I didn't realize how long it's been since I updated! I've been getting caught up in so many things. But this is one I particularly enjoyed writing, so I'm excited to share it with you all!

Elizabeth: 6 years old


Complaints to the Chef

"Ooooh!"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled as she laid them on her friend Hailie's lunch. The lavender bento box was filled with rice, sliced meat, fruit and vegetables intricately cut and arranged into the shape of a Mareep surrounded by flowers and lightning bolts.

"That's the coolest lunch ever!" Elizabeth squealed, sitting back down to beam at Hailie.

The little brunette giggled. "Thanks! Lucy's really good at making fancy stuff like this."

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and glanced down at her far more simple meal: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut in half with some vegetable sticks and a pair of cookies. "My mommy could never make anything like that."

Maria tilted her head. "Is she a bad cook?"

"No," Elizabeth replied slowly. "She just doesn't make anything from scratch. Like cake! She can make it, but it has to come out of a box."

"My mom can make her own cakes," David informed the girls, popping a chip into his mouth. "But she only does it for special things, like our birthdays."

"Mine is really good at cooking and baking!" Maria chirped. "She can make all kinds of tasty stuff. Her cookies are my favorite!"

"Does she make them all the time?" David asked.

Maria grinned and nodded her head. "Uh huh!"

David pouted and rested his head in his hand. "Lucky."

Elizabeth frowned. "You guys are all lucky. I don't mind eating pre-made stuff, but homemade is always better! That's why I like visiting my Grammy. She owns a restaurant, so she makes the best food!"

Gasping, Hailie suggested, "then maybe she could make you a fancy lunch!"

Elizabeth simply blinked. "What?"

"Since she's a professional chef, your grandma could probably make something really amazing for you!" Hailie elaborated. "You could ask her to make your lunch."

David hummed and nodded his head. "Plus, grandmas never say no to their grandkids! That's like…a rule, I think."

Elizabeth twisted her mouth in thought. "That's a pretty good idea." Grinning with determination, Elizabeth slammed one of her small fists on the table. "Kay, that's what I'm gonna do! But I'll need to find a way to get to her house first…"

XXX

When a slip of fake, pink paper money appeared on his lap, Ash knew there was only one person who would give him such a bribe. Smirking, Ash lifted the play money with two fingers and, without even looking down, asked, "I'm assuming you want something, Lizzie?"

The little girl's eyes widened. "Wow, how'd you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess," Ash teased, finally turning his head towards his daughter. "What's up, pumpkin?"

"I want you to take me to Pallet Town," Elizabeth announced before quickly adding, "please."

"What for?" Ash questioned.

"I have to visit Grammy," Elizabeth elucidated. "I want to ask her something."

Ash appeared confused by the request. "Well, if that's all, we could just call her on the phone and you could ask that way."

"No!" Elizabeth cried. "I have to go there, Daddy! I have to ask her in person!"

Now Ash was even more confused. "What kind of question is this, anyway?"

Elizabeth sighed as she motioned for her father to come closer to her. Raising an eyebrow, Ash got up from his chair and knelt down beside Elizabeth so she could lean into his ear.

"I want Grammy to make me lunch for school," Elizabeth whispered.

"Lunch?" Ash repeated, not keeping his voice low like Elizabeth. "But Mommy always makes you-"

"Shh!" Elizabeth hissed. "Don't let her hear you!"

"Why not?" Ash asked.

"I don't want to make Mommy feel bad," Elizabeth explained, her voice still soft. "Her lunch is okay. But Hailie had a really cool lunch today, and I bet Grammy could make one just like it!"

"I don't know, Mommy's not all that bad at cooking," Ash murmured, scratching his head. "You're lucky you never had to eat her food before Grammy and Brock taught her how to do it!"

"Yeah, but Grammy's food is still better," Elizabeth challenged.

Ash opened his mouth to argue, but quickly reeled that in. "That's fair."

Elizabeth's face lit up. She knew she was starting to convince him. "Please, Daddy? Can we go?"

Ash sighed. He wasn't really in the mood to get caught up in what was sure to be a long winded visit to his mother's, but he also thought this would be a pretty silly thing to get in a fight with Elizabeth about. If all she wanted out of her grandmother was one measly lunch for school, then he supposed he could put up with a bit of unexpected personal invasion from his mom.

"Alright," Ash relented, earning an excited squeal from his daughter which brought the smile back to his face. "We'll head over there."

Almost completely satisfied, Elizabeth stopped celebrating to reach into her pocket and pull out another piece of fake paper, this one light blue in color. She held it out towards her father, who cautiously took the paper bill. "What's this one for?"

"To not tell Mommy what we're doing," Elizabeth replied.

Ash couldn't help but to chuckle as he held both bills up. "What, you don't trust me?"

"I do," Elizabeth effortlessly assured him. "But Aiden says you should always give people something when you need them to do stuff for you!"

Ash laughed as he winked at his daughter. "Well thanks, baby girl! I'll have to find a good place to spend this money."

Elizabeth showed off a sideways smile, and supplemented it with a mischievous, "Good luck, cause it's only pretend!"

XXX

Delia was always thrilled to see her grandchildren. A surprise visit, somehow, was even better than the ones Delia knew about in advance, though she treasured both of them equally.

As soon as she saw Elizabeth standing on the other side of her white door, Delia showed off a huge grin.

"Hi, Grammy!" Elizabeth excitedly greeted, running up to her grandmother and hugging her legs.

"Oh, hello, darling!" Delia crooned, kneeling down to pick the child up. "What a nice surprise! Did you come here all by yourself?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Daddy brought me! I bribed him!"

Delia snickered at her granddaughter's reply before looking around. "Where is he?"

"I'm right here."

Ash was scowling at his daughter as he walked up towards the house, Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. "Elizabeth, you have to stop letting yourself out of the car."

"Why?" Elizabeth squeaked. "I'm good at it!"

"Yeah, too good," Ash sighed, folding his arms.

Delia giggled. "It's alright, dear! She's perfectly safe here."

"I know that, but it's not really a great habit to have," Ash grumbled.

Elizabeth shrugged and looked up at her grandmother. "Grammy, I hafta ask you something!"

"Oh, okay!" Delia breathed, taken off guard by her granddaughter's sudden rush. "Why don't we go inside first and then you can ask me?"

"Okay!" Elizabeth chirped.

She carried the child into the house, Ash and Pikachu entering just behind. Delia walked over to the couch and sat Elizabeth down, taking the spot beside her.

"Now, what would you like to ask me?" Delia questioned.

"Can you make me lunch for school?" Elizabeth blurted out, her eyes shimmering.

Delia appeared confused. "Sweetheart, doesn't Mommy make your lunch for you?"

"Yeah…" Elizabeth sighed. "But my friends told me all about how their mommies make them homemade cookies and cakes! And my friend Hailie, she brought the coolest lunch to school yesterday! Her nanny made it for her. It looked like a Mareep!"

Delia looked over at her son, who simply shrugged his shoulders. He thought the whole thing was kind of silly, but it was more often than not fruitless to argue with his young daughter.

"Oh, I see," Delia murmured. "So you want a special lunch like that."

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth squeaked, quickly nodding her head.

Delia frowned. She certainly didn't want her daughter-in-law to feel inadequate when it came to feeding her own child. Delia knew for a fact the woman could cook. She had taught her, after all. Nothing too fancy, but what she was able to make tasted very good, and that was really all that mattered. Then again, it didn't really seem like Elizabeth was complaining about the way her mother's food tasted. She just wanted something a little special-and potentially very difficult to put together-like her friend had. That kind of bento box, which Delia had seen before, might have proven to be difficult even for her, let alone Misty. Delia also knew, however, that Elizabeth was coming of the age where she wanted the same things as her friends. One of them bringing in something so cute and so special would've definitely set off the little seed of jealousy that most children like Elizabeth possessed.

"Please, Grammy?"

Delia blinked, realizing she'd zoned out. Elizabeth was still gazing up at her, fluttering her long eyelashes. Unable to resist her granddaughter's face, Delia let out a gentle breath and smiled.

"Alright," she relented. "I'll make you a special lunch."

Elizabeth cheered and hugged Delia's side. "Thank you, Grammy!"

Delia hugged the girl back. "Of course, baby!"

Pulling away, Elizabeth stared deeply at her father and ordered, "Don't tell Mommy!"

Ash waved his hands in front of him. "Hey, I already told you I won't!"

Delia laughed, resting her head in her hand. "You really have Daddy wrapped around your little finger, don't you?"

Elizabeth smiled proudly and nodded her head. "I'm really good at that!"

XXX

The bento box Delia had managed to create for Elizabeth was nothing short of amazing.

She'd shaped rice into the likeness of a Teddiursa, Elizabeth's favorite Pokémon, and surrounded it with hearts made of fruit, poke balls constructed with vegetables and cheese, and small swirls made with meat.

Both Elizabeth and Ash were amazed with the final product, which Delia had brought to their house the next morning in Elizabeth's pink bento box.

"I love it!" Elizabeth squealed, gleefully taking the box. "Thank you, Grammy!"

"Mom, how long did it take you to make that?" Ash asked, finally closing his jaw.

"About half an hour," Delia determined, shrugging her shoulders.

Ash furrowed his brow. "That's an awfully long time to put together lunch for a first grader."

"Maybe, but look how happy Lizzie is!" Delia giggled. "You know I'd do anything for my sweet little granddaughter."

"And you say she has me wrapped around her little finger," Ash scoffed.

Kneeling down, Delia gently held Elizabeth's face and kissed the girl's forehead. "You have a lovely day at school, okay, sweetheart?"

"I will!" Elizabeth assured her, running over to her backpack in order to retrieve her lunch bag.

Ash sighed and looked back over at his mother. "Thanks again for agreeing to make Lizzie's lunch, Mom. You really didn't have to."

"Now Ash, I already told you I'd do anything for her!" Delia calmly argued. "It was no trouble at all, really. I'll see you all at the end of the week for dinner, yes?"

"Definitely," Ash chuckled, nodding his head. "See ya then!"

He closed the door behind her and sighed, leaning against it. He and Elizabeth had really gotten away with it.

"Who was at the door?"

A jolt traveled up Ash's spine, like he'd just received a light shock from Pikachu. Unfortunately for him, the mouse was hanging out around Elizabeth, watching the girl as she slipped her bento box into its matching lunch bag.

"No one!" Ash blurted, bewildering his wife as she walked down the stairs.

"I definitely heard you speaking to someone," Misty murmured, glancing over his shoulder.

"I was talking to myself," Ash supplied effortlessly.

From her spot on the floor, Elizabeth shot her father an incredulous look. She was six and she wouldn't buy that! Based on Misty's face, she wasn't either.

"Nice try," Misty derided. She sauntered over to one of the windows in the living room, looking outside. "Is that your mother?"

"Um…no?"

Misty looked over at Ash and rolled her eyes. "You're a terrible liar."

Ash scowled. "Well…you ask terrible questions!"

"Why was Delia here?" Misty asked, not interested in arguing with her husband this early in the morning.

"Oh…she just had to drop something off," Ash replied. He was able to do this much more coolly because it wasn't really a lie.

"Really?" Misty sounded genuinely curious. "What was it?"

Now he was nervous again. As he started to stammer, Elizabeth sighed and easily responded, "Daddy left some of his underwear at Grammy's house, and she was sick of looking at it, so she brought it here."

Ash's face immediately turned red. Misty, on the other hand, let out a short laugh and exclaimed, "That doesn't surprise me! No wonder you were so embarrassed."

Misty walked right into the kitchen, leaving behind a still furiously blushing Ash. Elizabeth started to giggle, which she quickly hid behind her hand. Ash glared at his daughter, who managed to cease her tittering and instead squeak, "sorry, but you really are a bad liar. Mommy was gonna figure out something was up!"

"But you really had to use my underwear as an excuse?" Ash groaned.

Elizabeth guiltlessly shrugged her shoulders. "It was the most believable!"

"Socks or shoes would've just worked as well!"

"Yeah, but you're you, Daddy."

"Elizabeth, where's your lunch box?"

Ash and Elizabeth exchanged panicked looks. Jumping to her feet, Elizabeth scurried into the kitchen and chirped, "My lunch box?"

"I can't find it," Misty explained, closing one of the cabinets she'd been looking in. "You didn't leave it in your backpack again, did you?"

"No, I was just in my backpack!" Elizabeth answered.

Misty hummed and rubbed her chin. "It's not on the drying rack either. I swear I washed it last night!"

Ash appeared behind Elizabeth, his brow furrowed. "Maybe one of the Pokémon took it?"

"I doubt it," Misty sighed. "Without food in it, it's just an empty plastic box. Pikachu and Vaporeon wouldn't want anything to do with that."

"But Vaporeon likes boxes," Elizabeth tried.

"Cardboard boxes, though," Misty mused. "Besides, she's never taken your lunch box before. So why now?"

Ash felt like he was slowly losing his mind. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep up this charade. After all, Misty wasn't going to send Elizabeth to school without lunch. And if she spent time making a new one, Ash would feel bad for unintentionally wasting her time. So, willing to risk the scorn of his youngest daughter, Ash sighed and admitted, "Mom was dropping off lunch for Elizabeth. We brought her the box last night so she could make something special."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped as she glared up at her father. Misty just stared at the two for a long moment before nodding her head and stating, "Okay."

Both Ash and Elizabeth were taken off guard. "Okay?!"

"Yeah, okay," Misty repeated, a bit of a snicker in her voice. "That's just one less thing for me to do! What, did you two think I'd be mad or something?"

"…kind of?" Ash muttered.

"You all make me sound like I'm crazy," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well. I'm just going to make myself some coffee, now that I don't have to put together Lizzie's lunch!"

Ash was still awestruck. He looked down at Elizabeth, who was still scowling at him. Laughing nervously, Ash commented, "well that went a lot better than I was expecting!"

Her facial expression unchanging, Elizabeth held her hand out. "I'm gonna need that pretend money back now, Daddy."


You know I had to throw in the dub's beloved underwear references from the OS ;)