Happy Birthday to Ash! Of course I had to write a special birthday chapter for the occasion! I've said this before, but Ash is one of my favorite characters of all time (not just in Pokémon) and the fact that his birthday is 2 days after mine makes me so happy! It also seriously puts me in a birthday theme writing mood ;)
Ash's Birthday Bash
Elizabeth suddenly looked up from her drawing, staring directly at her mother. Misty, however, hadn't noticed; she was busy on her laptop. So, instead of calling for her mother's attention, Elizabeth decided to simply pose the question that had just struck her.
"Was Daddy a cute baby?"
Misty looked up from her screen, raising her eyebrows. "Huh?"
Elizabeth leaned forward on the coffee table and repeated, "Was Daddy a cute baby?"
"Oh, I don't know," Misty replied. "I didn't know him when he was a baby!"
Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "That's not funny, Mommy."
"I'm not trying to be funny," Misty defended herself, although the little giggle that escaped said otherwise.
"Grammy probably showed you pictures of baby Daddy," Elizabeth continued. "Right?"
"She has," Misty confirmed, nodding her head.
"So was he cute?"
Misty started to laugh again. "Yes, he was cute. He looked just like Aiden when he was a baby! They had the same chubby cheeks."
Elizabeth contemplated this for a moment before remarking, "Good to know."
Misty snickered, watching as Elizabeth reached for a tan crayon. "Why are you asking?"
"I'm drawing Daddy a picture for his birthday," Elizabeth elucidated, dragging her newly selected crayon across the white piece of paper she was holding down with her other hand. "And I'm making it of Daddy as a baby."
"How come?" Misty asked, genuinely curious as to the reasoning behind that.
"Because he was a baby once," Elizabeth murmured, leaning back to admire her work. "But now he's a grown up. And I think maybe sometimes he might want to remember when he was a baby. Because that's more fun!"
Misty thought of how to respond, but eventually settled for a shrug of the shoulders and a calm, "can't argue with that."
"Was Pikachu a cute baby?"
Another attempt to look at her laptop screen thwarted, Misty glanced back up at her daughter, who was once again staring at her. "Well, I definitely didn't know Pikachu as a baby. But most baby Pokémon are cute!"
"Was he a Pichu?"
"I would assume so, yes."
"Did Daddy ever know Pikachu as a baby?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because he didn't get Pikachu from Professor Oak until he turned 10," Misty answered. "Pikachu wasn't a baby by then."
Elizabeth let out a sigh as she frowned. "I want to draw Pikachu too, but I'm scared if I make him a Pichu, Daddy won't recognize him! But they should both be babies, because they're friends."
Misty hummed softly; Elizabeth's logic was beginning to become unhinged. Then again, she knew better than to argue with her four year old over semantics, especially when it came to her creative endeavors. "You can make him a Pichu. I'm sure Daddy will understand. And if not, you could just explain it to him!"
Elizabeth's eyes lit up. "That's such a good idea!"
"I try," Misty giggled, watching as Elizabeth switched out her tan crayon for a yellow one. With Elizabeth placated again, Misty returned to the task at hand, silently hoping for at least a few minutes of peace and quiet so she could concentrate.
Ash's birthday was indeed quickly approaching, and Misty was trying to come up with a fun way to celebrate. She knew Ash would be happy with anything, but she was wired very differently; she wanted to do something a bit different, but still perfect for her husband. He wasn't necessarily your "typical" adult; he didn't like to drink or hang out in places like bars or clubs. Not like those would work anyway, since Ash wouldn't want to leave the kids out. She vaguely remembered that a few years ago, Aiden had suggested renting Ash a bouncy castle for his birthday, and she'd shot the idea down. Now she was starting to think maybe it wasn't too crazy.
Just as she was about to type that into the search bar, the front door opened, tearing her attention away from the screen again. Elizabeth instantly panicked and threw her drawing underneath the coffee table, holding her breath as she stared at the doorway.
"Hey guys," Ash greeted casually, though he was sporting his usual grin. It faltered a bit, however, when he saw the look on Elizabeth's face. "Uh…are you okay, pumpkin?"
Realizing she was still holding her breath, Elizabeth gasped and allowed herself to breathe again, hunching her shoulders as she did so. Once she'd managed to refill her lungs, the girl sat up straight, smiling at her father. "Uh huh!"
Ash glanced towards Misty for validation; she, in turn, just smirked and shook her head.
"I don't know why you give me that look," Misty commented. "She's your daughter too."
"Who says she gets that from me?" Ash challenged, furrowing his brow.
"Me," Misty easily replied before turning back to her laptop.
Ash rolled his eyes before walking by Elizabeth and ruffling her hair. Pikachu, who had been riding on his trainer's shoulder, quickly jumped down to give the child a swift sniff search before grinning and giving her a lick on the hand, causing her to giggle.
"You're so silly, Pikachu!" Elizabeth squealed.
"Pi-ka!"
Ash, meanwhile, sat down beside Misty on the couch, trying to take a look at her screen. Misty, however, was quick to move it away, much to Ash's chagrin.
"Hey, I was-"
"Being nosy, I know," Misty interrupted.
"How can I do that when I don't even know what you're looking at?" Ash whined.
"You don't know because it's none of your business," Misty teased, placing the laptop beside her on the couch and reaching out to playfully flick her husband's nose. Ash flinched at the motion, while Elizabeth started to giggle once again, this time at her parents' bantering.
Ash looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth and frowned before turning his head to give Misty the same face. "It's almost my birthday!"
"So?" Misty asked with a short laugh.
"I should be allowed to look at whatever I want," Ash declared, shrugging his shoulders.
"You want that to be your birthday gift?" Misty scoffed.
Ash thought about it for a second before quickly replying, "No."
"Didn't think so," Misty drawled, smirking at him.
Pikachu, who was still sitting beside Elizabeth, soon caught a whiff of a different scent. Looking up at the coffee table, Pikachu saw several crayons strewn about, and nodded to himself. What he'd smelt was waxy, so the crayons certainly made sense. Lowering his eyes, the electric mouse noticed there was a piece of paper sitting on the floor beneath the table.
"Chu?" Pikachu squeaked.
He crawled under the table, which quickly caught the attention of Elizabeth. Her eyes widened and she soon dove under as well, reaching out for the Pokémon.
"No, Pikachu!" Elizabeth hissed.
"Pikapikachu!" The Pokémon cried, pointing at the paper.
"Yeah, I know it's there!" Elizabeth replied in a hushed voice. "I'm hiding it from Daddy!"
"Pi?"
"Cause it's a present!"
Pikachu peered up at his trainer from underneath the table, realization striking him. Elizabeth was still just a little girl; she didn't really have any money to spend on a gift, so drawing a picture made a lot of sense.
"Pi-ka," Pikachu murmured to Elizabeth.
"It's okay!" Elizabeth assured him. "You didn't know!"
"Lizzie, Pikachu, what are you two doing under there?"
Elizabeth jumped up and hit her head on the table, instantly recoiling and holding onto it as she groaned.
"Ash!" Misty gasped, quickly moving the table out of the way and scooping Elizabeth up in her arms.
"I didn't mean to scare her!" Ash cried, sounding quite guilty.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Misty cooed.
Despite the frown on her face, Elizabeth nodded her head. She lowered her hands and checked them for blood, but once she didn't see anything, put them at her sides.
"You're such a big girl!" Ash gasped, smiling encouragingly at his daughter. "Most kids your age would cry if they hit their head like that! Heck, I might cry if I hit my head like that!"
At that, Elizabeth laughed softly. "No, my head is hard, Daddy. Mommy says that all the time!"
"I think I still want to put an ice pack on it, just in case," Misty sighed, choosing to ignore the unintentional misdirection of her occasional comment about her daughter being "hard headed." Getting to her feet, Misty held Elizabeth securely against her hip and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Come on, baby."
As Misty and Elizabeth disappeared into the kitchen, Ash sighed and glanced down at Pikachu. With the coffee table gone, however, he also caught sight of the piece of paper beside the mouse and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, what's that?" Ash asked, pointing at it.
Pikachu looked in that direction and let out a cry, picking it up with his teeth and running off into the kitchen, leaving behind a stunned Ash.
"Guess I shouldn't have asked…" Ash murmured to himself.
XXX
"You can be so clumsy sometimes, little girl."
Elizabeth winced as her mother gently pressed the aforementioned ice pack against the sore spot on her head. "Daddy just said I'm a big girl."
"And he's right," Misty agreed, nodding her head. "My apologies!"
"It's okay," Elizabeth murmured, earning an amused giggle from her mother.
While Misty was tending to her daughter, Pikachu came scurrying towards her. The sound of his paws scratching against the floor caught Misty's attention, causing her to turn her head without shifting the ice pack she was holding. "Aw, Pikachu, did you come to check on Lizzie?"
Pikachu nodded his head, causing the paper in his mouth to wave up and down as well. Misty hummed and asked a follow up question: "what is that?"
"My drawing!" Elizabeth gasped. "I bet Daddy tried to look at it. But you didn't let him, huh Pikachu?"
The mouse shook his head. Smirking, Misty reached out with her free hand and took the drawing from his mouth. "Thank you, Pikachu. You are just the sweetest!"
Elizabeth took another look at Pikachu before gasping and turning her head sharply towards her mother, causing the ice pack to slip out of her hand.
"Oh, Lizzie!" Misty groaned, bending down to fetch it.
"Sorry, but I just got the best idea ever!" Elizabeth squealed.
"Pi-ka?" Pikachu muttered.
"What kind of idea?" Misty sighed, once again placing the ice pack against her daughter's head.
"For Daddy's birthday party!" Elizabeth replied. "What if we had it at the Pokémon Center?"
Misty looked unsure. "I don't know about that, Elizabeth. A Pokémon Center is like a doctor's office."
"Yeah, but it's also where trainers can hang out and train and stuff…and eat!" Elizabeth countered. "Aiden and Michelle taught me that!"
"Well, you're not wrong…" Misty breathed. "But what made you think of the Pokémon Center, sweetie?"
"Bumping my head on the table and Pikachu," Elizabeth answered easily.
"That's…huh?" Misty stammered, obviously not getting it.
"I hit my head, so you took care of me, and so did Pikachu!" Elizabeth explained. "That's like what they do at a Pokémon Center. And Daddy loves Pokémon! But he also loves people too. He's very friendly. He's like a Pokémon Center!"
Misty couldn't help but to giggle. "I've heard your daddy compared to a lot of things over time, but never a Pokémon Center! That's pretty creative, Lizzie."
"Yeah, and it's smart too!" Elizabeth laughed.
"But I still don't know if it would be appropriate to have a birthday party there," Misty continued.
"No, Mommy, you have it outside!" Elizabeth cried, leaning forward in her chair. "Cause then you don't bother anybody and you can be as loud as you want and play games and music and stuff like that. Oh! Can we get a piñata too?!"
"Lizzie, this isn't your birthday party," Misty reminded her daughter with a smirk.
"I know, but Daddy likes that stuff too," Elizabeth whined.
Misty sighed and tilted her head. "I'll consider it. Is that fair?"
Elizabeth excitedly nodded her head. "And the Pokémon Center?"
After deliberating it for a moment, Misty replied, "I can talk to Nurse Joy about it. I want to make sure she'd be okay with that."
"That's fair too," Elizabeth decided, getting another laugh out of her mother.
"I'm glad you think so," Misty chuckled. "How's your head feeling?"
"Better!" Elizabeth chirped.
"I'm glad," Misty said, taking the ice pack off of her daughter's head. "Do you want to go back to Daddy so he can see you're still alive?"
Elizabeth started to giggle wildly. "Yeah!"
She flew off her chair and ran back into the living room before Misty could even process it. Sighing, the gym leader glanced down at an equally stunned Pikachu and quipped, "She's got way too much of Ash in her, right?"
"Pi," Pikachu agreed.
XXX
Perhaps she shouldn't have been, but Misty was admittedly a bit surprised when Nurse Joy not only approved the idea of the Pokémon Center hosting Ash's birthday party, but fervently did so.
"Are you sure?" Misty asked, lowering her voice to a whisper as she leaned over the counter. She had chosen to head over to the center and ask in person, since she found that more personable. She had also chosen to leave Elizabeth at home with Ash, to avoid the little girl trying to guilt trip Nurse Joy with her cuteness.
Apparently, that wouldn't have been an issue.
"Oh no, I insist!" Nurse Joy fussed. "It would be an honor to have his party here! Besides, Ash is so kind. He's helped me out so many times, even when he didn't have to! And he's always so cheerful; we always have a very nice conversation every time he stops by to get his Pokémon checked out or he's running errands. It's the least I could do to show my appreciation."
Misty smiled at the wave of compliments. "He's always been good at making friends and influencing people…"
"The battle field out back will be perfect for the party," Nurse Joy continued. "His birthday falls at a nice time of the year; it should be sunny and warm outside, but there are plenty of trees back there to provide natural shade in case it's a bit too sunny and warm! And we can set up tables and chairs, and decorate as well!"
"You don't have to do any of that," Misty assured the nurse. "I can take care of all that silly stuff. And I know I'll have Elizabeth and Delia's help too…they'd both never let me hear the end of it if I didn't include them!"
"Well, I would love to lend a hand as well," Nurse Joy replied, grinning at Misty. "The more help you have, the faster it will go!"
"Can't argue with that," Misty breathed. "Thank you so much, Nurse Joy. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Of course; anything for you and Ash!" Nurse Joy chirped.
XXX
"Wow, this looks so cool!"
Misty giggled and glanced down at her daughter. "As cool as you thought it would be?"
Elizabeth grinned and confidently nodded her head. The day of the party had finally rolled around, and she, Misty, Delia, and Nurse Joy were just finishing up decorating the Pokémon Center's battlefield for the big event.
Red and blue streamers were woven through the battlefield's surrounding trees, with matching paper lanterns hung from the branches. A handful of round tables and chairs were scattered across the dirt field, adorned with red and blue tablecloths and colorful paper centerpieces that featured Ash's many Pokémon. Balloons in the same colors as the streamers and lanterns were tied to the chairs and to weights along the perimeter of the battlefield. A long table that would offer up the food Delia and Brock had prepared together sat against the outer wall of the building, with the colorful piñata that Elizabeth had requested on display at the end, waiting to be hung up and broken open.
"It's so nice out here!" Delia sighed. "So peaceful and quiet."
"Yeah, good thing we'll be ruining that in a matter of minutes," Misty quipped, smirking at her mother-in-law.
"That's just joyful noise!" Delia playfully countered. "Isn't that right, Lizzie?"
"Uh huh!" Elizabeth agreed.
"I think it looks wonderful out here," Nurse Joy marveled, smiling at the rest of the group. "I'm sure the party will be a hit!"
"I agree!" Delia giggled. "Brock should be here soon with Ash, yes?"
"I think so…" Misty hummed nervously. "I'm a bit worried. They're already running late. I hope they didn't run into Team Rocket! Or worse, Brock ran into an attractive woman…"
"Hey guys!"
Misty let out a sigh of relief and spun around. "Perfect!"
The two men had just rounded the building and were now standing beside the battlefield. Brock, the one who had greeted them, had a big smile on his face, but Ash, on the other hand, was unusually quiet as he glanced around the field, Pikachu draped over his head.
"I think he's speechless," Delia noted with a smirk. "That's unlike him!"
"Daddy!"
As soon as Elizabeth's squeaky voice called out to him, Ash broke out into a huge grin and watched as the little girl ran over to him.
"Hi, baby!" Ash chuckled, kneeling down to catch the child as Pikachu jumped off his head and scurried towards a nearby tree for the shade. "Did you help do all of this?"
"Yeah!" Elizabeth confirmed. "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" Ash replied, his voice bubbling with excitement. "It's got all my favorite colors, and a bunch of Pokémon! It's really cool."
"That's what I said before!" Elizabeth laughed.
"It is?" Ash gasped. "Wow, you and I really are exactly the same!"
Elizabeth laughed again at the comparison. She loved her father, and very much believed they were almost exactly the same person…except for the parts of her that were very much like her mother.
As Ash chatted with his daughter, he saw another pair of feet approach them. Smiling to himself, Ash gently patted Elizabeth's head as he stood back up, crossing his arms. "You really did all this for me?"
Misty giggled softly at the question. "Of course! You know that I love to celebrate your birthday. It always reminds me how lucky I am to have you in my life…I don't know what I'd do without you."
Ash's smile actually managed to widen as he threw his arms around his slightly startled wife. "Mist, you're the best! And the sweetest. I'm the one who's lucky to have you! Thank you."
She managed to wriggle free just enough to give him her own sheepish smile before pressing her lips against his. Without hesitation, Ash began to kiss her back, gently cupping her face. Elizabeth, who had managed to catch the beginning of that exchange, stuck her tongue out in disgust and scurried over to Brock, attaching herself to his legs.
"What's up, kiddo?" Brock chuckled, lifting the girl into his arms.
"Mommy and Daddy are-" Elizabeth complained before making exaggerated kissing sounds.
Brock laughed and ruffled the girl's hair, replying, "It's just because they love each other! That's a good thing!"
"I guess, but I don't wanna see it!" Elizabeth cried, waving her arms up and down.
Brock couldn't help but to let his smile widen. "You're very cute, you know that?"
"Yes," Elizabeth replied quite seriously. She was suddenly lifted out of Brock's arms, causing her to yelp and whip her head around. As soon as she saw it was just her father, however, she relaxed and threw her arms around his neck instead.
"I'm super excited to get this party started!" Ash crowed, pumping a fist. "Aren't you, Lizzie?"
"Uh huh," Elizabeth squeaked. "Are you and Mommy done now?"
Ash turned a bit red, particularly as Brock began to laugh, but assured his daughter, "yeah, we're done now."
"Okay," Elizabeth murmured. "Good!"
Ash sighed and lifted Elizabeth up once more, this time to sit her on his shoulders. "You want to try and sneak some food before everyone else gets here?"
"Yes!" Elizabeth cheered.
Chuckling, Ash turned his head towards Brock and gave him a playfully stern look. "Don't tell anyone!"
"Me? Never!" Brock drawled sarcastically. "But I'm not going to stop your wife or mother from looking in that direction either."
Rolling his eyes up, Ash directed, "we have to move fast, Lizzie."
"Go, Daddy!" Elizabeth cheered, throwing her hand out in front of her.
As the two scurried off, Brock approached Misty, who was still a bit pink in the face from her intimate exchange with Ash. "You've really outdone yourself this time."
"I can't really take much of the credit," Misty admitted. "Most of this was actually Elizabeth's idea. Kid is a scary good event planner, considering she's four years old."
"Four and-a-half," Brock corrected, practically absentmindedly.
"Yeah, I know, my bad," Misty quipped, playfully rolling her eyes. "She gets very offended if you leave that little detail out."
Brock smirked at Misty. "I presume Ash does the same?"
"Please, don't give him any ideas," Misty groaned, rubbing her temples. "He will do anything to get a laugh out of our kids, and that would do it."
"That's always nice though, isn't it?" Brock asked, earning a more thoughtful look from Misty. "No matter how old Ash gets, he stays his same, playful self. And that's a great way to be."
Misty looked over at Ash and smiled. At that very moment, she didn't care that her husband had taken their daughter to pilfer the carefully prepared buffet. She was just happy that he was him, and that she had him in her life.
"You know, Brock, those are surprisingly wise words," Misty sighed, gently tilting her head.
"Thank you!" Brock crowed before pulling his shoulders down and raising an eyebrow. "Wait a second…'surprisingly'?"
