Soo, just like with Misty's, I'm a couple days late on Elizabeth's birthday one shot...fortunately it was just because I was busy this time around!
This one takes place right before Elizabeth's 4th birthday.
Hats Off to Ya
"Mommy, can I have my party hats?"
"No, you cannot. What in the world do you need them for?"
Elizabeth frowned. "I want to have a party wif my friends!"
Misty raised an eyebrow. "You're having a party with your friends this weekend! That's why I can't let you have the hats now."
"No, my other friends," Elizabeth sighed, frustrated her mother wasn't understanding. "My stuffies!"
"Ah, I see," Misty breathed. "Well, I still can't give you the party hats. We need them for your other party! But maybe you and I could make some just for your stuffies."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "You can make 'em?"
"Sure, you can!" Misty giggled. "Come on, I'll show you."
She opened up one of the nearby cabinets and pulled out a stack of colorful construction paper. Misty had been a mother for nearly nine years at this point, so she knew all the tricks for keeping her children entertained. One of the easiest ways she had figured out how to do that was to keep arts and crafts supplies nearby, even if it was just paper, crayons, and markers.
As soon as Misty turned around and saw that Elizabeth was already sitting at the kitchen table, she smiled inwardly, knowing it worked just as well as ever.
"Who should we make a hat for first?" Misty asked, taking up the chair across from her daughter.
"Teddi!" Elizabeth cried without hesitation.
"I should've known," Misty giggled. "What color do you want it to be?"
"Pink!" Elizabeth shouted. "Me and Teddi like the same color."
"I should've guessed that, too," Misty snickered.
"Das why we have the same tutu!" Elizabeth continued, watching as her mother pulled out a piece of pink paper and folded it diagonally. "We wanna match all the time."
"That's because you two are such good friends!" Misty replied.
"Mmhm," Elizabeth hummed, her eyes following her mother as she got up from the table. "Where you going?"
"I have to get scissors to cut the paper," Misty explained, pulling open a nearby drawer. "Otherwise, this hat will be way too big for Teddi!"
"Oh, yeah, and then it'll cover his eyes!" Elizabeth squealed, giggling wildly as she pressed her hands against her cheeks. "That's silly!"
"It is!" Misty agreed warmly, reclaiming her seat. "And it wouldn't be very comfortable either."
"But then how come sometimes people cover up their eyes when they sleep?" Elizabeth asked, inclining her head. "Like Serena! She puts a thing on her eyes when she goes to bed."
"Ah, you mean a sleep mask," Misty breathed without looking up from the paper she was cutting. "That's a little different! You put that on when you're closing your eyes, and it's nice and soft. It also helps to keep things nice and dark while you sleep!"
"I don't like dark," Elizabeth whined, shaking her head. "That's why I has a nigh-light!"
"That's true, but you might grow up and prefer to sleep in the dark," Misty calmly countered. "Your sister used to sleep with a night light too, and now she doesn't like there to be any light in her room while she's sleeping!"
"Ya?" Elizabeth marveled, to which Misty giggled and nodded her head. "Kay! When I get bigger, I'll stop using my nigh-light."
"Sounds good!" Misty chirped. "Here, how's this look?"
She held up the cut paper for Elizabeth to examine, the little girl beaming as soon as she saw her mother fold it into a cone shape. "Whoa, cool!"
"Now you just have to decorate it, and then we can glue it closed!" Misty continued, releasing the paper's edges and handing it over to her daughter. "Go ahead, draw whatever you'd like."
"Ooh, I wanna draw hearts!" Elizabeth squealed, reaching for a purple marker. "Teddi loves hearts!"
As Elizabeth went to work on beautifying what would become Teddi's hat, and Misty began to fashion another piece of pink paper for Elizabeth's own hat, Vaporeon came strutting into the kitchen with great fervor. Misty took notice out of the corner of her eye and smirked, glancing over at her partner. "Hey there, Vaporeon! Did you enjoy your sun bath?"
"Vay!" Vaporeon purred, skirting over to her trainer and looking for pets. Misty was quick to comply, reaching down and patting the water type's head.
"Vaporeon!" Elizabeth gasped, leaning over in her chair to lock eyes with the Pokémon. "You want me to make you a hat so you can come to my stuffy party?"
"Pore," Vaporeon chirped, nodding her head.
"What's your favorite color?" Elizabeth asked, swinging her legs back and forth.
Grinning, Vaporeon whipped her tail around to point her fins at herself. "Vay!"
"Blue?" Elizabeth presumed, causing Vaporeon to nod her head. "That makes sense! Kay, I'll make you a blue hat! Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can you make a blue hat for Vaypy?"
Misty smirked. "Sure, I can! I take it that means Vaporeon is invited to your stuffy party too?"
Elizabeth beamed and nodded. "Yeah, her and Pikachu! They're both friends with my stuffies."
"Va-pore," Vaporeon commented, glancing up at her trainer.
"Well, that's good to know!" Misty giggled. "I'll start on Vaporeon's hat as soon as I finish yours, Lizzie."
"Yay!" Elizabeth cheered. "I'm almost done with Teddi's!"
"Oh, hey, what are you guys up to?"
Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, back towards the kitchen doorway, and beamed. "Daddy! Mommy's helping me make party hats for my stuffies!"
"Yeah?" Ash chuckled. "That sounds like fun!"
"Pikachu's invited too," Elizabeth continued, ignoring the fact her father had no idea what she was talking about. "So, he also gets a hat! What's his favorite color?"
Ash hummed and rubbed his chin. "You know, I don't think I've ever asked him!" Turning his head to look at his partner, he asked, "Hey Pikachu, what's your favorite color?"
The electric mouse, who had scurried off to chat with Vaporeon, returned his trainer's look and replied, "pi-ka!"
"Yellow?" Ash translated. "Huh, I should've been able to guess that."
"Cause it's electric!" Elizabeth giggled. "And also, his fur's yellow! I think that's why Vaporeon likes blue; cause water's blue and she's blue!"
"Vay-vay!" Vaporeon confirmed, to which Elizabeth's eyes lit up.
"Knew it!"
"You're always very good with the Pokémon, Lizzie," Ash noted. "Almost like you can read their minds!"
Elizabeth looked up at her father and grinned. "So can I have my own Pokémon for my birthday?!"
"Uh, no," Ash refuted, causing his daughter to pout. "You're only turning four! Besides, Mommy and I have lots of Pokémon you get to play with. You don't need to rush into having your own just yet."
"But it'd be so fun," Elizabeth whined.
"It is fun having Pokémon, but it's also a lot of work," Misty reminded the girl. "You have to feed them, bathe them, brush them – "
"Yeah, but that's fun too!" Elizabeth interrupted. "Besides, I know how to do all that stuff. Brock taught me!"
Misty smirked and shook her head. "He would."
"You know you can always help me and Mommy with those things," Ash added. "We always appreciate the assist!"
"Okay, I can help," Elizabeth conceded. "But only after I finish making the party hats!"
"Good deal," Ash chuckled, ruffling his daughter's dark red hair.
Elizabeth didn't acknowledge the move, too focused on completing Teddi's hat. After drawing a final purple heart, the girl's face lit up and she excitedly held up the doodle covered pink paper. "There! All done!"
"Ooh, that looks great!" Misty complimented her daughter, taking the paper back. "Now we can fold it and make the hat!"
"Yay!" Elizabeth cheered. "I want to make Vaypy's and Pikachu's hats before I make mine."
"Alright, let me cut up some blue and yellow paper for you," Misty replied, flipping through the stack of construction paper that sat in front of her.
"Need any help?" Ash asked, hanging over his wife.
"No, I'm good," Misty calmly refuted. "Thanks, though!"
"Daddy, you can help me decorate them!" Elizabeth blurted.
"The hats?" Ash inquired, leading Elizabeth to nod in response. "Sure, I can help with that!"
"You can draw on Pikachu's," Elizabeth continued. "Because you know what Pikachu likes! Even though you didn't know what his favorite color was."
Ash smirked and rubbed the back of his neck. "That was a bit silly, huh?"
"Ya," Elizabeth agreed. "But it's fine! Cause you know now!"
"True," Ash mused. "So, am I also invited to your stuffy party?"
The little girl frowned. "No, Daddy."
"What?!" Ash gasped. "Why not?!"
"It's only for my stuffies and the Pokémon!"
"Hey, I bought you most of those stuffies!"
Elizabeth pulled back; she hadn't thought about that. "Well…okay, maybe. But I have to ask my stuffies first!"
Ash's jaw dropped. "Wha…?"
Giggling, Misty asked, "Lizzie, am I invited?"
"Ya!" Elizabeth confirmed cheerfully.
"WHAT?!" Ash shrieked, his incredulity bubbling over. "How come Mommy's automatically invited?!"
Elizabeth shot her father an incredulous look. "Cause she helped make the hats!"
"I'm going to help you with the hats!"
"Ya, but Mommy cut them out. That's the hard part!"
Ash shook his head in disbelief, dropping it in his hand. "I don't know why I'm always confused that nothing makes sense…"
Ash simply does not follow Elizabeth's logic. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is just making it up as she goes.
