A/N: Thank you for your warm support! Here's the next one!

To Duvarishka: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you very much!

Days

The day with the maternity visit

Ash

Saturday, February 22nd

"I can't believe it," Misty said, shaking her head with a wide smile. "I mean, who would have thought...?"

"That Brock would actually succeed in finding himself a wife to have a kid with?" Ash joked, and Misty let out a short laugh and nodded.

"Yeah, no one, except Brock himself," Misty answered as she steered their car from one of the main roads of Pewter City into a neighborhood.

Ash chuckled and watched the buildings outside pass by with a smile, absentmindedly patting Pikachu who sat in his lap. Although it wasn't cold, it was raining and thus they had decided to take the car instead of flying on a Pokémon. Flying was faster, but they'd rather be dry when they got to Brock.

Brock. Ash felt his grin widen.

"It still feels unreal," Ash said. "Brock is now actually a father…"

"I know, right," Misty said, her excitement sounding through in her voice.

Despite how busy things were, with the start of the Indigo League just a few days away, both he and Misty had taken a break to visit their oldest friend.

The last few days had been hectic, with work mostly, but also with all the things happening in their friends' lives. He had watched both Dawn and May as they had battled in their respective Grand Festivals. Dawn had lost, though she seemed to be handling it well. Optimistically as ever, she had said that she had shown the world what she could do and that she still belonged to the top of the Coordinating world. And May had won! Against Drew!

But the true cherry on top of all the good news had been Brock's call yesterday. Lucy had given birth to a healthy baby boy.

So, both Misty and he had decided that they wouldn't want to miss that moment in their best friend's life, and they had decided that they would visit Brock this afternoon.

Just a short, quick visit, because they had only just gotten back from the hospital and Lucy was still recovering. It felt soon, but Brock had assured them it was alright, they were practically family, after all.

And that was true, Brock was just like his older brother. That made this very exciting, but it also brought the truth scarily close.

As a Pokémon doctor, Brock no longer lived close to the Gym, but rather to the Pokémon Center. He and Lucy had found themselves a nice house, in a quieter neighborhood despite being close to the city center.

Misty parked the car, practically vibrating with excitement. Ash's stomach felt tight, but he tried to ignore it, in favor of enjoying the happiness he felt for his best friend.

They didn't have to ring the doorbell, as the front door was already open. Brock seemed to be saying goodbye to a middle-aged couple and a young man who all seemed vaguely familiar, and Ash recognized them as Lucy's family.

Lucy's relatives took their leave and Ash and Misty were welcomed with a bear hug from Brock. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto Brock's to nuzzle against him.

"Pika!"

"Congratulations!" Misty practically squealed, and Ash gave Brock a manly hand shake and clap on his shoulder as he congratulated him. Brock ushered them in quickly, out of the rain.

"You're the last guests for today," he said, and added with a tone of worry in his voice, "It's been very exhausting for Lucy, all those guests... My parents were here as soon as we got home from the hospital, and then all my siblings... And Lucy's parents and brother..."

"How is she doing?" Misty asked, and Ash was glad to leave the conversation to her and Brock. He listened to Brock's tale about the birth and tried to ignore the feeling of wriggling Caterpie in his stomach, which seemed to get progressively worse as the story continued. He distracted himself by watching Pikachu scurry about in Brock's home, greeting and playing with some of the Pokémon.

Ash was relieved when Brock led them up the stairs and towards Lucy and their son, Pikachu following right behind.

Brock was carefully silent he entered the bedroom, and when Lucy seemed to be awake, he gestured for them to come in. Lucy smiled tiredly at them when they entered, and Ash smiled encouragingly back at her.

"Hey, guys, I was already wondering what took Brock so long," she greeted. She sounded tired as well, but her eyes were shining with happiness.

"I was just telling them about the hospital and all," Brock said, sitting down on the side of the bed next to her and taking her hand. "I thought you might have fallen asleep after your parents left." Brock kissed Lucy's hand and she smiled, her eyelids drooping.

"We probably shouldn't stay very long..." Ash offered carefully. Pikachu climbed on his shoulder, quietly agreeing.

Brock didn't comment on that, instead moving towards the crib in the corner that Misty was already edging towards to.

"C'mon, Ash, here, you can look," he said, beckoning him over. "Come on and meet little Stan."

Inside the crib there was a small, red-faced baby mostly hidden by the blankets, and with a tuft of dark, curly hair on top of his head.

"Awww, he is just adorable!" Misty immediately said, clasping her hands together and leaning closer over the crib. This was the girly side of Misty, Ash knew, and he winced a little bit at the pitch of her voice.

Brock absolutely didn't seem to mind, instead puffing out his chest and grinning proudly.

"I think he has your eyes, Brock," Misty remarked, and Lucy sighed happily from the bed, agreeing with a hum.

"Yeah, our families said so as well," Brock answered, still having that proud, happy look on his face.

Ash honestly couldn't say if the baby looked like anyone, really. It was just a baby... Although now that it was mentioned, the closed eyes did seem a bit squinty, like Brock's. Ash leaned a bit closer, examining Stan as the baby peacefully slept.

He hardly noticed how Misty drew back and engaged Lucy in conversation about the birth, a story he would be happy never to hear again.

Everything about Stan was small. He was red and wrinkled, his tiny fingers curled in the blanket. It was already a complete human, just… very small. It was actually pretty incredible.

"And, what's your verdict, Ash?" Brock asked, sounding amused as Ash was shocked out of his contemplative daze.

"He looks... It's just, he's so small," Ash voiced his thoughts.

Brock smiled, his eyes twinkling with something that Ash couldn't exactly place.

"Yeah, I know, it's pretty amazing, right?" Brock said, and Ash had the feeling that Brock understood exactly what he meant. He smiled in relief at his friend, who seemed so extremely happy that Ash forgot his previous concerns and uncomfortableness and could only grin back.

"I'm very happy for you, Brocko," he said, and he meant every word.

Brock almost seemed to get emotional, but he simply nodded.

"Do you want to hold him?" the older man offered, and Ash almost jumped back from the crib as if it could explode.

"I, uh..." Ash backed off. "I don't know..."

Brock laughed a bit. "It's easy, don't worry."

He ignored Ash's protests and carefully took Stan out of his crib.

"But..." Ash had held babies before. He knew how to hold a baby. He didn't know why he felt so nervous now, he had never had a problem with this before.

"You should support the head," Brock said as he placed Stan in Ash's arms. He had no choice but to accept.

The baby was surprisingly heavy, and Ash awkwardly held him. He was so small, the fingers with the little nails moving and the eyes opening just a bit. Well, yes, now he did look like Brock.

Ash could only stare, and he vaguely heard Misty and Lucy falling silent, but he was only focused on the baby in his arms.

"Oooh." Misty suddenly stood next to him. She leaned against him to get a better look. "He looks so sweet."

Ash swallowed, finally relaxing a bit when Stan seemed to have no problem with him.

It only lasted a moment. Stan grew restless and he started to sniffle, and then cry.

"Oh, uhm..." Ash looked around helplessly, and then quickly walked over to the bed to hand the baby to Lucy. "I uh, he's crying..."

He felt incredibly incapable when Lucy took him with what seemed to be natural ease and tried to calm him down with some sounds and rocking.

"He probably just wants to sleep," Misty remarked, quickly retaking her place at Lucy's side.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have woken him up," the young mother replied, giving Brock a glance, who looked away sheepishly.

Indeed, Stan quickly fell asleep in his mother's arms. Carefully not to disturb him, Lucy handed him over to Misty, who seemed absolutely engrossed by him.

"Don't worry, Ash, he doesn't dislike you or something." Brock said it in a joking manner, but Ash found himself relieved at the words anyway.

It wasn't his fault. Stan had just woken up, that was all. Still... He watched Misty with the baby and he didn't find it hard to imagine her with their baby-

The room suddenly felt hot. What about him? He had no idea how to be a father! He hardly knew how to hold a baby! Look at what just happened!

Pikachu nudged his cheek and Ash remembered to breath, the tight feeling in chest loosening a bit.

He automatically patted Pikachu, and his oldest Pokémon nudged him again in comfort. He watched Lucy and Misty on the bed, talking about the baby, and Brock hovering near, happily looking on…

It would be okay. They would be okay.

Right?

A/N: Thank you for reading! This chapter came pretty easily as well, I've just been busy and I've had less time to write. Though adding Pikachu is always so difficult. He's always there but not really there, too, haha. Anyway, I hope you liked this one. Please review and thank you!