misty smirked, "and the doctor, in fact!"

"So how are Aiden and Michelle taking it?" Justin queried. "Must be weird to be all excited about having a brother and then finding out it's actually a sister."

"We haven't gotten to tell them yet," Misty twisted her mouth guiltily. "They're spending the day with Ash's mother. I'm actually a little afraid to tell them."

"How come?" Justin frowned.

"Aiden is just so lukewarm over the whole thing. We only got him to appreciate it through using my body as a play mat. And Michelle just gets kind of freaked out when things change. I don't really understand why, but she gets pretty antsy."

"I'm sure they'll be alright," Justin beamed at the gym leader. The short silence between the two was broken by the sound of a poke ball opening. Misty growled and looked over her shoulder, worrying that Psyduck had popped out of his sanctuary. When she didn't see the duck Pokémon, however, she simply turned around in bewilderment.

"Riolu, what are you doing?"

Misty looked down at Justin's feet and noticed the blue, dog like Pokémon standing next to him. He had set his big red eyes on Misty, who cooed in response.

"Aw, what a cutie!" Misty waved her fingers at the baby Riolu. "Hi there sweetie!"

"Ri, riolu!" Riolu clapped his paws together and moved closer to Misty.

"Oh, I just want to pet you," Misty smiled, kneeling down as best as she could. She held her hand out and rubbed the emanation Pokémon under his chin. Riolu whimpered happily and tilted his head up for more. "So, so sweet! Justin, you're so lucky to have such a lovable Pokémon!"

"Ri," Riolu held one of his paws out towards Misty's stomach. The gym leader tilted her head, not quite understanding what the fighting type was doing. "Lou…" His paw began to glow a bright shade of blue, the brilliant hue soon spreading to Misty's midsection.

"Ow!" Misty cried, a small shock traveling through her body.

"Misty!" Justin gasped. He glared down at Riolu and prodded, "Riolu, did you just hurt her?"

"Ri, ri!" Riolu cried, shaking his head vigorously.

"No…I'm okay," Misty breathed, her eyes opening once again. "Just a momentary thing. And the baby is moving, so she must be okay too." Justin didn't respond, so Misty glanced up at him to see what the matter was. She noticed he was still staring down at her stomach, his mouth hanging wide open. "What's wrong, Justin?"

"Oh Arceus…" Justin whispered, his body remaining stiff.

Misty blinked and turned her attention back to her midsection. The sight caused the gym leader to shriek and become rather alarmed.

The deep blue glow was emitting from inside of her stomach, shining so brightly that it could be seen on the outside. It flicked every now and again, but it didn't show any sign of going away.

"Wh…what's this?" Misty grabbed at her stomach.

"It's…it's…" Justin stammered. Misty gazed up at Justin. His hazel orbs were glazed over with concern, but Misty could see quite clearly that they weren't confused by what they were witnessing.

"Justin, do you know what's going on here?" Misty gaped, her body trembling rather violently.

"N…n…yes," Justin finally gave in. He never could lie, not even to his own parents. Misty frowned and studied the glow coming from within her again, a shiver going up her spine. She just wanted to know what the hell this was.

"Am I dying?" Misty shrieked. Tears were now flooding out of her eyes and running down her cheeks.

"Huh? No!" Justin cried, silently chastising himself for even allowing Misty to put that thought into her head. "You're not dying, Misty. It's…it's a power."

"A power?" Misty repeated incredulously, her tears only increasing with each passing moment.

"It's called aura," Justin explained quickly. "The baby inherited it from Ash. It's a really strong power. He's a descendent of an aura guardian!"

"I don't know what the hell aura is!" Misty yelled, jumping to her feet. With Riolu no longer in front of her bump, the glow disappeared. "And I don't care! Ash…did he lie to me?"

Justin bit his lip nervously.

"Justin…did Ash lie to me?"

The young man looked over the gym leader and sighed inwardly. She looked awful; red in the face from all of her crying and screaming. He bit his lip and tried to think up a good response.

"Justin!" Misty cried, throwing her arms down to her sides as her hands balled into tight fists.

"He didn't necessarily lie to you," Justin tried, "he said he was trying to protect you."

"From what?" Misty screeched.

"Misty, why are you freaking out?"

The red head spun around and found Ash standing in the doorway of the battle area, his eyes scanning over her in concern.

"You little…" Misty growled, stomping towards the Pokémon master. He instinctively began to back away, his hands flying up in front of him for protection.

"Misty, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You're a freaking liar, that's what's wrong!"

"Huh? What did I lie about, Mist?"

"What's this nonsense about aura?" Misty fumed, her face growing even more red. "What the hell is that? Why does it make our baby glow?"

"Wait…the baby was glowing?" Ash asked softly.

"Yes!"

"Blue?"

"Does it freaking matter? Yes blue!"

"Oh my God," Ash murmured. He knew strong aura was an inherited trait, but his baby being able to use it? Ash cooed under his breath and reached for Misty's stomach, but she was quick to smack his hand away. "Ow!"

"Don't touch me!" Misty barked, taking a step away from Ash. This frightened Ash greatly, who in turn could practically feel his heart being torn into two.

"Misty, I would never hurt you," Ash frowned, his chocolate brown eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "I only hid this from you because I wanted to protect you."

"How did you know the baby had it?" Misty asked through ground teeth. "Why didn't I? It's my baby too; I'm the one having it for Arceus' sake!"

"Because I didn't know the baby could use it," Ash answered quickly. "Really Misty, I didn't. I thought aura wouldn't show up in such a little thing, especially when she hasn't even been born yet."

"So what?" Misty's tone was more calm now, although anger was still bubbling on the surface. "Is she sick? Mutated? Where the hell did she get this from?"

"Me."

Misty searched Ash's face for some sign of a joke, but she couldn't find any. Huffing, she pulled her shoulders back and gently tilted her head, her brow furrowing even further. "You?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm the descendent of an aura guardian," Ash explained stoically. "That means that my aura is much stronger than other people's. Even some Pokémon. And it's hereditary. That I knew. But I didn't know that it could be accessed at such a young age."

"Does this mean Aiden and Michelle have it too?" Misty whispered, a certain fear flashing through her eyes.

"More than likely."

Misty's shoulders sagged before she let out a short, unhappy breath. "And I still don't even know what aura is. But I don't think I like it."

"Aura is the essence of every living creature," Ash explained, doling out the same elucidation he'd given to Justin. "So everyone's got it. Even you, Mist. But a long time ago, there used to be people known as aura guardians. They had such a great sense of aura that they were able to use it as a power; one strong enough to save the world. But an aura guardian's power never dies. It's passed on from generation to generation. So one of my ancestors was an aura guardian. I've hardly ever used it, though."

Misty whimpered quietly and moved into Ash, resting her head on his shoulder. Ash smiled, clearly glad that Misty was no longer upset with him. He wrapped his arms around her body and gently rocked her back and forth, leaving a sweet kiss on her temple.

"How'd you get the baby to use aura, though?" Ash asked curiously.

"Justin's Riolu," Misty answered quietly as she lifted her head. "He popped out of his poke ball and went crazy over my belly. I guess he sensed the…aura. Anyway, he held his paw out and it just started glowing."

"Hmm, we have such a great baby," Ash chuckled, playing with Misty's hair.

"So why did you want to protect me?" Misty pushed again. "Aura's not dangerous…is it?"

"No," Ash rejoined hesitantly. "Unless it falls into the wrong hands."

"Ash…" Misty breathed warningly.

"But you know I'm not bad," Ash smirked. "And the kids will never know about their aura, if I get my way."

"Mine as well," Misty agreed.

"So that's that," Ash grinned at the sheepish gym leader. "No more talking about aura. Ever again."

XXX

"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!"

Ash and Misty grinned at their young daughter, who was sitting on the floor with a drawing pad on her lap and a box of colored pencils by her side.

"Are you drawing something baby girl?" Ash asked as he kneeled down next to the child.

"Yes," Michelle answered in a grown up tone. "I am."

"And what is it?" Ash chuckled.

"It's a surprise!" Michelle huffed, holding the pad away from her father. "No peeking!"

"Okay princess," Ash smirked.

"I mean it!" Michelle added fiercely.

Ash's eyes widened slightly as he stood back up and stared over his shoulder at Misty. "This kid is so you. What do you do? Give her "mini Misty" lessons or something?"

"No, she's just a perfect little angel," Misty teased as she ruffled Ash's raven hair, causing the Pokémon master to roll his eyes.

"Oh, there you two are!"

Ash and Misty looked towards the kitchen, where Delia was standing in the doorway with a glass and a rag. Aiden scurried up next to her, munching happily on a chocolate chip cookie.

"Hi!" Aiden greeted, his voice muffled.

"Aiden, sweetheart, don't talk with your mouth full," Misty scolded gently. "It isn't polite baby."

"Mom, you're letting him eat cookies before dinner?" Ash raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Just one," Delia reasoned before perking up. "Besides, he deserved it! He's been so good all day."

"You never let me eat cookies before dinner!" Ash pouted.

"Well Aiden is my grandson," Delia smirked. "It's my job to spoil him of course! The same goes for Michelle and my new little grandson!"

Misty blinked confusedly before realizing that Delia was looking towards her stomach. Oh crap.

"And where did Michelle get the sketchbook from?" Ash queried. Misty lightly bent her brow, surprised that Ash hadn't caught what Delia had said.

"Oh, Tracey just came by before to drop something off from Professor Oak," Delia answered brightly. "He saw that Aiden and Michelle were here and he just got so excited to see his niece and nephew! Michelle was just babbling on about how much she loves to make artwork for the two of you, so Tracey gave her the extra sketch pad he had with him. I just found the colored pencils somewhere in the attic."

"She does seem to be having a lot of fun," Ash smiled and looked down at Aiden. "So what did you do all day, buddy? Grandma said you were good!"

"I was," Aiden nodded affirmatively.

"He helped me cook!" Delia giggled. "I was a bit surprised he wanted to, but then I realized he kept sneaking ingredients to eat!"

"That's not being good son," Ash snickered.

"I was just hungry," Aiden sulked.

"So you're all staying for dinner," Delia asserted, causing Ash and Misty to laugh. "I feel like I haven't had a good talk with either of you in quite some time."

"Sounds good," Ash nodded, "I could use some of your cooking Mom!"

"It's not a problem at all!" Delia trilled. She looked towards her daughter in law and continued, "So Misty, how was that doctor's appointment this morning? Is my grandson thriving?"

"It went well," Misty blushed slightly, "but…we kind of have some news for you."

"News?" Delia sounded rather concerned.

"Are you sick Mommy?" Michelle called from the other room, her emerald eyes finally being directed away from the drawing she'd been working so hard on.

"No, it isn't anything bad," Misty smiled softly. "It's just…well…the doctor made a mistake on the last ultrasound. I'm actually having a girl."

"Oh my goodness!" Delia covered her heart as a wide smile overtook her face. "Another granddaughter! How wonderful! I'm going to have to scrap everything I've been working on and restart it with girl colors! And I'll get to make some more adorable dresses like I made for Michelle!"

"Well, Mom's happy," Ash chuckled.

"A sister?" Aiden squeaked. "Not a brother?"

"That's right buddy," Ash smiled gently. "You're not upset…are you?"

Aiden shook his head expressionlessly. Michelle came scurrying up next to him, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I get a sister?" Michelle squealed, gleefully shaking her hands back and forth.

"Yes, you do," Misty giggled, drawing some red hair behind her ear.

"Good, now we can put this picture in her room," Michelle commented as she retrieved her sketch pad. She held the page up for everyone to see the pink Squirtle she had drawn. "I knew it was a boy, but I wanted a sister, so I just made it pink."

"But sweetheart, what if the doctor had been right?" Ash tilted his head. "What would you do with a drawing of a pink Squirtle?"

"Still put it in his room," Michelle answered as though it were obvious. "I wouldn't care. I drew it, so everyone is going to see it. He would have just had to live with it!"

"What did I say?" Ash glanced towards his wife. "Mini Misty."

That's right, the doctor screwed up. It happens people. They thought I was going to be a boy, and I'm the FARTHEST thing from a boy (aside from the love of watching sports okay? :P) So yay, baby girl :P

Hopefully I can get the next chapter up later this week, considering I only have 3 days of school. Yay Rosh Hashanah, I get awesome food ^^

I'm glad everyone likes the story so far. Hopefully I can keep you all entertained!