Heyo there! Welcome to another chapter of Pokemon: Hopes & Dreams!
*Eyes widen as Gen dodges Mini-nuke shot from Fatboy launcher*
Ho-boy, I can see you guys are mad… and Fallout 4 seems to have given you plenty to uh… *gulp* work with. I know, I know, it's been several months since I last updated this story, and I really must apologize for leaving this on the shelf for so long.
You should know the shtic by now: work, school, other stories, my book, and life in general all keep me busy nearly 24/7 nowadays, and the amount of time I have to myself is quite minimal. But I think I've made enough excuses for one day; how about I let it go for now and leave you to enjoy the next chapter!
-Arc 1-
Chapter 4: Happy Birthday! [Part 1]
It was another chilly early morning in the quaint Town of Pallet; birds chirped as the sun rose up in the distance, setting the sky ablaze with a beautiful orange glow. While still chilly, it was warmer this day than it was the previous, promising a nicer evening when the sun warmed the Earth's surface.
Jay sat down in his large, almost couch-like, chair with a big cup of black coffee while watching the news on the TV. He took a sip as the meteorologist came on with the weather forecast. "-another beautiful morning today; temperatures reaching a slightly chilly air at the moment, but we will have a comfortable high later on with clear skies lasting throughout the whole day. However, if you look here you'll see a developing tropical storm off of the coast that will move in tonight and start-"
"Hey honey." Jay looked over at the steps to see Delia descending them in her pink robes, rubbing her tired eyes. "I figured you'd be up already." She said as she walked over towards him. Her hair was totally disheveled, but Jay didn't think it affected her beauty in the slightest.
Jay smiled at his wife as he made some room for her to sit in the chair next to him. She did so and snuggled in closely. "Well I had some things that needed to be taken care of before the birthday boy and his friends woke up." Jay replied, wrapping an arm around Delia.
"Oh?" Delia raised an eyebrow at her cheerful husband. "What kind of things?"
"Secret things." Jay narrowed his eyes jokingly at Delia. "Secret… fun things. Just trust me on this."
Delia narrowed her gaze at her husband, earning a raised eyebrow from Jay. "You didn't…" She started.
"What?"
"Jay Ketchum… you wern't serious about the stippers, were you?" She asked seriously. She honestly could never tell if Jay was serious about these kind of things. Jay gave her a blank stare for a few seconds, until a tiny smile made it's way onto his face. He tried stifling a laugh, but he was unsuccessful.
"You… you thought I was being serious about that?" He asked in between his laughs. "No! No no no no…." He continued to laugh, and Delia felt herself blush. "Oh my God… I can't breathe!"
"It's not that funny…" She said almost to herself, looking away from the man-child. She felt a little silly for walking into that one, and Jay could tell just from the look on her face. He pulled her in closer and kissed her on the cheek.
"You are too damn cute, you know that?" He asked with a beaming smile. "It should be illegal."
"You're an ass." She said quietly, obviously not meaning it.
"Oohh sick burn." He pulled her in closer with a chuckle. "Gonna need a Blastoise for that one." Delia giggled as she pulled in closer, finally admitting defeat as she gave him a passionate kiss. After a moment, Jay opened his left eye and glanced at the stairs when he detected movement. He and Delia pulled apart from their kiss. "So… who's the peeping tom at the top of the stairs?" Jay asked with a smile.
Jay heard a surprised gasp from the top of the stairs; he watched as the redhead in blue PJ's slowly descended the stairs, Togepi being cradled in both arms. "S-sorry! You looked like you were in the middle of… a moment." Misty said on her way down, her face as red as a Charmeleon.
"So you decided to watch us like a creeper instead?" Jay joked.
Misty, however, was still totally embarrassed. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again, I swear!" She said as she bowed several times.
"Aw, Misty, there's no need for that!" Delia smirked.
"Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry about it!" Jay laughed. "If you wanted tips on being a good kisser, all you had to do was ask!"
"Huuuuuuuuuuh?!" Misty took a step back in surprise, her face exploding with heat. "I wasn't…. I don't need-!"
Jay suddenly stood up from the couch, gesturing towards himself. "You've come to the right place, young Caterpie! I, the master of smooches, will bestow upon you the knowledge of the perfect kiss! Now listen carefully!"
Delia rolled her eyes. Oh great, here we go. She thought to herself.
"Observe!" Jay said, grabbing Delia and pulling her up from the couch.
"Whoa- wait! What are you doing?!" Delia asked as Jay pulled her close and leaned her back.
"Now most people assume they must go for the pucker first, but heed me! This is a mistake!" Jay started. "The trick to getting the perfect kiss is to tease it first! Start at the neck like so!" Jay leaned down and started trailing kisses on Delia's neck, causing her to wiggle around.
"Jay - stop it! What are you…." Delia suddenly started to giggle. "No, that tickles! Stop! AAHHH!"
Jay stopped and looked back at Misty. "Notice how quickly the victim succumbs to the sensation! This is key for step two!" Jay turned back to Delia and stared right into her eyes. "Next… you must form a personal connection! Gaze lovingly…. Longingly into the victim's eyes! Knock on the door, ring the doorbell, whatever you have to do to open the door to their soul!"
"That last part doesn't make any sense!" Delia replied, still looking into his eyes.
Jay ignored her. "-And then… once you have them right where you want them… unleash the trojan horse and strike!" Jay pulled Delia in closer and kissed her right on the lips. Delia struggled in annoyance at first, but eventually eased into it; even lifting her leg to complete a pose.
Misty just stared on with wide eyes and red-hot face, and Togepi simply chirped. This was getting way too steamy for her liking- and there was no way a girl could even use that advice in the first place!
A sudden voice behind Misty made her jump in surprise. "I see… very interesting. I'll have to take note of this." She spun around to see Brock, still in his PJ's, holding a notepad and literally taking notes. "Sensei, what would one do if the subject in question continuously slaps you due to your advances?"
"Ahhhhhh! I can't take this!" Misty rubbed her head aggressively with her free hand while Togepi simply chirped in laughter. It was far too early in the morning for Misty to mentally prepare for this level of silliness.
"What is going on down there?" A tired voice asked from the top of the stairs. Jay and Delia pulled apart as everyone turned around to see Ash in his PJ's. He obviously just woke up as well, since he was yawning. Pikachu rested on his shoulder, rubbing his eye with his paw.
Jay smiled. "Well well well, if it isn't the birthday boy! Good morning, squirt!"
"Huh?" Ash looked around at everyone, tired and confused. "What do you…. Oh yeah it is my birthday isn't it?" He started walking down the steps. "So what's everyone doing down here?" He asked.
Jay stepped forward. "Oh, I was just teaching Misty how to be an awesome ki-"
"TRAINER!" Misty yelled, interrupting Jay. "He was giving me pointers on being a pokemon trainer!" She looked over at Jay. "Isn't that right?!"
He tilted his head. "Nope. Not right at all." Delia slapped him on his shoulder. "OW! - I mean… yeah… just poke-pointers. Nothing else." Jay said, deflated.
Usually an attempt at a cover-up like that would be obvious to anybody, but Ash was too tired to notice. "Oh alright. Good idea Misty, my dad…" Ash yawned again as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Ugh… my Dad knows his stuff. What's for breakfast?" He asked. Everyone looked at Ash in disbelief, sweat dropping. "I'm so hungry… if the cake was here I'd probably be able to eat the entire thing." Ash said as he walked into the kitchen.
Jay's eyes suddenly widened… "Wait… the cake…?" A blast of realization hit him. "Oh crap, I forgot to go pick that up yesterday!"
Misty, Brock, and Delia immediately looked at him. "Are you serious, Jay?" Delia asked. "How could you forget to pick that up?"
"I've been busy with the preparations for the party!" Jay defended himself before looking over to Misty and Brock. "Is there any way either of you could go pick it up for us after breakfast? I need to head over to Oak's lab to finish preparations and greet the guests."
"Hm? Us?" Misty asked.
"I don't have a problem with it." Brock replied, looking to Misty. "Do you?"
"No, not really. I can go." She replied.
Jay smiled. "Excellent! Thank you both so much!" He looked over at Delia. "We should probably get breakfast started that way they can head out."
Delia looked over at the clock on the wall. "Well… it's not too early… alright, I guess it's okay." She started walking towards the kitchen, and the rest of the group followed her.
oooOOOOooo
Back at the Professor's lab, four figures reside in front of a computer as it runs a scanning-related program of some kind in the background. "So you see Professor, this is why we've come to you." Dawn noted. "If we don't do something now-"
"The consequences could be catastrophic, yes I realize that." Oak noted, sitting in his chair as he reviews a folder with several files inside. He flips a page. "I understand perfectly… however I fail to see why you came to me instead of the authorities."
"You are the foremost expert on Pokemon across the globe..." Silver replied. "You're the only person we can trust to understand this and determine a plan of action."
Oak scratched his head before closing the file and looking up to the trainers. "Alright… I'll admit that this problem requires immediate action… hmmm." He thought for a moment. "Damn… Tracey?" Oak glanced over at the Pokemon Watcher.
"Y-yes sir?" Tracey replied.
"I have to take care of this, so you'll have to tell the Ketchum's that I can't make it for Ash's party." Oak instructed. "Keep this a secret from them for now… I don't want to spoil this day for Ash. We'll just have to tell them after the party is over."
"Yes sir, I understand." Tracey nodded.
Dawn and Silver looked at each other and smiled before looking back at Oak. "So then... you'll help us?" Silver asked.
"I'll provide you with every resource at my disposal." Oak assured. "However, I don't think that I alone will be enough."
ooooOOOoooo
"Oh, that must be the bakery!" Brock pointed at a small building down the road as he walked beside Misty. The bakery was on the edge of Pallet Town, past a few other businesses like the movie theater and grocery store. The chilly air of the morning had disappeared thanks to the warm rays of the sun, and several wild bird pokemon flew overhead as a breeze made the flowers of Pallet sway in the wind.
"Yeah… you can smell a sweetness in the air over here." Misty noticed as they walked.
"So Ash and I were talking last night-" Brock began. "-and he has no idea where he wants to go once we leave Pallet Town. I suggested going somewhere we've never been before like Sinnoh or Kalos, but he was wondering if he should try his hand again at Kanto or Johto." He said, seeming troubled. "Where do you think we should go?"
"Wha- who? Me?" Misty asked, again finding herself thinking about the conflict of leaving.
"Hm? Of course, you. Who else would I be talking to?" Brock asked.
"Oh, right… um, I'm not sure. I'm fine with… anywhere." Misty attempted to deflect the question, not really giving a straight answer. After all, she wasn't quite sure if she'd actually be going.
Brock noticed the hesitation. "You know… now that I think about it… you haven't sounded very excited about this journey we're planning. Is something wrong?" He asked.
Misty felt her heart rate skyrocket. "Wh-what are you talking about? I'm excited… just been a little tired is all."
Brock placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "Ash told me about you crying the other night, but he seems to think you were just remembering some cheesy sad movie." He raised an eyebrow. "But now I don't think that's the case, is it?"
Misty stayed silent for a moment, feeling like Brock had her back against a wall. He had called her out, and she didn't have anything prepared for when she was finally confronted with this. "Hey, you can tell me. We're friends, remember?"
Misty took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Brock. Really." She foolishly assured as they continued down the path. She felt a pain in her chest as she lied to him, but she didn't know what else to do.
Brock shook his head. "Well… when you're ready to talk to someone about it, just know that I'm always here." Brock removed his hand, and the two continued in silence to the bakery. Misty looked to the ground the entire way there, realizing that her lies were going to come back to bite her very soon. She found herself wishing she had brought togepi with her to the bakery, since the tiny egg pokemon could usually calm her down.
"Alright, we're here." Brock said, snapping Misty out of the trance she didn't initially realize she was in. The building itself wasn't very impressive; it was two stories tall and about the same size as the Ketchum household, however it was made almost entirely out of brick and had a cute little area out front with a handful of tables and chairs. Two massive glass windows on either side of the door made it easy to see inside, and a tiny wooden sign hung on the front door that said 'Brenda's Bakery'. Brock opened the door for Misty, and the two walked on in.
"Hello! Welcome! How are you today?" A sweet old lady asked them as they entered. She was sitting on a stool behind a counter at a register. She had short poofy white hair and big glasses, and wore a pink shirt with white apron.
"We're doing well, thanks. You?" Brock asked as they stepped towards the counter.
"Well I'm still alive, so I would say I'm doing pretty good!" The lady laughed at her own joke before clearing her throat. "So what brings you two in today?"
"We're just here to pick up a birthday cake for Jay Ketchum." Brock told her, with Misty still remaining silent.
"Oh… you're here for that guy." The old lady's tone suddenly shifted into something more aggravated. "What- he didn't have the golems to come get it himself because he forgot about yesterday? I had to use up valuable space in the fridge thanks to that dumbbell!"
Whoa… that was a complete 180. Brock thought to himself.
"Uhhh… yes. Are we still able to pick it up? He said he prepaid for it." Brock continued.
The old lady grumbled something, but hopped down from her stool. "Yeah, sure. Let me check what the order number was…" She crouched down and brought back up a pretty sizable book of information and began turning the pages.
Misty happened to glance up and see a set of video phones towards the back near the bathrooms. She stared at them for a few moments, coming to a sudden realization. This problem she had wasn't just going to go away and never come back; she had to take care of things now, before they got too far out of hand.
"Is it okay if I use one of those phones back there?" Misty asked the old lady, earning a raised eyebrow from Brock.
"Huh? Oh yes, go ahead." The old lady replied before looking back down at the book. "Oh great… lost my spot…" She grumbled to herself.
Misty walked over to the phones. They had little doorless booths around them that offered some privacy to the callers, which enabled her to stay out of Brock's line of sight. She hesitantly punched in the number she had memorized by heart, and waited while the phone rang.
The phone rang a few times, but someone eventually picked it up. Misty noticed that the video feed was disabled. "Hello, this is the Cerulean Gym. Like, I'm Lily. What's up?"
Misty summoned her courage. "Lily? It's… It's me, Misty."
"Oh my gosh! Baby sis!" The video feed was suddenly pulled up, and Misty could see her sister sitting in front of the screen. "There you are! What took you so long to call? We've had to talk to you for, like, a while now!"
Misty cocked her head. "What? Why?"
Lily started right in. "Well it started right after you left for mallet town-"
"It's Pallet Town." Misty corrected.
Lily waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah whatever, that ghetto place, anywhozies-" Misty felt her eye twitch. "-gosh what was I saying… damn it I forgot because you interrupted me!"
"Something about after I left?" Misty reminded her.
"Right, like, I knew that. Dummy." Lily replied rudely. "But yeah, after you left Daisy was out on the town, like, doing her usual thing with the boys, when she came across a poster. She was, like, 'oh my God! The Saint Anne will be coming to port very soon!', and I was like 'oh my God we should, like, totally go!', and Violet was all like 'totally!' so we went ahead and bought some tickets so we could go on this totally kickass cruise, so then we went to the store and, like, went on a total shopping spree so now I have this really cute bikini that I can-"
"Stop, stop, stop, stop! Hold on!" Misty asked, rubbing her temples. "What are you talking about? The Saint Anne? You're going on a… a cruise?!" Misty said, shouting in a whisper.
"Oh yeah! Totally!" Lily replied with a smile.
"But you just got back from another trip!" Misty argued, confused. "You mean you're leaving when I get back in four days?!"
"Yeeeeeaaaah, see that's why we, like, needed to talk to you." Lily replied. "We totally bought those tickets but, like, didn't know until yesterday that the ship sets sail tomorrow! So we're, like, going to totally need you back by tomorrow morning!" Lily said with an honest-to-God smile on her face. Misty's heart sank.
"Wait… that's not what we agreed on though!" Misty replied, starting to feel angry.
"I know, baby sis, I know!" Lily said. "That's why it's so cool that you're agreeing to come back early! You're, like, the best!"
"But… I never agreed to that!" Misty shot back, starting to grow slightly loud. "Listen, I don't want to be the Gym leader there anymore! I want to go out into the world and be a regular Pokemon trainer!" Misty finally admitted, controlling her volume to make sure Brock didn't hear.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lily asked. "Well that's, like, too bad. Since the Gym is registered under your name, than the Pokemon League Association might have to take disciplinary action for abandoning the Gym and your responsibilities as a leader."
Misty's eyes widened. "Wha… but your names are registered under the Gym too!"
Lily scratched her head. "Yeah… we kinda withdrew our names a few days ago. Hope you don't mind, being Gym Leaders suuuuuuuuucks!"
"Wha…. but…" Misty tried to speak, but she couldn't find the words she wanted to say. If what Lily said was true, than the PLA would certainly go after her with fees and legal action. If she still refused after that, than the Gym would be seized by the League and either closed permanently or put under new management.
"So we'll see you, like, either tonight or tomorrow!" Lily said happily. She waved. "Bye sis!"
Before Misty could say another word, Lily closed the line and the words 'CALL ENDED' appeared on the screen. She simply stood there holding the phone, letting her hand fall to her side. "Why… why are they doing this?" She asked herself under her breath. She slowly put the phone back onto the wall and leaned against the walls of the booth in disbelief. She was shaking, and unable to form a coherent thought. Her own sister basically threatened her and was trying to force her back into the Gym. That's enough to make almost anyone weak kneed in disbelief.
After a few inconsolable moments, Misty finally stood straight up and made her way back towards the front of the bakery. Brock was waiting for her right outside, standing next to a large cart that held a massive white box. Misty assumed it was the cake.
"There you are." Brock turned as he heard the door close. "Let's head back to-" he stopped when he saw her lifeless expression. Her eyes had no moisture to them, and her shoulders had fallen low. "Uh… what's wrong? What happened?"
Misty walked right past him and started heading back down the path. "Come on. Let's go." Misty said stoically. Brock stared at her with a worried expression, and starting following her while pushing the large cart. Once again they walked beside one another for quite a while, being completely silent.
They passed the grocery store. Then the movie theater. Then a few houses. Misty was quiet the entire time, and in response so was Brock. About halfway back to the Professor's lab, Misty suddenly stopped walking. It took Brock a few seconds to notice, so he stopped the cart and looked back at her. "Misty?" He asked.
"I'm sorry." She said, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry." She repeated.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Brock asked, taking a few steps towards her.
She finally snapped. Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. Misty bent forward where she stood on the dirt and pressing her palms to her face, began to cry with the force of a screaming banshee. Brock rushed to her side.
"Oh my God, what's wrong?! Misty?!" Brock asked, holding her shoulder to keep her up and rubbing her back.
"I'm sorry!" She said through her tears, stuck in a loop. "I never wanted… I didn't mean to lie like this!"
"'Lie'? What do you mean? When did you lie?" Brock asked, stunned.
Misty proceeded to tell Brock the truth about everything. How she initially intended only to visit, how she just couldn't find the strength to say no to Ash, the way her sisters betrayed her trust, everything. Brock listened intently to all she had to say, not saying a word as she spilled her guts to him.
Once she was finished and she had calmed herself down, she and Brock stood there awkwardly with all of this new information now on the table. Misty used her arm to wipe away the tears from her face, before standing back up straight and looking at Brock. She figured he must've at least lost all respect for her.
Still, he was taking a while to come up with a response. "Well?" Misty asked, dreading his response.
"Um, sorry…. You were finished?" Brock asked.
"...well…. Yes." Misty replied.
"Oh. Where is the part you're supposed to be sorry for?" Brock asked, surprising Misty.
"You… you're not…?" Misty stuttered.
"What, mad?" Brock asked, folding his arms. "Well, based on everything I've heard I have no right to be mad. You were worried about letting us down and were scared of your sisters. You're justified in my book."
Misty's eyes widened. She was completely shocked at Brock's unyielding understanding, and was struggling really bringing herself to believe it. "You're not mad? At all?"
"Not really." Brock said, smiling. "Though I'd imagine Ash might have a few words when he finds out… and they might not be for just you either."
"Wait…" Misty took a second to breathe. "We can't tell Ash… not yet."
"That seems like a mistake." Brock put it bluntly. "If we tell Ash, then the three of us can come up with a plan on how to handle the situation."
Misty shook her head. "No, I want to tell him after his party… I don't think it would be fair to ruin his day with this."
"Well on the flip side, I don't think it's fair to keep this from him in the first place." Brock retorted. "I think he has a right to know."
Misty paused for a second. "Still… I don't want to tell him just yet. Please Brock! You have to promise not to tell him!" She begged.
Brock was still for a moment, weighing his options. He figured Ash would indeed do something brash the second he found out about this, and not only that but it could totally ruin the birthday party that Delia and Jay had planned depending on how he reacted. That was something he and Misty could agree on. This was supposed to be Ash's day, and even though it sickened him to do so, Brock figured he had no choice but to agree.
"Alright… alright, fine. I won't tell him anything during the party." Brock hesitantly agreed.
Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Bro-"
"However!" Brock interrupted. "The second the party is over… and I mean the literal second it's over… you have to tell him everything. Than we can all come up with a plan on how we're going to handle this." Brock started walking back to the cart.
"Wait…" Misty requested, earning a glance from Brock. "What do you mean when you say 'come up with a plan'?"
Brock smiled. "Well I don't see Ash taking this information too lightly. He'll want you to come with us on this new journey, so I'm pretty sure he'll want to find a way to make that happen… even if that means doing something absolutely crazy." Brock hesitated for a moment, before looking back at Misty. "Come on, we should go." Brock smiled, grabbing the cart. Misty nodded, and started following him back to the Professor's lab.
Misty still wasn't quite sure how she was going to tell Ash the news, or even how he would handle it, but at least she now had someone else to share her burden with. With Brock by her side, she just might be able to confront Ash and tell him the truth about her situation… and maybe something more.
Holy crap, I'm sorry this chapter took as long as it did guys. I've been in a never-ending loop of writer's block for almost a year now, and that's even for my other stories! Luckily I've just recently acquired a MASSIVE boost in motivation from out of seemingly nowhere, and I started writing like a bat-writer out of hell for Halo, Pokemon, and Fairy Tail. Rest assured fellow Halo fans, the newest chapter is nearing completion.
And before you ask, yes this is part 1 of the Happy Birthday chapter. I wrote so much for this chapter that I've had to break it into two parts, so I hope to get part 2 out to you as soon as possible. I'm still unsure of how long it will take, but it's coming.
Thank you so much for sticking with me through all of my ups and downs, and I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter of Pokemon: Hopes & Dreams! Please leave a review because I really want to know what you all think! Be it criticism, feedback, whatever! I want to hear from you!