More story! Yay! I really should space out the updates more. But I really hate just having finished chapters sitting around, and I know you guys are all excited to see what happens next (since this is really the biggest part of the story, here!) so I guess it's not too big of a deal :P Besides, the baby's arrival is going to be one whole, long saga in itself because, I will admit, the baby is my absolute favorite OC (yes, I'm playing favorites...I feel so guilty!) and I want to draw out her introduction for as long as possible. Just because I love her so much :P

This chapter also brings an appearance from a character we haven't seen in awhile! Can you guess who it is? Well, I'm certainly not going to tell you. You'll just have to read and find out who it is. I promise you won't miss it :P

Misty could practically feel her eyes crossing. She was in an immense amount of pain, and couldn't scream for fear of frightening the young girl who sat beside her. Michelle looked worried already, and Misty knew she had to try and comfort her. Sitting around and crying wasn't going to get them anywhere fast.

"Wow, your little sister is pretty impatient!" Misty laughed weakly. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Daddy?" Michelle asked quietly.

"Yes, Daddy…" Misty breathed out heavily and leaned back against the cabinets for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. "Where oh where is Daddy?"

"I can find him Mommy!" Michelle cried, excited by the prospect of helping her mother.

"Do you know where he is, sweetheart?" A new surge of hope rose through Misty's heart.

"No," Michelle frowned, suddenly seeming rather discouraged. Shaking it off quickly, she continued on more confidently, "I'll look for him though! I know all the places where Daddy likes to go."

"If you think you can find him, I trust you little girl," Misty smiled weakly.

"But I don't want to leave you alone," Michelle grew concerned again. "What if the baby wants to be born now?"

"She doesn't want to be born right now, its okay," Misty reassured her daughter. "I promise you that I will be just fine on my own."

"Pinky promise?" Michelle narrowed her eyes as she held out her smallest finger.

"Yes, pinky promise," Misty giggled quietly and locked fingers with the little red head. Michelle gave one last nod before darting towards the door, eager to find her father.

As soon as Misty heard the door close, she let out a long and loud moan, pressing a hand against the underside of her stomach. This is going to be a long, long day, Misty thought miserably, as the baby delivered a disgruntled kick for good measure.

XXX

Michelle found it a wonder that she was able to run past the gaggle of adults without being seen. They were all obsessed with her, which Michelle usually loved. Being the center of attention was what the little girl believed she was best at.

But now was not the time to be fawned over by the grownups. Her Mommy was in a tough spot, and she had entrusted Michelle to help her. So that's what the girl was going to do.

Once Michelle was sure she was out of earshot from the adults, she began to turn her head left from right and call out "Daddy!" in hopes of finding her father. She knew he had a habit of running off to obscure and secluded places, mostly to train his Pokémon. Maybe that's what he was up to! But Michelle certainly found that weird to do when her mother was having a party for the baby.

One that her father had taken the time to plan himself.

"Daddy!" Michelle called again before running forward. She didn't want to go too deep into the forested outskirts of the city; her parents had always told her not too, and even though Misty had asked Michelle to find Ash, the young girl assumed her mother would still not be pleased with her breaking their rules.

Michelle grimaced. She wasn't sure what to do. Would she disobey her parents and get herself into a potentially dangerous situation? Or would she just turn around and let her mother down?

"I'm confused," Michelle huffed as she crossed her little arms. She was only five years old, and not used to thinking so hard. She didn't quite like it, either.

"Huh. No wonder Daddy hates thinking so much."

XXX

"We've almost got him, Pikachu! Finish Umbreon off with a good thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded before jumping in the air and collecting all of his electricity to unleash the attack. "Pi…ka…CHU!"

Gary gasped. It was amazing that Pikachu still had that much energy left. The little electric mouse had taken some pretty good hits in the battle so far, but he'd shown no signs of fatigue or wear. Ash really did a marvelous job of training and caring for his Pokémon.

"Umbreon, dodge it!" Gary cried in desperation. Really, the command was just for show. Gary knew that Umbreon was too tired to move another muscle. The dark type was panting and hardly standing on his legs. But, just like his trainer, the moonlight Pokémon wouldn't give up without a fight.

He did attempt to move out of the way, but it was no use. Umbreon was moving far too slow, and the thunderbolt hit his dark body nearly head on. Crying out in pain, Umbreon stumbled for a step or two before falling down onto his side. Pikachu landed back on his paws, breathing heavily as his ears began to wilt.

"Atta boy, Pikachu," Ash grinned.

"Pi…ka…" Pikachu panted, looking over his shoulder to smile wearily at his trainer. Ash took immediate notice of Pikachu's exhausted state and made a mental note to himself.

"Umbreon is down for the count," Gary sighed. Kneeling down next to the weakened Pokémon, the Pokémon researcher gently stroked his partner's head and complimented, "you fought really hard, Umbreon. I'm proud of you. You deserve a nice rest." Retrieving Umbreon's poke ball, Gary returned his most faithful creature to the safe haven of his ball before getting back to his feet and smirking at the clearly satisfied Ash. "Pretty talented, I must say."

"Well, there is a reason they call me the Pokémon Master," Ash placed his hands on his hips as he proudly puffed his chest out.

"Yay, Daddy and Pikachu!" Aiden cheered from the sidelines. "You win!"

"Just this round, buddy," Ash turned towards his son and winked. "We've still got another round to go!"

"Two more, once you go down after this one," Gary chuckled mischievously as he whipped out the sphere that contained his next Pokémon.

"Keep on dreaming, Gary," Ash chuckled. Looking down at Pikachu, Ash proposed, "Hey Pikachu, why don't you sit this one out? You just fought a great battle, and I think you could use a nice rest."

"Ka," Pikachu chirped, skipping away from the space that had been determined as the battle field. Making his way over to Aiden, Pikachu yawned and rested himself against the young boy's legs. Giggling, Aiden scooped up the furry yellow creature and held him in his arms, watching as the tired Pokémon fell asleep in his grasp.

"Let's see what this matchup is gonna be," Drew rubbed his chin.

"I hope it's just as good as the last one!" Aiden squeaked.

"I'll send my Pokémon out first this time," Ash called as he plucked a poke ball off of his belt. Holding it in front of himself, Ash pressed the center button and called, "Emboar, I choose you!"

Before Ash appeared the five foot tall fire type, his eyes narrowed in determination. From behind his mega fire pig Pokémon, Ash smirked. His Pokémon were always ready for battle and to try their hardest, just like him.

"A fire type, huh?" Gary murmured. "Looks like my choice will be perfect!"

"I like Emboar," Aiden looked up at Drew. "Isn't he a cool Pokémon?"

"I've never really seen one like him before," Drew mused.

"That's because he's from Unova!" Aiden grinned. "Right Daddy?"

"That's right, son!" Ash chuckled. "You're such a good learner. I'm proud of you, champ!"

"Yay!" Aiden hugged Pikachu more closely. "I'm going to be a Pokémon master just like Daddy! Because I'm smart."

"I don't think being smart has anything to do with being Pokémon master, little guy," Drew patted Aiden on the head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash whipped around and waved his hands in the air like a crazed man.

"Nothing," Drew snickered.

"Hey, Ashy boy, we gonna battle or what?" Gary's voice turned Ash's attention back onto the battle field.

"Yes, we are. And I told you to quit calling me that!"

"Only did it to get your attention," Gary shrugged nonchalantly. Tossing his poke ball, he called, "alright old friend, let's give Ash and Emboar a good fight!"

Materializing in front of Gary was his very first Pokémon: Blastoise. The appearance of the shellfish Pokémon caused Aiden to start yelling and jumping up and down, which startled Drew and piqued Ash's interest.

"What's gotten into you, Aiden?" Ash blinked.

"Blastoise! It's Blastoise!" Aiden shrieked excitedly, waking up Pikachu in the process. The electric type grumbled in annoyance, but was otherwise too tired to do anything about it.

"Right, that's your favorite Pokémon!" Ash chuckled.

"He's so cool!" Aiden's eyes were sparkling like chocolate diamonds. "And Gary's Blastoise is super strong! Plus, he's a water type, and Emboar is a fire type! So Blastoise has the advantage! I can't wait to watch this battle!"

"Well, well, well," Gary folded his arms. "Looks like your son has crossed enemy lines!"

"Huh?" Ash gasped and turned his head between Blastoise and Aiden. "Aiden! Come on little buddy, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"I am, Daddy," Aiden smiled reassuringly at his father, "but I really like Blastoise, and I kind of want him to win! Only because he's so cool."

Ash had no response. He could only stand there with his mouth hanging open while Gary and Drew laughed at the poor master's misfortune. Aiden, meanwhile, looked completely unaffected. He kept that serene little smile on his face, clearly eager to watch Blastoise battle.

"I can't believe this," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. "My own son is on Gary's side."

"Not Gary," Aiden narrowed his eyes in aggravation. "Blastoise."

"Either way," Ash's shoulders slumped.

"Alright, enough complaining," Gary commanded his former rival. "So you lost your kid's support for one round. I'm glad to take it! Now get your act together and battle me."

"Yeah yeah," Ash rolled his eyes. "Come on Emboar; let's show Gary and Aiden wrong! Use flame charge!"

XXX

"It really is taking Misty an awfully long time to come back out here."

May frowned as she glanced at the worried Dawn. "You're right," May agreed. "And Michelle hasn't come back since she went to check on her."

"Maybe we should go inside and make sure everything is okay," Iris suggested.

"Now girls, I'm sure Misty is just fine!" Delia giggled as she waved her hand at the three concerned women. "She's a very independent girl, you know. I'm sure Michelle has just sidetracked her is all. Misty does anything for that beautiful little girl, and she's very good at distracting her mother."

"That's true," May bit her lip.

"By the way, Delia, where are Misty's parents?" Dawn asked. "I thought that surely they would've come to their own daughter's baby shower. Didn't Ash invite them?"

"Yes, he did," Delia sighed, the subject clearly disheartening her. "But they couldn't come. They left on a trip for her father's job just a few days ago."

"When will they be back?" Iris didn't quite understand the timing of this trip. The two other girls didn't seem to either.

"I wish we knew," Delia shook her head. Looking around to make sure Daisy, Violet, and Lily were nowhere in ear shot, Delia continued, "Misty's parents just seem to come and go as they please. This is why Misty has such trust issues with them. She really isn't all too close with her parents. They want to have a normal relationship with her, and I just can't blame Misty for her hesitance."

"How in the world could they go away so close to when their granddaughter is supposed to be born?" May seemed appalled by such a thought. "Doesn't that mean anything to them? I know my parents wouldn't have missed Damien or Rosie's births for anything!"

"I don't understand it either," Delia agreed. "Misty and the baby are my biggest concerns at the moment. I feel bad enough being in Pallet Town when it's so close to Misty's due date! I wasn't able to be there for Aiden and Michelle's birth, because Ash and Misty got stuck in the Sevii Islands. Missing that just tore me apart on the inside! I wouldn't miss the new baby's arrival for anything in the world."

"Poor Misty," Dawn frowned. "That must feel terrible."

"That's why she and Ash work so well together, I think," Delia smiled gently. "Ash knows what it's like to grow up without a father. But he did have me. Misty didn't grow up with either of her parents. They just left her and her sisters with a relative. She didn't have a happy childhood, and Ash is well aware of that. That's part of the reason he takes such good care of Misty. Ash wants to make sure Misty feels loved and secure, which is why he gives her all of his attention. He's her entire support system, and Misty seems totally fine with that. Ash is the first thing she ever really loved."

"That's so sweet," Iris cooed.

"And then Aiden and Michelle came along," Delia looked up towards the sky. "Misty once told me she'd never known that kind of love was possible. She just didn't believe it. And I know she feels the same way about her baby girl. She's got the kind of family now that she never believed she could have."

"I never knew that," Dawn blinked. She had always thought that Misty had grown up well. Maybe it was because she came from a long line of gym leaders. Clearly, that didn't mean a thing.

"Yeah, we should definitely give Misty and Michelle some more time alone," May smiled. "I'm sure that everything is okay."

XXX

Misty was basically in tears at this point. The pain was getting worse and worse with each passing moment, and her contractions were growing closer together. At this point, Misty was surprised her water hadn't broken yet.

"Oh, why'd you have to come early?" Misty whined as she held her giant belly with both hands. It shifted underneath her palms, and Misty felt the baby move a little further down. She gasped and let out a reluctant sob, wondering where in the world Michelle could've gone. Oh, that was so stupid of me. Michelle said she didn't know where Ash was, but I sent her out anyway! My poor little girl…what if she's lost? What if something bad happened to her?

Misty's stressful thinking proved to bother the baby, who twisted around in her cramped space. The movements brought Misty's pain to an unbearable level, causing her to finally let out a torturous cry.

"Misty, what in heaven's name are you doing on the floor?"

The gym leader's head snapped up, wondering what divine voice was speaking out to her. She didn't even care who it was at this point; as long as they could help her, Misty was grateful for their presence.

Upon seeing who it was, Misty's heart wanted to drop. But she wasn't about to contradict her last thought. She needed help, and this man was going to give it to her whether he wanted to or not.

"Scott!" Misty gasped, using almost all of the air left in her lungs to utter just his name.

"Well, you've certainly gotten bigger since the last time I saw you," Scott folded his arms and smirked. "A big baby, eh? Are you sure that's not a Marill you've got in there?"

"Oh what, because they're round?" Misty narrowed her eyes. She really wished that Scott wouldn't have to be her last resort. "That's not funny, you know!"

"I was just playing with-"Scott's reply was cut off by a sudden moan from Misty. She hadn't meant to interrupt him, as much as he was annoying her. But another contraction had hit, and this one was particularly bad.

Confused by Misty's cry, Scott lowered his sunglasses, and was unpleasantly surprised by Misty's physical appearance.

"My goodness, dear, you're pale as a ghost!" Scott breathed. All of her color had in fact drained, except for her cheeks, which were beginning to glow a faint shade of red. Her hair was stuck to her forehead thanks to all of the sweat her body was drenched in, and her arms and legs were trembling. Moving closer to Misty, he leaned over and asked, "Are you alright?"

"N…no…" Misty wept, some tears falling out of her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm…in labor," Misty winced. At this, Scott's eyes grew wide.

"You mean…the baby…" He couldn't finish that thought.

"The baby is coming?" Misty finished for the stunned man. "Yes, she is."

"Okay…okay…" Scott began to pace back and forth. "Breathe, Scott…just breathe…"

"Excuse me, but you're not the one having the baby here!" Misty snapped.

"You're right, you are right!" Scott stopped in his tracks and pushed his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I am not the one who is about to give birth. No, that's you!"

"A brilliant deduction," Misty rolled her eyes. The baby kicked her, causing Misty to whimper, "Okay, baby girl, I get it. You don't think I'm funny!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Scott inquired. He was breathing in and out very deeply, still panicking over Misty's current problem.

"Do you have your car with you?" Misty panted.

"Yes…"

"Good. You can take me to the hospital."

"But…you're all alone, Misty," Scott's tone was sweet and caring, which surprised Misty. "Ash isn't even around. Where did he go?"

Misty didn't want to answer that question. More often than not, Scott was more concerned with Ash than he was with her. It made sense, after all: he was Ash's manager. But at the moment, Scott needed to be focused on Misty, and she knew if she told Scott she had no idea where Ash was, the man would begin to freak out again and probably run off to find him.

"It's fine, I'm used to being alone," Misty growled, her heart dropping at this. Her own parents weren't even here for this. Everyone was just letting her down at this point. It was no use fighting anymore. "I just really need to go to the hospital, because I think this little girl is in a hurry. Will you please help me?"

"Of course I will," Scott nodded. "If this is really what you want."

"It is," Misty replied unenthusiastically. "Now…help me up. I'm kind of stuck down here."

Nodding yet again, Scott knelt down next to Misty and wrapped his arm around her back. He pulled her up, although it took quite awhile, since Scott wasn't the most in shape person you would ever meet. Misty gripped at his shoulders and groaned yet again, resting her body against Scott's.

"Mi…Misty…" Scott stammered nervously. "I don't think Ash would approve of this!"

"Scott, for the love of Arceus, I'm not making a move on you," Misty closed her eyes in frustration. "I'm in a lot of pain, and I can barely stand up on my own."

"Okay, well then…we'd better hurry," Scott pulled Misty away from himself but kept his arm around her back. "Let's go, baby mommy."

"Scott?" Misty grunted.

"Yes, Misty?"

"Don't you ever call me that again."

XXX

"Daddy…Daddy…"

Michelle was getting really bored now. She was dragging her feet, and didn't much feel like searching for her father anymore. She told her mother she would find him, but it seemed like a lost cause at this point. Michelle wondered how her mother was doing. It didn't seem too good when she left.

Michelle stopped in her tracks and began to think again. She knew that she was supposed to find her Daddy, but…maybe she should go back and tell the other adults what was going on with her mother. That certainly seemed like a better idea at this point, because Michelle had no idea where her father could be.

Making a final decision, Michelle turned around and began racing back towards the house, her past the shoulder length red hair flying out behind her like an orange streak.

Don't worry Mommy, Michelle thought as she began to run even faster, I'm going to help you! I promise!

XXX

"OW! Scott, you need to drive slower!"

Scott's jaw dropped in disbelief. Turning towards Misty, he cried, "You told me to get you to the hospital as fast as I could!"

"Yeah, and by that, I meant as fast as you could at the speed limit!" Misty snapped. "And you need to drive more carefully, too! Going over all these bumps is knocking my stomach around!"

"Isn't the baby doing that already?" Scott shivered at the thought.

"Yes, but not as bad your reckless driving is!" Misty threw her head back. Biting back a yell, she hissed, "just be more careful."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Scott gripped the wheel more tightly and lessened how much his foot was pressing against the gas pedal. The car began to slow down, and the inhabitants were more settled in their seats.

"See?" Misty breathed out tiredly. She was already exhausted, and she hadn't even been in labor for an hour at this point. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"No," Scott sighed, beginning to pry his fingers from the steering wheel. "I suppose not."

Misty saw that the panic was still evident on Scott's face. It amused her, in a way. He was freaking out more than she imagined Ash would. Well, maybe now Ash would be a little more nervous than last time, since he had no idea where she was at the moment. Hell, he didn't even know their baby was coming. Still, though, Misty found it kind of delightful.

"Scott, have you ever had a girlfriend?" Misty asked curiously, resting her head in her hand as she set her elbow on the door next to her.

"Yes. Several. Why do you ask?"

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" Misty put forth another question, basically ignoring Scott's inquiry.

"I've considered it, I suppose. You and Ash seem happy. But I haven't found the proper woman yet. No one that I feel the need to marry."

"Hmm," Misty hummed quietly.

"These questions are all very strange," Scott raised one eyebrow above his dark sunglasses. "Why the sudden interest?"

"No real reason," Misty shrugged. A little smirk growing on her face, the gym leader quipped, "I just don't know if you're fit to be bringing a child into this world. I mean, if you're this nervous with me, imagine how you would be with your own pregnant wife."

"WHAT?" Scott shrieked. His sunglasses nearly fell of his face, and Misty covered her mouth to hide the fact that she was laughing. Her joyful disposition disappeared in seconds, however, as the flustered Scott slammed down on the gas pedal and the car sped over a shallow hole in the ground. Misty flew up out of her seat and landed back down harshly.

"OWW!" Misty screamed, grabbing onto her stomach. She was panting heavily afterwards, clenching her teeth together as a horrific pain traveled through her body. And then, without any other warning, a new problem presented itself to Misty.

"Misty…why in the world would you ever think of me as a father?" Scott covered his wide eyes with his sunglasses as he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose. "Even if I were to get married…I would never have children, Misty. I get enough from your two. And I bet that new little girl will prove to be a challenge for me as well!"

"Uh…uh oh…" Misty began to shift her legs around uncomfortably.

"Yes, uh oh indeed," Scott sighed. "I certainly hope she's more calm than the twins, you know. I don't particularly enjoy being viewed as a human jungle gym."

"S…Scott…" Misty sobbed, unable to hold back her fear any longer.

The Pokémon master's manager was still missing the point, however. "Oh, you don't have to cry for me, Misty. It isn't even your fault. I know that old saying, kids will be kids, and I think that-"

"SCOTT!" Misty bellowed.

"What?" Scott looked over at Misty. "I thought I was addressing your question."

"Not…my…concern…right…now…" Misty puffed.

"Why are you breathing like that?" Scott's eyes began to trail down, "are you in a lot of pain…oh my…"

His jaw dropped again. This time, it was not by what had come out of Misty's mouth. It was instead the giant wet spot on the bottom of her dress…and on the seat of his car.

"What the hell is that?" Scott muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from it.

"My…my water broke," Misty quivered.

"And…all over my car!" Scott shrieked. He looked over even more, finding that the floor was soaked as well. "I knew it! This kid is giving me problems already! Oh, Arceus…my poor baby!" He sounded like he was about to break out into tears.

"Your poor baby?" Misty's eyes lit up like emerald fire. "This is a freaking car, Scott! I've got a real baby on her way, and you're worried about your damn car! I swear as soon as I get this kid out of me that you're a dead man!"

Scott gulped. He didn't want to admit it, but more often than not, he was quite afraid of Misty. Sure, she could be an absolute sweetheart when she wanted to be. But whenever Misty was agitated, well…it was an entirely different story.

The worst contraction yet hit Misty, and she sunk down in her seat, moaning and panting and barely able to breathe. Scott bit his lip. Misty may have been scaring him right about now, but he wasn't about to just leave her alone in her suffering.

"We're almost there, Misty," Scott smiled gently as he placed a hand on the gym leader's shoulder. "I promise."

XXX

"May! Dawn! Iris! Grammy!"

The group of women all looked at one another, wondering who was calling their names, and where it was coming from.

"Wait…Grammy…" Delia gasped. "Only Aiden and Michelle call me that!"

Seconds later, Michelle appeared before the confused adults, her emerald eyes going wild.

"Sweetie, what's going on?" Delia kneeled down in front of the girl and held her close. "You seem so startled!"

"Wait…Michelle, did you just come out of the forest?" May suddenly realized that Michelle had come out of an obscure direction: not from the direction where the house was.

"Uh huh," Michelle nodded, her mouth bending into a frown.

"Baby girl, you don't look happy," Delia was quickly becoming concerned. "Something's not right, is it?"

"No," Michelle shook her head this time. "Grammy, I'm scared. I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what, dear?"

"Mommy told me to find Daddy, and I couldn't," Michelle finally began to cry, the warm tears slipping out of her eyes. "I promised her that I would! I'm bad, Grammy! She needed him, and I did bad!"

"Michelle, honey, don't cry!" Delia hugged the girl tightly. "Oh, sweet girl. You could never upset your Mommy. Where is she? Is she still in the house?"

"I don't know," Michelle sniffed.

"Why did she need Daddy?"

"Because the baby is coming," Michelle answered timidly.

"WHAT?" Delia shrieked. From behind her, the three younger women all gasped and immediately scrambled to their feet. They all wanted to go help Misty, and bolted towards the house as a reflex.

"I couldn't find Daddy," Michelle repeated, more tears falling down her cheeks. "I couldn't, Grammy."

"Shh, it's okay, darling," Delia breathed out shakily as she gently rocked the child back and forth. "Everything will be okay. We'll find Daddy, alright?"

Michelle whimpered, but eventually nodded in a slow and reluctant fashion. She wanted to believe her grandmother, but the young girl just couldn't ignore the strange feeling that was tugging at her heart.

"Misty is gone!"

Delia and Michelle both looked up to find May, flushed in the face and eyes wide with fear.

"Where's my Mommy?" Michelle demanded, tearing away from Delia and running over to May with a look of horror plastered onto her young and pretty face.

"I don't know, sweetheart," May looked even more frightened than before. "But I went inside, and I can't find her anywhere. Dawn and Iris aren't having any luck either."

Michelle covered her eyes with her hands and began to cry even harder. Gasping softly, May gathered the young girl into her arms and held her close, rubbing the child's back in an attempt to calm her down.

"We need to take this one step at a time," Delia ran a shaky hand through her auburn hair. "May, do you have a cell phone on you?"

"Yes."

"Good. You should call Ash and tell him what's going on. Once he knows that the baby is coming, we'll be able to think about our next move."

"Okay, I'll call him right now," May nodded. Without letting go of Michelle, she reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone, finding Ash's name in her contacts and calling his number.

Holding the phone against her ear, May tightened her grip on Michelle as the girl began to cry a little more loudly.

"Please, Ash, pick up…pick up…" May murmured to herself.

XXX

"That's it, Blastoise! Now, use hydro pump!"

"Toise!" Blastoise leaned forward slightly, the two cannons on his back firing off twin blasts of water.

"Emboar, quick, get out of the way!" Ash cried. It was no use, however. The attack hit Emboar head on, and the already exhausted fire type was soon completely out of it.

"Well, well, it looks like we're tied at one a piece," Gary smirked.

"Yep," Ash returned the mischievous action. Grabbing Emboar's poke ball, Ash held it out and returned the unconscious Pokémon. "Nice work, Emboar," Ash looked at the red and white sphere. "Take a nice, long rest now."

As Ash clipped the poke ball back onto his belt, the sound of his phone ringing filled the air. All eyes fell on Ash, who was quick to take the phone into his hands and stare absent mindedly at the screen.

"Who is it, Daddy?" Aiden squeaked.

"It's May," Ash blinked.

"Don't answer her," Aiden whined. "Battle more!"

"I just have to see what she wants, buddy," Ash smiled reassuringly at his young son. "It shouldn't take too long." Accepting the call, Ash raised the phone to his ear and asked, "what's up, May?"

"…"

"What do you mean "where am I?" Does it matter?"

"…"

"Okay, well, could you maybe stop yelling and tell me what you need?"

"…"

"What do you mean you can't find Misty?" Ash narrowed his eyes.

"…"

"SHE'S IN LABOR?"

Well, Ash is aware now, at least. But he still has no idea that his poor manager is stuck with Misty. So...one step at a time, I suppouse.

Misty's family (in my head canon, at least :P) is this whole, really complex thing that I plan on writing a whole story about later on. There are subtle little hints about it throughout this story though (in this chapter and upcoming ones) that will clue you in on Misty's relationship with her parents. It isn't a good one, I'll tell you that much. But it's kind of an important plot point from here on out.

Remember, we're trying to get to 250 reviews here! We're pretty close, actually. This story is about to become my most reviewed, which is super exciting! Thanks to all you guys who have read and reviewed and all of that. I'll continue writing and try to provide you guys with updates as soon as possible, since you're all so awesome :)