A Journey

Summary: Ash's daughter has NO interest in Pokemon training. So, Ash, being the enterprising young Master that he is, puts her into the middle of the woods in the night while she's asleep with a pack, no map, a Pokedex, and a VERY angry Pichu.

Joy rummaged under her desk, and produced two pillows and two small, folded fleece blankets.

"Thank you so much!" Lavender said excitedly. "There's only one sofa," she said with a frown.

"I'll take the armchair," I said quickly. "You take the couch."

"You sure? I'm sure we could share!" She asked cutely, sounding for all the world like a kindergartener.

"Nah, it's fine," I said. I couldn't give her an overcoat, but I could make things easy for her. She took off her overcoat, and ran to the bathroom to go change. I my sleeping bag out of my backpack, and turned to Chopin.

"Where are you going to go sleep?" He warbled a questioning tune.

"Maestro, sleep with me, kay?" I confirmed. Maestro nodded, and I cuddled his purple, furry body closer to mine. I rubbed his cream colored stomach.

"I wish I had a cute Pokemon to snuggle with!" Lavender exclaimed. She stretched in her child-like pajama set (frilly lavender tank top, flannel lavender and pink plaid pajama pants, etc.), showing off her nonexistent stomach.

"I wish Peter were here," I thought I heard her murmur, and she curled up in the blanket, put the pillow under her head, and went to sleep.

In less than five minutes, her breathing was steady, and I walked over quietly, looking at her pin-straight lavender hair. She looked sweeter than ever when she slept, curled up into a little ball. All I could think about was how Lavender didn't even have a cute Pokemon to cuddle with. I decided to catch her one. I would give her Pichu, but Pichu hated her, and that would be cruel to Lavender. I mean, Pichu nearly hated her more than it hated me! Obviously, this was saying something.

I was so happy that Brett was along with us, I thought, thinking of his ability to block Pichu's shocks. Little he might be, but his ability to block Pokemon attacks made him nearly superhuman. He would be such a good trainer; Pokemon could attack him as much as they wanted, but he wouldn't budge. And yet, like me, he had no interest in training. He didn't care about the glamour, the excitement, or the beauty of battling; cold hard cash and the potential resources it represented was to him what fame was to others. At any rate, superhuman or tortured baby, I don't care, because he watches Pichu for me.

I settled onto my armchair, reclining it a bit, and climbed into my sleeping bag. "Come on in, Maestro," I said, holding it open, and he dived in. Maybe during the hottest parts of summer, this wouldn't be so good, but for right now it was perfect.

I awoke with my hair messed up beyond belief. I got up, and half of it was plastered to my face, the other half repelled from it like two congruent magnetic poles.

"Just great," I muttered, mouth crusty and dry. I coughed out a few short purple hairs, and saw a drool patch on Maestro's back. I woke him up by giving his ears a rough, affectionate scratch.

"I drool, sorry," I said, rubbing the wet patch on his back. Maestro stuck out his toungue, ground his teeth, and with a squeak, flipped on his back, his creamy white belly exposed. His limbs twitched twice, but then fell still.

"Death by drool disgust at dawn," I quipped, and tickled Maestro's belly. His paws seized my hand, and he made fake growling sounds.

I sat up, laughing to myself, and looked towards the couch. Lavender was already up and gone, her blanket folded neatly in the corner of the sofa, a note on top saying "Thank you!" with a smiley face on it. I assumed she was talking to Nurse Joy, and grinned at that. Awww. She was so cute, even if she bothered me at me some times, possibly all times.

Chopin, meanwhile, was in the washroom across the hall, and was trying to turn the faucet on.

"Why do you need to wash yourself? You have an exoskeleton!" I pointed out. He shrugged, and warbled a strange sound.

"Yeah, I know, you can't talk…" I said, staring at the super intelligent bug. I turned it on, and he picked up a towel, put it in the water, and awkwardly dabbed it around his body. Given that he had no hands or fingers, it was like doing all of this with chopsticks. Had he practiced? That was the only way I could think he would be that good.

I shrugged and left the washroom, snuggling into my sleeping bag and changing into a new pair of undergarments, wondering how my only outfit never got sweaty or dirty. Clearly, 4Trainers knew their stuff, and their stuff was practical, stain and water repellent.
I smiled at Nurse Joy, and told her that I had a nice sleep. She smiled back, in a tired, confused sort of way, until I realized I was talking to a different person. Good to know they have multiple Joys for the night shift, I thought to myself.

I waited on the couch, not sure what for. Couldn't I just go for a walk? Negative, I remembered, I didn't have the monster. Leaving Pichu with Brett for that long was cruel.

Speaking of things I needed before I left, Lavender popped through the main door, a lavender sweatband adorning her glistening forehead.

"Good morning!" She said, as she did on the boat, and I realized that we had a basic template that would guide us.

"Are Peter and Brett awake?" I asked, wondering jealously if she had visited Peter's room.

"I don't know! I was just on a run. You should try it sometime!" She giggled.

"OK, keep on running; I'll go find Peter and Brett." I said with a smile to myself. Would she take the bait and leave me alone with Peter and Brett?

"I'll come too! I need to ask Peter about what I should wear?" She said with a cute smile. Did she know I was trying to take Peter? Was she pretending to be this dumb?

"You could ask me," I responded, a bit offended, "I probably have a better fashion sense than Peter!"

"You only wear one outfit! You act like a boy," Lavender added, softer.

"I do?" I asked, too surprised to be mad.

"A bit, sometimes. In a good way," she hurriedly added, smiling as bright as she could. "You're strong, and you aren't afraid a lot." She said very quietly.

"Afraid? Are you afraid a lot, Lavender?" I asked equally quietly.

"Sometimes," Lavender said. "I'm afraid I'll do badly on a contest, afraid my Pokemon won't like me, afraid Peter won't like me…" She trailed off, struggling to think to herself.

"Well, don't be. You have us, and you have your Pokemon, and I'm sure you're great at contests." She beamed, and gave me another one of her cute-crushing Lavender hugs.

"Are you a lesbian?" Brett asked me from the stairs, looking at our hugging display. I saw the Day Shift Nurse Joy flinch awake at that word, broken from her silent reverie.

"What?" I asked, staring at the kid.

"I know what that word means, you know, I'm not a little kid," he said defensively. "I learned it from Peter!"

I stared at Peter, eyebrow quirked as far as it would go. He shrugged a bit, but I saw his dark cheeks flanged with a bit of red.

"I'm not a lesbian! Eww!" Lavender offered, blushing scarlet. "I definitely like boys!" She giggled, and under her lashes I saw her look clearly at Peter. Way to be subtle, I thought at Lavender.

"I'm going to my gym battle. Care to join me?" He asked, looking at both of us.

"I would love to, but I have my contest battle!" Lavender said, sounding enthusiastic and just a little bit sad at the same time.

"I already said I'd watch it with you, remember?" I asked, a bit irked that he would forget from yesterday.

"Me too! I'm betting!" Brett said excitedly, pulling out his Calcudex. From his oversized pockets, a yellow electric shock coursed through the Calcudex and Brett, although he stood his ground.

"What did I tell you about messing with the merchandise?" Brett muttered darkly. "Please take it back," he said, and I grudgingly accepted my Pichu, who, clearly distraught from its time away from its loving owner, shocked me harder than usual.

"Oww!" I exclaimed. "We're watching another of Peter's battles. Doesn't that sound like a blast?" I said this half sarcastically, but hoped Pichu enjoyed battles enough to be nice about it. Pichu shocked me lighter than usual, and it almost looked happy.

"Look at the time! Time to go!" Lavender picked up a cute lavender purse I hadn't noticed her carrying before, and ran to go change. She came out in a sparkling lavender dress that, of course, matched her hair perfectly. She had exchanged the usual chic lavender beret for a bun with two lavender roses stuck through it.

"Bye, good luck," I said belatedly after she dashed out.

"I hope she does well," Peter said. "I know I will!" He smiled and brushed dust off of his khakis.

"I hope so too!" Brett said, the proverbial dollar signs all but appearing in place of his eyes.

"C'mon Maestro, Chopin!" I said, and Maestro went from his spot on the floor next to Pichu onto my shoulder, and Chopin walked right up alongside me.

"If you don't behave, I will recall you!" I said to Pichu, who crossed its little arms and 'humphed.'

We walked outside, and quickly found the gym. Peter knocked on the door, and a prelim answered it.