Today is Aiden and Michelle's birthday! This year, I wanted to take a little different approach to their birthday story. It's not explicitly about their birthday, more like a leadup, but there's a lot of fun elements in here! I wanted to explore a bunch of the different relationships within the Ketchum household, and this one definitely reflects that.
Terrific Twos
"Dada, mowe stowy!"
"More? But we just read two!"
"Wan- nofer one."
Ash sighed and smirked at his daughter. "At this rate, we're going to run out of books!"
"Nuh uh," Michelle calmly refuted, trying to wiggle her way off the rocking chair. She was still too small, however, and even with most of her body off of the seat, her feet were still dangling well above the floor. Scoffing, Ash gently helped her down, watching as the toddler scurried over towards the bookshelf.
"Pipikachu," Pikachu softly noted from his perch atop the chair. Ash threw an amused look at his Pokémon and just laughed. They both found the little girl to be quite entertaining, and quite reminiscent of her mother in many ways.
"Do you see the story you want?" Ash asked patiently after a few quiet moments had gone by.
"No," Michelle whined, looking over her shoulder. "I wan- moon!"
"Goodnight Lunatone?" Ash presumed, causing his daughter to nod. "Okay, let me get it."
He stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, Pikachu following behind. Almost as soon as Ash got to the shelves, he could feel Michelle's eyes on him as he searched for her book of choice, her silent impatience practically cutting through him. Soon enough, Ash located and retrieved the book, grinning down at an excited Michelle. "Here it is!"
Michelle beamed before holding her arms up. Chuckling, Ash lifted the girl into his arms and carried her back to the rocking chair, sitting her down before squeezing in beside her as she giggled. This time, Pikachu elected to curl up by his trainer's feet, sighing as soon as he was settled.
"You know, soon you're gonna be able to read these stories to me!" Ash crowed. Michelle giggled more softly this time and buried her face in her father's side, causing him to grin. "Hey, don't be bashful! You're a super smart little girl! You should be proud of that, Shelly."
Michelle looked back up, blinking her wide green eyes. "Me?"
"Yeah, you!" Ash snickered, tapping her nose. She was the sweetest baby…although, she wasn't really a baby anymore. Ash had to keep reminding himself of that, especially as Michelle and her brother's second birthday quickly approached. He and Misty were actually able to have some semblance of conversation with them, even though the twins' half of such exchanges were largely nonsensical. Both kids also had very distinct personalities at this point, and it was interesting for their parents to see those on display.
Michelle, for instance, was the more timid of the two. She was much quieter than her brother, although he seemed to be very good at getting her out of her shell…around him, at least. And although they wished their daughter didn't have to contend with such anxiety, Ash and Misty thought she was the sweetest girl, with a kind and sensitive heart.
"No, Dada, you wead."
Ash blinked when he heard incessant patting against the book in his lap. Michelle was still gazing up at him while she smacked the book, her look patient but wearing thin.
"Alright, I'll still read to you for now," Ash chuckled, flipping open the book. As he read through the latest story, he kept stealing glances at Michelle, hoping that the little girl would be growing sleepy. That didn't seem to be the case, however, as her eyes stayed wide open and not a single yawn escaped her lips. When he finished, he held his breath, hoping he wasn't about to hear what he was expecting.
"-nofer one!"
Ash released the breath he'd been holding with a sigh. "Shelly, no, we've already read three different stories. It's bedtime now!"
The girl whimpered, her face contorting into a pout. "P-ease?"
Her father groaned and hung his head, muttering, "I sure hope Misty is having an easier time than I am up here…"
XXX
"Aiden, come on! Where are you?"
Misty sat back on her knees and grumbled as she looked around the living room. She'd been trying to wrangle up her son for bedtime, and the boy had managed to wriggle out of her grasp, running and hiding thereafter. Misty had found him a couple of times already but was never quick enough to catch him before he scurried off somewhere else. Now, he seemed to have found a much better hiding spot that Misty had yet to locate.
"Poreon."
Misty looked over her shoulder. "Nothing?"
The bubble jet Pokémon remorsefully shook her head. She'd been trying to help her trainer find Aiden, but she wasn't having any luck either. While it was easier for Vaporeon to track the boy down thanks to her heightened sense of smell, Aiden had started moving around so much and hiding in so many different places that his scent was all over the place. As a result, it was throwing her off and left her own search unsuccessful.
"It's okay, don't take it so hard!" Misty assured her partner, patting the Pokémon's head. "Aiden's basically a slippery Seviper at this point. It's hard for everyone to keep a hold of him, let alone track him down every time he manages to run off."
Aiden had been such a sweet, cuddly baby who was content to just sleep and eat. But the older he got, the more mischievous he became. Now that he was nearing two years old, that playfulness was reaching new heights. He was still a very friendly, kindhearted boy, but he also couldn't help causing mischief whenever he had the chance. The juxtaposition of these two traits drove Ash and Misty crazy, especially since they were never sure which side of Aiden they were actually going to get.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Misty caught sight of a spring of jet-black hair. She whipped her head around and realized it was coming from beneath the couch. Misty smirked and rolled her eyes; of course her son had managed to find the tightest space he could possibly squeeze into! Lowering herself to the floor, Misty peered directly under the couch and instantly found herself staring into the toddler's warm brown eyes. "Nice hiding spot, sweetie, but Mommy found you! Time to go to bed."
"No," Aiden whined, trying to shuffle backwards. He bumped into the wall, however, and his eyes widened when he realized he couldn't go any further. Soon he was scowling, however, and cried, "I no go!"
Misty sighed and lowered her head. Vaporeon mewled and rubbed her cheek against her trainer's, trying to reassure her. That little move gave Misty an idea, however, and she quickly picked her head back up and smiled at the water type. "That's it!"
Vaporeon tilted her head, unsure of what Misty was thinking. Reaching to her waist, Misty pulled off one of her poke balls and pressed the center button to expand it before holding it out towards Vaporeon. The bubble jet Pokémon gave it a sniff before swishing her tail excitedly, recognizing it as her own poke ball.
"This'll get him out," Misty breathed, grinning at the ball before inching towards the couch. "Let's go, poke ball!"
She held out the sphere and gently tapped it against her son's forehead. Aiden crossed his eyes up to watch, giggling as it touched him. Tossing the ball aside, Misty reached beneath the couch and pulled Aiden out, the boy's laughter growing wildly as his mother retrieved him. "I did it! I caught Aiden!"
"Vay!" Vaporeon cheered.
Still giggling, Aiden squirmed around in his mother's arms so he was facing her. "Mama! I notta Po-mon!"
"No, you're not," Misty agreed. "You're my little boy! Which means you still have to listen to me."
"Bed?" The toddler asked mournfully.
"Yes, bed," Misty confirmed with a smirk. Aiden tried to squirm away again, but she was quick to lock him down before he could succeed. "Hey! You can't escape; I caught you, remember?"
"But I notta Po-mon!" Aiden cried again, as though his mother had forgotten.
"Well, can we pretend you're a Pokémon?" Misty whimsically requested.
Aiden stopped squirming and seemed to think it over before cheerfully replying, "kay!"
"Awesome," Misty giggled. "And since you're my Pokémon, you have to listen to me! My Pokémon are all super loyal. Like Vaporeon!"
Vaporeon nodded to confirm this was true. Aiden shifted his eyes towards the water type and then back to his mother, simply stating, "Duck not."
"What?" Misty murmured, furrowing her brow. "Psyduck? What about him, sweetie?"
"Duck not listen."
Misty's face paled, and she quickly refuted, "He's the only one. Don't be like Psyduck."
Before Aiden could argue any further, Misty got to her feet, holding the boy against her hip. Vaporeon followed suit by getting to her paws and trailing after her trainer, exhibiting those loyal attributes Misty had boasted about to her son. The boy, meanwhile, had stopped pouting and resorted instead to watching Vaporeon in fascination. He loved to observe Pokémon, and Vaporeon was a particularly interesting subject.
"Vaypy," Aiden murmured, pointing at the Pokémon.
Misty hummed and looked down at her partner, smiling at the water type. "Yeah, see? Vaporeon is a very good Pokémon!"
Aiden grinned at his mother. "I'ma good Po-mon too!"
"Yes, you are!" Misty giggled, rubbing her nose against her son's.
When they reached the twins' room, however, Misty was surprised to see that Michelle was still awake and sitting with her father on the rocking chair.
"Ash, what's going on?" Misty asked. "Why isn't she in bed?"
"Because she refuses," Ash answered with a sigh, slumping deeper into the rocking chair.
"We wead stowy," Michelle murmured, haphazardly flipping through the pages of the book that sat on her father's lap.
"Still?" Misty breathed.
"Don't worry, it's not the same book," Ash assured her. "This is the fourth."
"The fourth?!" Misty repeated with a shriek. "Okay, that's enough story time for tonight."
She put Aiden down in his crib before walking over to the rocking chair and plucking the book out of Ash's lap. Michelle yelped in displeasure, to which her mother gently shushed her.
"Hey, Daddy has been very nice and read to you a whole lot tonight," Misty reasoned with the scowling toddler. "Now it's time for bed. You two can read more tomorrow."
"Dada!" Michelle wailed, desperately looking up at her father.
Letting out a long sigh, Ash conceded, "I'm tired, Shelly. Mommy is right; we can read more tomorrow after you and I both get a good night's sleep!"
The little girl began to throw a fit, but Misty was quick to scoop up her daughter and give the child a kiss on her forehead. "It's okay, you're just cranky because you're tired. Let's get you to bed."
Misty walked over to Michelle's crib and, like her brother before her, placed her in it. The toddler tried to crawl away, but her mother held her in place while pulling down her sheets so she could tuck her in. Across the room, Ash had gotten up so he could do the same with Aiden, who had resorted to a chattier approach.
"Mama catched me!" He announced, gazing up at his father.
"She caught you?" Ash repeated, albeit with the correct grammar, which led Aiden to nod. "Well sure she did! Because you kept running away from her like the crazy little boy you are."
"No!" Aiden refuted with a laugh. "Wif a po-ball!"
Ash started to chuckle as well. "Aw, you have the best imagination! It's so cute!"
Aiden furrowed his brow, confused that his father thought he was just making stuff up. "Mama, tell Dada!"
"Tell Dada what?" Misty asked from the other side of the room, where she was still leaning over the railing of Michelle's crib.
"That'd you catched me wif a po-ball!"
"Oh, yes, I did!" Misty giggled, looking over at a still amused Ash. "That's how I got him up here!"
"In his poke ball?" Ash teased.
"No, because he became my Pokémon which meant he had to listen to me," Misty replied with a smirk.
"An- not Duck!" Aiden exclaimed. "I not Duck -cause he not."
"What, he doesn't listen to Mommy?" Ash clarified.
Aiden shook his head. "He not. I do!"
"Well, not always," Misty murmured before grinning at her wide-eyed son. "But you did tonight! And that was very nice."
"-cause I not a baby," Aiden informed her.
"No, you and your sister are certainly not babies anymore!" Misty agreed, smiling as she tapped the still frustrated Michelle's nose, finally getting a small giggle out of the girl. "You are a big boy and girl now!"
"Yeah, you guys are almost two years old," Ash added. "That's a big deal!"
"Is ouw biwfday?" Michelle squeaked, her sour disposition evaporating.
"Not yet," Misty giggled. "Almost!"
"A-most?" Michelle chirped.
"Yep," Misty confirmed once more, smiling as she pressed another kiss atop her daughter's head. "Now, time for bed, both of you!"
"Nigh-, Mama," Michelle murmured, rubbing at her eyes.
"Goodnight, seashell," Misty returned warmly.
Grinning, Ash bowed his own head down and gave Aiden a kiss, this one on his cheek. "Night, champ!"
"Nigh- Dada."
Ash and Misty then crossed the room, switching off twins and repeating the same nighttime ritual. As they were finishing up, Pikachu took up residence inside Aiden's crib, while Vaporeon did the same with Michelle.
"You guys wanna stay here with the twins?" Ash asked, shifting his gaze between the electric and water types.
"Chu!"
"Vay!"
Ash and Misty both smiled at the Pokémon's confirmations. It wasn't uncommon for them to stay with Aiden and Michelle at night; they were very protective of the kids and had been doing this since they were born. Their trainers still found it very sweet, however, and could never get over just how lucky they were as parents and Pokémon trainers.
"Okay, well then, you two have a good night's sleep too!" Misty beckoned as she got to her feet.
"Yeah, we'll see you in the morning," Ash added, giving them a little wave.
The Pokémon returned their trainers' wishes in their own names as they each snuggled up against their chosen toddler. With that, Ash and Misty walked out of the room, turning off the lights on their way before carefully closing the door behind them and making their way downstairs.
"Finally!" Ash cheered softly, stretching his arms over his head. "I thought we'd never get those two to bed."
Misty giggled at his jubilation. "Come on, when has that ever happened?"
"It hasn't, but we struggle so often I'm just waiting for the day that it does," Ash deadpanned.
"Some things do get harder as kids get older," Misty mused. "I suppose bedtime being one of those things isn't too surprising."
Ash frowned at Misty's words. "You know, I was thinking about that before, while I was reading to Michelle. I still tend to think of them as babies, but they're really not anymore."
"Nope," Misty agreed, shaking her head. "They're full-on little people now. With their own distinct personalities and everything!"
"It's so weird," Ash breathed before his eyes snapped open. "A-and I don't mean weird in a bad way! It's just…I don't know. It's weird."
Misty giggled as her husband stumbled over his words. "It's okay, I understand exactly what you mean."
Ash raised his eyebrows. "You do?"
"Mmhm," Misty intoned. "I mean, two years ago, they were literally inside my body. Now they're walking all over the place and talking all the time…it's all gone by so fast. I think there's a part of me that's always going to think of them as our babies, even as they keep getting older."
Ash smiled at Misty's admittance. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be the same way."
Returning his delicate grin, Misty reached out her hand, silently urging Ash to take it. "Come on, let's go celebrate another bedtime victory!"
Ash was more than happy to grab Misty's hand, but he also couldn't help himself and quipped, "we always do, but what happens when that night comes where we don't get that victory?"
"Ash Ketchum? Assuming we'll lose?" Misty gasped dramatically. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?"
"Trying to be that realistic adult you're always looking for," Ash chuckled. "Besides, don't they always say something that two-year-olds are like…the worst?"
"Terrible twos," Misty replied almost robotically. Her eyes twinkling, she continued, "but I'm choosing to be positive and act on the assumption that our children will not go through that phase! In fact, I'm going to manifest a new phase just for them. I'll call it…the terrific twos!"
"Terrific, huh?" Ash chuckled. "Well, if the last few nights have been any indication, I think they'll be pretty terrific-ly terrible."
Misty rolled her eyes at his smug expression. "Hey, at least you didn't have to drag Aiden out from underneath the couch! Reading a hundred books to Michelle is a cakewalk compared to that."
"He fits under the couch?"
"Of course he fits under the couch. He's small and quite possibly boneless."
Ash chuckled at the image. "I'd offer to get him out next time, but that's probably not gonna work considering you already caught him with one of your poke balls. He's gonna tell me you're his trainer and he doesn't have to listen to me!"
"He absolutely will, he knows his Pokémon facts," Misty giggled, sidling closer to Ash and wrapping her arms around him. "But I'll let you give it a go anyway! I'd be more than happy to read Michelle a dozen storybooks instead."
"It wasn't a dozen, it was only four."
"Only?"
"Oh, you know I'd read her a hundred books if she wanted!"
"I do. That's the problem."
Ash smirked. "Alright, fine. We'll switch tomorrow night and see just how terrific it is!"
"Don't you mean terrific-ly terrible?" Misty teased, looking up with a wry expression.
"Heh, of course!"
I feel like around 2 would be the time where Aiden and Michelle really start to become very individualized, so this story was meant to explore that and what their interactions with their parents are like in that respect.
