Revival Chapter Four:
"Hey look, there it is!" Ash pointed out to Dawn. The had just crested a small hill when Pallet Town came into view. Ash shot a glance to Brock. "First one there gets first dibs on mom's food?"
Brock broke into a grin. "You're on!" The two teens raced down the hill, Pikachu clinging on for his dear life on Ash's shoulder.
Dawn sighed. "Boys." She ran after them. "Hey wait up! What's the hurry?"
"Food!" Ash shouted from the bottom of the hill.
"That would make more sense now." She trotted after them, Piplup in her arms.
About fifteen minutes later, Ash and Brock collapsed onto the road about fifty yards away from the little white house that Ash called home. "Too... much running...," Ash panted. "Not enough... fuel. Can't...go...on..." Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and raced for the house.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Brock complained.
"Get back here you, you cheater!" Ash pulled himself off the ground and ran after Pikachu, who chattered something and made a taunting face.
Dawn, who had just caught up with Ash and Brock, had to dash after the pair again, who had mysteriously regained enough energy. "Jeez louise," she groaned. Piplup squirmed out of her grip and waddled away. "Aw, come on Piplup! Not you too!"
The house was dead silent when the trio entered. "Mom?" Ash called out. "Mom, you in here?"
Brock found a note in the kitchen. "Hey Ash! Your mom left a note. It says, 'At Professor Oak's, be back soon'. -Mom."
"Well then, let's go to Professor Oak's then." Ash suggested. "I'll bet he wants to see how the pokemon. But first, a snack." He started rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to find something that probably wasn't good for him. "Nuts, nothing there."
"Can we go on to Oak's now?" Dawn asked, impatiently tapping her boot. "I'm pretty sure that your mom doesn't exactly want to come home to a ransacked kitchen."
"Alright fine," Ash bit into an apple that he picked up. He gave a small niblet of the green apple to Pikachu, who took it gleefully. The trek up to Professor Oak's lab was uneventful, with Ash munching on the apple, somewhat sated for now. Like his house, the lab was quiet, with the lights off. "That's weird," Ash mused. "Normally he would be working this time of day."
"Um, Ash?" Dawn was pointing to the glass sliding doors that led to outside where the pokemon stayed. "You might wanna check outside."
"Huh?" Ash pushed the screen door open.
"SURPRISE!" the back area of the lab was festooned with decorations. A few tables were set out, along with a massive buffet. Balloons were tied to branches, while strands of gaily colored strands covered the trees. Ash was stunned. This would have explained why his mom wasn't at home. Pikachu launched out through the doors and into a familiar person's arms, chirping in glee as he got a well deserved scratch on the chin.
Ash's jaw dropped to the floor. "Misty?" He stammered.
She flashed a shy smile. "Hey Ash."
There was really no other way to describe it, but she had grown up. She was dressed in a pair of dress pants, with a pale blue tank top to match the ensemble. Her red hair brushed just past her shoulders while her eyes still had that same mischievous glint in them. He stared for a few moments, until Dawn nudged him sharply in the ribs, subtly. "Dawn!" he hissed.
Dawn shrugged and thrust a hand out. "You must be Misty. I'm Dawn, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Hi, it's nice to meet you Dawn."
Meanwhile, Ash did a mental tally of who was here. There was his mom, Professor Oak, Gary, Tracey, May, Max, and even Drew (how Drew ended up here he didn't know, but Ash suspected it had to do with the fact that Drew was holding May's hand). Brock nudged Ash again. "Ash, you're staring." Brock whispered
"What?"
"You're staring, at Misty. You've got this funny look too." Brock replied with a self satisfied smirk.
"Am not!" Ash flustered .
"Are too!
"Hey Ashy-Boy!" Gary pounded Ash on the back, interrupting their argument. "Nice job back at the Conference. Loved the way you owned that Paul guy."
"Um, thanks?"
Gary turned to Dawn. "Nice job at the Grand Festival too Dawn."
Dawn blushed with the praise and turned away. "Thanks Gary."
"No prob. Now that Ashy-Boy's here, we can finally start this party!"
"'Bout time!" Drew shouted, then reached for a paper plate.
The party went off without a hitch. Max proudly showed off his new pokemon from Professor Birch, a Treeko, and two others he caught, a poochyena and a ralts that looked very familiar.
"It's the ralts we helped out, remember?" Max exclaimed.
Ash smiled. "I remember."
"Yeah, but I'm kind of having problems with the first gym. It's really hard. You make it look so easy."
Ash absently fiddled with the bill of his cap. "Well, it just takes a lot of training."
"Considering that the very first gym badge you got was given to you, because he felt sorry for you" Misty teased.
"Hey, I was just starting out!" Ash protested.
Brock laughed. "Yeah, I kind of did actually."
"You aren't helping either!"
Ash also found out that Drew and May were finally dating. Dawn squealed. "Awww, that's so cute!"
Drew suddenly left the table, supposedly of to get some drinks. May shook her head. "Believe it or not, he's kind of shy about it. Guess he doesn't want his fans to find out."
"He did give you roses every time you saw each other," Brock pointed out. "If that wasn't a clear indicator to his fans, then I don't know what would have."
"Good point. Solidad pretty much had to threaten him to ask me out."
"Good for her."
Drew came back, juggling a slice of cake and a glass of punch. "Ugh, don't remind me. Solidad can be very threatening, as nice as she is."
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Blaidd gazed down on the sleepy town of Pallet Town, his eyes alight with curiosity. He had never been to a village as small and quaint as this one. He spent most of his time either in the wilds or in large cities like Canalave and Sootopolis City. He pulled his coat off, and placed it on one arm. Pallet had a very temperate climate, especially since it bordered the ocean. He had only seen the ocean a few time, and each time it was awe inspiring. A salty breeze pervaded his nostrils and he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. He never got over the scent of the ocean. He started to wind his way down the hill.
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The party, as nice as it was, started to wind down for the evening. At this point, they were just exchanging tips and reminiscing over events. Ash fiddled with the arm of his chair. He loved the fact that his friends made it to celebrate his advancement to the semi-finals of the Sinnoh League, but he needed something exciting to do. Maybe a pokemon battle would make him feel less restless. He felt a feather-light tap on his shoulder. It was Misty.
"Wanna go for a walk?" she asked quietly.
"Sure. You bored too?"
"A little."
"You'd think that a celebration party would be more exciting."
"Last time we had a celebration party the whole town was here. We spent a day and a half cleaning up everybody's messes."
"Remind me not to do that again." Ash got up from the lawn chair and the two sneaked away. They didn't go unnoticed, however. As they left, May caught a furtive glance and giggled.
"What is it May?" Dawn asked, curious as to why her fellow coordinator was in a near fit.
"Looks like the two lovebirds are out on a romantic stroll!" She went into a fit of giggles.
"Who's out for a stroll—oohh, now I get it. I thought the pair liked each other."
Brock and Tracey exchanged significant glances. "Indeed."
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"So, um, how's it been at the gym?" Ash asked, unsure how to start the conversation. He felt so aware of her presence, ever since Brock had pointed out the fact that he had been gawking at her.
Misty shrugged. "Not much. Life as usual. Trainers come in, thinking they can take on the world, then run scampering to the nearest Pokecenter afterward."
"A little harsh." Ash remarked.
"Well, somebody's got to keep their egos in check. I had to do that with you all the time."
"Yeah, with that mallet," Ash grumbled while rubbing his head, the painful memories rushing back.
"Watch it Ketchum."
Ash flashed a cocky grin. "Yeah whatever." He adjusted his hat. "Kind of nice to hang out you know."
"Yeah," She suddenly reached over and snatched Ash's hat off.
"Hey! That's my hat!"
"Come and catch me!" She bolted, leaving Ash charging after her, shouting something along the lines of 'Get back here! She managed to find herself at a copse of trees, close to the edge of Professor Oak's property line. She hid behind a tree, waiting for Ash to rampage through the grove, raving. He was still touchy about his hat, sometimes. He was just to much fun.
"Gotcha!" Ash crowed triumphantly. While she had been watching in one direction, he must have went around another way. He reached for the hat, and she decided to dangle it high above her head. The pair were near identical in height, but she was on her tiptoes, so it was a difference in centimeters. "Aw come on Mist! Give me back the hat!" He stepped forward to make a grab for it, and his hand clamped around her wrist, but as he stepped off to get closer, the tip of his foot caught on an uprooted tree root and he stumbled forward. He shot one hand out, to brace himself and he landed inches from Misty's face. He froze, waiting for her to inflict some sort of injury on his being. But she didn't. He became aware of every feeling, every sensation, like his senses had been heightened to their highest potential. It was just him and her.
Misty froze as well, he was so close to her! Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart started hammering in her chest, roaring in her ears. He still had her wrist in his hand, and she wondered if he could feel her pulse. His dark brown eyes held the same shocked expression as hers and she took notice of a small scar above his left eye, a faint line against his tanned skin. Then, as quickly as the accident happened, Ash pulled away, gingerly tugging the cap from her fingers.
"Sorry about that, " he apologized, quickly planting the cap back on his head. "It's these stupid roots. I always used to trip on them whenever I went back here as a kid."
"Yeah," Misty mumbled, wondering how close she was to actually kissing Ash.
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Blaidd patiently knocked on the door to what he believed was the Ketchum residence. Thanks to some assistance from an older woman, she had guided him to the small white house. He admired her rose garden while he waited for a reply. He took a quick sniff. "She takes very good care of her garden," he complimented to no one. He furtively plucked off one of the blossoms, mindful of the sharp thorns. He always admired roses. The intricacy of the petal, the scent they had, everything about them he enjoyed. He cautiously placed the rose in his pack. He would have to find a safe place for the flower later. After five minutes of waiting, he poked his head in one of the windows. There appeared to be no one home. He then remembered the elderly woman mentioning something about a party at lab, which was at the top of a large hill nearby.
"Either the child is avoiding me, or this all just surmounts to a series of tragic coincidences." Blaidd left the garden, trudging up the hill to the lab.
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Max was growing decidedly bored with the conversation at hand. He really wasn't in the mood to hear about coordinator gossip and his sister's love life. He shuddered at the thought. One time he caught the pair in a passionate kiss once. He'd never get the image out of his head. May had to just about bribe him from telling mom and dad, not that he was going to in the first place. He always did like getting a few bucks every now and then. He ended up in the lab, where Professor did a lot of his research. He peered around, looking at high-tech machines and peeking through notes. He normally wasn't a nosy kid, but this was Professor Oak's lab. The man was his idol. It wasn't like he was going to steal any of his theories.
There was knock at the door, drawing Max away from the notebook he was looking at. He peeked out in the foyer to find a silhouette behind the frosted glass, nervously shifting from side to side.
"Well, it would be rude to not answer," Max said, justifying his plan. He ambled over to the front door and peeked through on of the side windows. It appeared to be a tall, skinny person, with a coat hitched over one arm. He opened the door.
"Hello," Blaidd introduced himself, trying to hide his surprise. Out of all the people to open the door, it had to be the young boy from the Tree from two years ago. Maybe the boy wouldn't recognize him, he hoped. "My name is Blaidd Wilson and I would like to speak to an Ash Ketchum. Is he here right now?"