I went to the beach today, which was fun until I got home and realized I got a nasty sunburn (even though I used sunscreen TWICE. Uuugh.) But I'm still in the ocean/sea/sun mode, despite that, and thought this was a good choice for the next update!
Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old
Seaside Diner
Vacationing in Porta Vista was easily one of Misty's favorite things in the whole world.
The year-round sun and warm temperatures were right up her alley. She was just not a winter person, and if she could spend every day of her life on the beach, she absolutely would. Of course, being the Cerulean City gym leader meant she couldn't do that. But for the week or two she could escape to Porta Vista, Misty definitely took advantage.
Of all of the different hot spots around the destination, one of Misty's favorites was The Seaside Diner. It was a very popular restaurant and one of the oldest on the island. In addition, her parents were good friends with the owners.
For their latest vacation to the island, the twins had asked to go to the diner first thing. They were only 3, and were finally starting to remember things they had done there in the past. The Seaside Diner seemed to stand out as one of their favorite memories, and it was quite possibly what they were looking forward to the most.
Of course, Ash was down for anything that had to do with food, so he was fully supportive of the request. The diner also had one of his (and Pikachu's…) favorite burgers in the world, so his "support" was actually unbridled enthusiasm that if not equal to the twins' exceeded theirs.
The owners of the diner were an older couple, just a bit older than Misty's parents. They were always excited whenever Misty brought her family over for a meal and always doted on them, especially the twins. Misty, of course, couldn't blame them. In her opinion, the twins were just the cutest kids on the face of the Earth, and it was impossible not to fawn over them.
"Look at how big they've gotten!" Darya, the wife, marveled.
"It's a little scary," Misty laughed. "I almost wish I could make them stop!"
"Almost?" Ash teased. "You wish for that every single day!"
Darya giggled, while Misty shot her husband a playful glare. "I can't help it that I like them being cute and tiny! They're so precious!"
"They'll still be precious when they get bigger," Darya replied, smiling at the twins as they busily colored on paper placemats with the crayons she had given them.
"Yeah, and they'll find more ways to push our buttons," Ash chuckled.
"Those two? Causing trouble?" Darya gasped. "I don't believe that's possible."
"Oh, it's possible," Misty sighed, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hard to believe, but Ash and I don't have the most flawless behavioral genes."
"She's being dramatic," Ash scoffed. "Aiden and Michelle are much better behaved than I was a kid! At least, I think they are."
"I believe I had a request for two cups of apple juice over here?"
Aiden and Michelle looked up from their drawings with huge smiles on their faces. An older man, Darya's husband, had walked up to the table with a lidded cup in each hand.
"Thank you, Kaito," Misty said to the newcomer. "Aiden, Michelle, what do you say?"
"-ank you!" They both chirped, grabbing onto the cups and sipping through the straws.
"You're very welcome," Kaito chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. "And how very polite you both are! That's so nice."
Pikachu was sitting quietly between the twins on their side of the table, choosing to rest until the food came. It had been a long morning of playing at the beach, and the smell of food combined with the sunlight coming through the large windows made it the perfect opportunity for the tired little mouse to take a quick break. The sunlight soon caused something to begin sparkling, however, and that was enough to capture Pikachu's attention. He suddenly perked his ears and began looking around the restaurant, trying to find the source of the glint. Pikachu's yellow fur brushed up against the arms of the twins, causing them to giggle and turn their attention away from their juice.
"Silly Pik-chu!" Aiden laughed.
Ash hummed and raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Pikachu? You see something?"
Without any other warning, Pikachu scurried over Michelle's lap and jumped onto the floor, pointing one of his paws behind him.
"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu squeaked.
"You want to show me?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded his head, and Ash got up from his seat, allowing Pikachu to climb up to his shoulder. He walked in the direction Pikachu had been pointing in just before, finding himself at a glass display case that was full of trophies, badges, and photos.
"Pi-ka!" Pikachu marveled.
"Whoa," Ash breathed, bending at the knees to examine the objects inside the case. "Kaito, Darya, what is all of this?"
"You've never seen it before?"
Ash looked over his shoulder, watching as Misty sauntered over to him. "No. Has it always been here?"
Misty smirked. "Yes, Ash, it's always been here. You're just always so focused on eating when we come here that I guess you've never noticed it!"
Ash blushed and glanced back into the case. "Still, what is all this stuff? It looks like it came from some kind of tournament."
"It did!" Kaito confirmed. "Back in the day, Porta Vista wasn't quite as big of a vacation spot as it is now. It always was one, but on a much smaller scale. When that was the case, trainers from all different regions would come here to train with their Pokémon since the weather was always warm!"
"The businesses here actually made more money from visiting trainers than vacationers," Darya added. "That's when it was decided that Porta Vista should host a big annual tournament for those visiting trainers!"
"I never knew that," Ash breathed.
"Darya and I actually met at that tournament," Kaito chuckled. "I'd have to say it was love at first sight. Fond memories!"
"That's so sweet!" Misty gushed. "So this whole case must remind you of when you first met, right?"
"Right!" Darya confirmed, nodding her head. "You met Ash when you two were young trainers as well, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but it definitely wasn't as sweet as you two," Misty sighed, memories of her bike being stolen and destroyed flooding her head.
"So does that mean these trophies are yours?" Ash asked, nearly sending Misty face down on the floor.
"Seriously, Ash?!" Misty cried. "That's what you got out of this conversation?!"
"Well…yeah," Ash answered. "Kaito said he and Darya met at the tournament, so that means they were both Pokémon trainers and competed there!"
"Unbelievable," Misty grumbled, smacking a hand against her forehead. "Sometimes I can't believe you're a married man. And I can't believe I'm the person who made you one."
"Yes indeed!" Kaito confirmed. "Two are mine, and two are Darya's. We showed up to that tournament year after year, specifically to try and beat one another! But in the end, we came up even."
"As the years went on, Porta Vista became more of a vacation destination than a training spot," Darya explained. "The tournament wasn't making money like it once was, so the town discontinued it. And although Kaito and I lost the thing that brought us together, we knew that our relationship would stand the test of time."
Misty sighed and pressed a hand against her chest. "That is so romantic!"
"Twophy?"
Misty blinked and looked down at her feet. She had just felt something brush against her calf, and it turned out to be her young son's hand. He had managed to climb off the seat of the booth and ambled over to her, and was now staring up at the glass case full of tournament mementos.
"You want to see the trophies?" Misty asked, Aiden nodding his head in response. She picked up the boy and looked over her shoulder, making sure that Michelle wasn't about to come running over either. She wasn't quite as interested in battle paraphernalia as Aiden just yet, and the fact that she currently had crayons and paper in front of her, her favorite activity, meant she wasn't going to budge. Vaporeon was still curled up on the seat beside the girl, so Misty felt okay with allowing Michelle to stay where she was.
"Twophy!" Aiden repeated, pointing at the case.
"Okay, okay," Misty hushed, carrying him closer to the glass. "See them?"
Aiden pressed his hands against the glass, leaning forward until his nose was touching it. His brown eyes widened as he examined the gold trophy, letting out a soft ooh as he looked. Ash, who had himself resumed checking out the artifacts, turned away from the case and smiled at his son.
"You like that trophy, buddy?" Ash asked.
Aiden glanced up at his father and rapidly nodded his head. "Fow Po-mon, Daddy?"
"Yeah, Kaito won that for winning a big battle!" Ash replied. "You want to win a trophy like that when you get older, champ?"
Aiden quickly nodded his head again. "Lotsa twophies!"
Ash chuckled at his son's excitement. "I'm sure you'll win lots of them! You can do anything if you work hard for it."
Misty smiled and tilted her head. "Aw, there it is!"
"What?" Ash asked, looking side-to-side. "Where's what?"
"The reason I married you," Misty giggled.
Ash smirked and leaned forward to gently kiss Misty's forehead. Darya hummed, catching both Ash and Misty's attention.
"I don't know, Misty," Darya commented. "It certainly seems sweet to me!"
Misty sheepishly smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah. You're right."
Knowing that Misty was now content, Ash pulled away and looked over at Kaito. "You know, if you're interested, I'd love to have a battle!"
Kaito's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Really? A battle with the Pokémon Master?"
"Sure!" Ash laughed. "I'd love to see what you've got! Clearly you're a pretty accomplished trainer yourself."
"Well now, I don't think I'd go so far as to call myself that," Kaito chuckled. "But I sure you would love to have a battle with you, Ash!"
"Great!" Ash crowed. His stomach suddenly growled quite loudly, causing him to blush. "Uh…but maybe I should have a bite to eat first."
"Pi-ka," Pikachu agreed, nodding his head.
"Not a problem," Darya assured. "One burger coming right up!"
I've always been pretty fascinated by Porta Vista's existence within the anime. Probably because it was involved with some interesting episodes. Either way, I really like to build on that and kind of create my own takes on the place. It's fun!
