Chapter Nine is here!

I hope you are liking my story so far... I know uploads have been slow, but I'm determined to finish.

Please review :)

The next morning, Ash was woken by a thud against his chest. As his eyes flew open, a little, yellow face obstructed his view. Pikachu now had red lips to match his red cheeks and wore a drunken grin, his trainer knowing the look all too well. The living room was deserted when he woke, telling him Brock was most likely in the shower. The pair had slept on the room's couches overnight, deciding to stay downstairs in front of the fireplace and enjoy its warmth. Pikachu, noticing he hadn't quite got Ash's attention, poked the man in the chest, bolts of electricity sparking from his cheeks. If he wasn't awake before… he definitely was now.

"Alright pal, I'm up!" he exclaimed, trying to calm to mouse down to avoid smelling like burnt toast, curtesy of Pikachu's thunderbolt. "What's wrong?"

"Cha!" Pikachu bounded over to the doorway, calling for Ash to follow him into the kitchen.

Based on his behaviour and the current state of his face, Ash assumed Pikachu had ripped through the bottle of ketchup May had given him yesterday. Yep, he was certainly going to kill her. The young man, continued to tail his pokemon, until they were in the kitchen, Ash noticing a chair at the table was already occupied.

"Morning," Misty chimed, swirling some cereal around the bowl in front of her, with a spoon. Togetic sat on the table beside the bowl, as did Eevee, both munching on some dry cereal contently.

"Hey," Ash grinned, Pikachu impatiently yanking on his pant leg. "What is it Pikachu!?" he groaned, the rodent's cheeks zapping again.

"I think he wants some more ketchup… I told him to wake you up and ask if he could. He literally polished off that whole bottle!" Misty said, gesturing to the bottle on the countertop.

"Ohhhh no way! You're cut off Pikachu!" Ash lectured the pokemon, Pikachu grumbling in response, waving his little, yellow arms around in a flurry. "You have had enough for now!" Ash continued, getting nowhere with the mouse. Pikachu looked like he was ready to bounce off the walls. A ketchup-fuelled high… well, it was the worst, Ash would rather face up to Team Rocket, then deal with Pikachu in this state; and considering how annoying Jesse, James and Meowth were, that was saying something.

Misty giggled as Pikachu grumbled again. Ash shooting her a glare. "It's not funny Misty! He needs to sleep it off, but there's no chance of that now!"

"Pika pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried again, pointing to the ketchup bottle with an angry finger.

"I think I might be able to help! Togetic… can you use Yawn?" Misty asked, the fairy-type hovering in the air, before performing the attack gracefully. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as if he was going to strike Ash with his voltage, but instead he yawned peacefully, his eyelids drooping as he curled into a little ball on the floor.

Ash sighed, picking Pikachu up and placing him on one of the bar stools, then taking the seat across from Misty.

"Thanks for that, Togetic." Ash was relieved it had managed to stop Pikachu before he ended up on the other side of an electric attack.

"Togiiii!" the pokemon chimed, landing back on the table and chowing down on the remainder of its cereal.

"So," Ash continued, his sight set on Misty, "how'd you sleep?"

"Good…" she countered, spooning some more of her breakfast into her mouth. That was a lie. She hadn't stopped thinking about their kiss, but he didn't need to know that… for all he knew, it was a kiss to say thank you for her gifts, that's it. Nothing more.

"Good."

"Well, ah. Actually Ash… I wanted to talk to you about last night—"

"It's okay, you don't have to say—"

"No, just listen for a second," she interrupted him. "I'm sorry for forcing that kiss on you, I was emotional about everything and your gifts were really sweet… Can we just forget it happened?"

As if he could. Ash had practically dreamt about the way her lips had felt against his own. He swore that when he closed his eyes, he could feel her fingers tugging at his hair, her soft hands against his skin. Surely, she didn't expect him to forget that.

"Yeah. Sure, couldn't agree more…" he nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. She mirrored the expression.

"Thanks Ash." She scooped up the last of her cereal, finishing it off, just as Brock walked into the room.

"Hey Brocko," Ash greeted his older friend, trying to forget Misty's request by shifting his attention to Brock.

"Hey! What are you two up to today?" he asked casually, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Well, I actually should get back to Cerulean," Misty announced sadly. She loved spending time here in Pallet, but the Gym needed her and she missed her morning swims.

"What? Already?" Ash pressed. His once vibrant face possessed a frown, Misty refusing to meet his eyes.

"I'll have a few battles before New Year's. I should get back, Ash."

The raven-haired man sat quietly for a moment, as if deep in thought. He clicked his fingers, a lightbulb apparently going off in his head.

"I'll come with you!" he announced with a grin.

"What? Why?"

"It's not like I'm doing anything here and I'm sure Eevee would love to have Pikachu for company for a little while longer, right Eevee?"

"Veee!" the pokemon agreed.

He had a point Pikachu and Eevee did get along fantastically and it would ease her mind knowing the little pokemon was having fun as she worked.

"I don't know Ash… I'll be pretty busy during the week…"

"Come on Mist! I don't mind, honest!" Ash protested, eager to hear her say he could stay.

He had been gone for so long, she was stupid for even having to think about it. But things were different now, the last thing she wanted was for them to 'accidentally on purpose' kiss again. That would open a can of caterpie for sure!

"Fine! But you have to help me clean the gym AND feed the pokemon…"

"On my hands and knees, if I have to!" Ash grinned triumphantly.

Brock chuckled lightly at the topic of discussion. He was surprised Misty even had to consider it, prior to his return, she had been complaining to him about how much she missed Ash on a weekly basis. If he didn't care about Misty so much, he would have declined all of her Ash-related calls.

"I'm back at work tomorrow, so I'm heading in to Pewter later on this afternoon. I'll drop you both at Cerulean Gym."

Misty opened her mouth to protest but Brock cut her off by speaking again.

"I don't care what you say, Waterflower. You aren't riding that little, pink bike in this weather, you'll freeze! I can't believe you didn't get frostbite, just riding here!"

"Ugh. Fine!" she grumbled, accepting that this was a fight she would not be winning. She missed the days when Ash and Brock would be riddled with fear when she'd shoot them a harsh glare, now, they hardly reacted, sometimes even laughed. It was frustrating that she had lost her touch.

"Hey… has anyone seen my mom this morning?" Ash intervened, pulling the conversation in another direction.

"Yeah," Brock announced, "she went over to Professor Oak's to drop off some leftover food from last night!"

"She WHAT?!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair, Pikachu stirring in his sleep from the sound.

"What's the big deal?" Misty shrugged, unable to comprehend the reasoning behind his outburst.

"The big deal IS, that I was literally dreaming about my mom's Christmas roast… and now Gary Oak gets to have it for lunch instead of me!" he whined, Brock cracking a smile and shaking his head in disbelief.

Misty burst out laughing, receiving a frustrated sigh from the boy across from her.

"You're such a baby, Ash. Go check the fridge, I'm sure there's some left," she remarked, rolling her eyes as she cleaned up the remains of her own breakfast. "And you said Pikachu's behaviour was crazy over a bottle of ketchup…"

"At least we know where he gets it from…" Brock smirked, Misty mirroring the action.

Ash groaned, sinking back into his chair, his stomach gurgling.

"Well… I'm going to go tidy up my things. You sure you're okay to take me… and Snorlax over here back to Cerulean City, Brock?"

"HEY!" Ash boomed, registering that Misty's Snorlax comment was referring to him. The red head stifled a giggle.

"Yes! I'm insisting!" Brock replied between chuckles.

"Perfect! You better pack too Ash… just make sure you include a pair of swimming trunks, super handy for when you're cleaning out the gym's pool," she teased, winking as she exited the kitchen; Eevee and Togetic at her heels.

"Looks like you're in for a busy stay, Ash!"

Ash rolled his eyes in false annoyance. Cleaning the gym would be a drag, but he would clean a million of them if it meant spending time with his favourite girl in the world…

…(sorry Mom!)…

…..

When Delia returned from the Oak residence, she was shocked to find a stack of bags at the front door. Sure, Misty and Brock had a duffle bag and a half each, but what caught her eye more than anything, was the large duffle bag she had bought herself, for her son… and it was full. Stepping over the threshold, Mr Mime in tow, Delia walked through her front foyer not stopping her movements until she reached the dining room. There they all were, her darling son and his two best friends, a few little pokemon faces surrounding them, also. They seemed to be discussing something rather funny because all three of them were in stiches.

"Oh!" Ash choked out between fits of laughter, "Hey Mom!"

"Hi honey," Delia retorted, "what are you three up to?"

"We're just talking about the good, old days, Mrs K," Brock answered her, still attempting to settle himself down, as tears of laughter spilled from his eyes.

"How sweet!" the older woman swooned, "it's been lovely having you both here… almost like nothing has changed!" Of course that wasn't true, everything had changed. For starters, the three of them were adults now and that also meant Delia was getting older as well. Misty and Brock offered her warm smiles, Ash clearing his throat in attempt to pull the focus to the words about to leave his lips.

"Hey Mom," he began, "I was going to spend a bit of time at Misty's… to help her out at the gym… if that's okay—I-I mean, I haven't really been doing much here and—"

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Delia beamed, saving Ash from an unnecessary fluster. She didn't mind that he would be leaving her after being home for such a short period of time, especially if it meant Ash and Misty would have some time to spend… alone. Delia was internally crossing her fingers that she'd have a daughter-in-law by the end of his visit. Ash had surprised everyone with his Christmas gift to Misty, and for the older woman, it was a sign of how much he'd matured and how deeply he cared for his red-headed companion. She was proud of him for thinking of such a magnificent surprise.

"Awesome!" Ash enthused, "we were waiting for you to get back before we left."

"You're leaving already?" she questioned.

"I'm working tomorrow, and Misty's gotta get back to the gym," Brock answered her query.

"Oh! I see," Delia nodded, Mr Mime chirping in understanding also. "Well in that case, you better get going. I heard a snowstorm was going to hit Pewter City later on this afternoon. You wouldn't want to be stuck in it!"

The three exchanged nervous looks, before Brock smiled up at the older woman. "Thanks for the update Mrs K. Let's get on the road you two!" he gestured to Ash and Misty, the pair rising from their seats and following their friend's lead.

Delia walked them to the front door, smiling brightly as Ash insisted on carrying Misty's duffle bag to the car. Even though the red head argued in response, telling him she was 'a strong, independent woman and she could carry her own damn bag', he just chuckled, telling her to carry Pikachu to make it even.

Brock and Misty hugged Delia, each thanking her for their stay. The older woman than pulled her son into a tight embrace and told him to be polite and helpful at Misty's; in which Ash rolled his eyes, telling her he wasn't 'a kid anymore' and he 'had manners'. Of course Misty was there to remind him that he still chewed with his mouth open, but he narrowed his eyes at her and she stopped the attack, knowing it wouldn't end well for either of them.

"Drive safely and I expect you each to let me know when you get back home!" Delia instructed, the three young adults ensuring her they would, waving her off and climbing into Brock's little, black sedan.

"Mime! Mr Mime!" Mimey called out after them, the psychic-type waving off its friends too.

Delia watched the little car exit her driveway, her eyes glistening with hope that her Ashy would find the confidence to share his feelings with the girl he loved.

Mothers know best, and she was certain her son had found the one. She had been certain for an agonisingly-long time.

"Well, Mimey, looks like it's just you and I," Delia chimed.

"Mime!"

She wished Ash would get a move on. She was getting old and after it being just her and Mr Mime for so long, it would be lovely to hear the pitter patter of little feet around her house once again. Maybe Ash would tell Misty he had feelings for her and the two would adopt a growlithe-pup. Oh, that would be so sweet! But of course, the real footsteps she wanted to hear would belong to her grandchildren… but she was getting way too far ahead of herself.

But hey, a future-grandmother could dream!

…..

A few days had passed since they had all returned home, each party keeping their promises and phoning Delia as soon as they had arrived back. Brock had thankfully beaten the Pewter City snow storm; however, the cold weather had the Pokemon Centre phoning him with the hope that he could come in early to lend an extra hand.

Misty's gym had remained relatively quiet, the battles she was expecting to have were cancelled, the snow delaying quite a number of her challengers. Ash still kept his word, helping her out with pokemon feeding and maintenance; even being outsourced by her sisters to help clean the tank for their underwater ballet shows, which were going ahead regardless of the weather. With nothing to do, Misty would find herself helping too, but it was more to observe… especially considering Ash would be working so hard at scrubbing the glass, his shirt would often be discarded, leaving him in front of her bare-chested. The weather outdoors may have been freezing, but the gym's pool area was humid, mimicking the summer air and providing him good reason to get semi-naked. The first time she saw him, it had caught her off guard and she was a mess of nerves as she gawked at him from across the room. Sure, she had seen him with no shirt on in the dark, but under the gym's harsh lighting, his muscles were on full display. A pair of toned biceps, and pectoral muscles were only the beginning, Misty found herself appreciating the set of slight abs that covered his tanned torso, followed by the muscular 'V' shape which disappeared beyond the waistline of his swimming trunks; even his toned butt was cute! But she hadn't even got to the best part… the muscles of his shoulders and his back would send her pulse raising, her face burning as though his Charizard had scorched her with a brutal flamethrower. There was no way he spent all his time training just his pokemon, his body spoke volumes about the amount of time he spent training himself.

For the first time ever, she was glad he was so oblivious, because he hadn't seemed to notice the time she spent checking him out; however, that was a different story for her sisters. Daisy, Lily and Violet would smirk, giggle or wink when he was around, but they'd save their best comments for when he would leave the room. Most of which was send Misty's heart into her throat, turning her face an even deeper shade of crimson compared to the one it'd be when he was in the room. The red head was just thankful they decided to set up the spare bedroom for Ash, that way when night fell, she wasn't tortured with watching him sleep, knowing how much more beautiful he was in his sleeping form. Gosh, what a creep she was.

When New Year's Eve came around, the Waterflowers, plus their additional house guest sat in front of the television in the home's living room, staring intently at the screen.

"Ava Azure here, coming to you live from the Pokemon Centre in Viridian City, where I have an important warning from Nurse Joy. What would you like to say, Nurse Joy?" the reporter announced sternly, the centre's staff running around in pure panic in the shot behind the duo.

"Thank you, Ava. I have received word from the Hoenn region's Weather Institute, where the Pokemon World's top meteorologists have informed me about a severe blizzard set to hit most of the Kanto region overnight. I understand that it is New Year's Eve, but please, for the sake of your pokemon and our pokemon centres, stay indoors. Do not go out and try your best to keep warm."

"Do we know when this storm will pass, Nurse Joy?"

"Yes. They have predicted the weather to settle by tomorrow, although most of the region will be blanketed by thick snow. Stay safe everyone!" Nurse Joy's face disappeared from the screen, the camera focusing on the reporter, for her final takeaway.

"You heard it here first, folks! Looks like New Year's Eve is cancelled, let's just hope this isn't a sign of things to come!" with a wink she signed off, "Ava Azure, Kanto News Daily."

"Oh great!" Daisy cried, sinking in to the sofa. "I was supposed to meet Tracey tonight to ring in the new year!"

"I was like supposed to go out with my friends for drinks!" Violet groaned, doing the same thing.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather be safe inside and warm, than out in a storm…" Misty, the voice of reason, piped up from her spot on the couch.

"I guess little sister has a point…" Lily shrugged, "looks like we have to make our own party."

"Oooo! Girl's night!" Daisy and Violet cheered in unison, the three sisters exchanging excited looks.

Ash however, was clearly unimpressed. "Ahem!" he cleared his throat, "girl's night?"

"Like, what else can we do, Ketchum?" Daisy stated, folding her arms against her chest.

"Oh, I don't know… How about something that doesn't just include chick-flicks and nail polish!"

Misty laughed, patting him sympathetically on the back, "if it helps, you can choose a movie to start us off with, okay?"

"Fine…" he muttered, figuring that was the best he could do. "But before that, I'm going to see if I can reach Brock… to see if he's okay!" Ash pulled out his blue Pokégear from his pocket, Misty nodding approvingly.

"Tell him I said to be careful!" she remarked, calling after Ash as the boy exited the room.

"Will do!"

Ash found a place to sit on the staircase, scrolling through the device's contact list before falling upon the Pokemon Doctor's familiar name. The phone dialled monotonously, the dull ring in Ash's ear disappearing when, much to his surprise, Brock picked up.

"Hey Ash, what's up?" he blurted, clearly in a hurry.

"Hey, are you busy?" he responded, mentally slapping himself for such a dumb question. "I mean, can you talk?"

"Yeah, but only for a few minutes, my break will be over after that!"

"Misty and I just wanted to check up and see if you were okay. We saw the news report," Ash shrugged, knowing that Brock wouldn't be able to see him.

"I'm all good man, thank you. But, please tell me you two are staying inside, like the warning said. Pewter City is in shut down, but the pokemon centre is packed, people are sleeping in the lobby! We even have our electric pokemon on standby in case the generators stop working," Brock voiced, trying to relay the message as quickly as humanly possible.

"Woah… that's intense. But yeah, we are all staying put. Although I'd rather be out in the storm, than here having 'girl's night' with Misty's sisters! She said to be careful, by the way!"

Brock's deep laugh sounded from the other side of the phone. "Don't get any ideas, Ketchum. You're staying inside, I don't care how torturous, you claim it to be… How you think being surrounded by three pretty girls—"

"—four," Ash blurted absentmindedly, causing Brock to laugh again.

"—Sorry, four pretty girls," he corrected, "is worse than being stuck in a snow storm, makes me think that you're crazy!"

It was Ash's turn to laugh now, "I guess it's not all that bad—"

"—paging Doctor Stone to emergency. I repeat, Doctor Stone to emergency," a speaker on Brock's end interrupted their conversation.

"Sorry, Ash. I've gotta go, stay safe, will ya!"

"You too Brocko!" and with that, the line went dead.

His older friend did have a point. There was no way being inside was worse than what he had to endure at the Pokemon Centre… If Ash could handle cleaning the gym every day for the past five days, he could handle another chick-flick marathon.

And she would be right next to him, the whole time…

…..

With no choice but to ring in the New Year from their living room, the household grew quiet a little after midnight as its residents headed up to bed, with nothing better to do. There were no 'midnight' kisses, the thought not even crossing their minds as they watched the countdown unfold beyond the television screen. Misty hadn't really had time for New Year Celebrations over the past couple of years. Being a gym leader meant she had to be at the top of her game and often jump straight back into it after the holidays were over. She was used to going to sleep straight after the countdown and that plan didn't change tonight.

With a sleepy Eevee in her arms and Togetic recalled into its pokeball; the red head said her goodnights, making the short trip up to her bedroom and letting the warm blankets consume her. The snow outside was still plummeting down, but it was beginning to settle, the wind singing her a lullaby from behind the glass of her windows. It wasn't long until darkness surrounded her, forcing her tired eyes to shut and her body to fall into a deep and well-needed sleep.

It was around 5am, when Eevee nudged her out of her slumber. Misty groaned sleepily, ignoring the little creature and rolling over, this only caused Eevee to nudge her again.

"Augh Eevee… What is it?" she muttered groggily, shifting onto her back, the pokemon jumping onto her chest.

"Vee, vee!" Eevee exclaimed, trying it's best to communicate with the red head. Misty's baffled expression gave it the indication that its efforts had been unsuccessful.

Eevee jumped off the bed, prompting Misty to sit up, before yawning and running a hand through her messy, red locks. The pokemon pawed at her bedroom door, Misty sighing in defeat as she walked over to it. Eevee seemed more determined than ever to have the door pulled open, the red head obliging and cracking it open just a little, enough to stick her head outside.

Light filled the foyer downstairs, sending Misty's heart into her throat. Taking a step back from the door she ordered Eevee to stay on her bed as she pulled Azumarill and Gyarados' pokeballs from her red backpack. She placed them in the pocket of her sweatshirt as she tiptoed out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Her heart continued to race, though still lodged in her ossiphageous as she tried desperately to swallow in back down. Had someone broken in? She was halfway down the staircase now, trying not to let the timber creak beneath her starmie slippers, knowing that it would give her a heart attack if it did.

The light was coming from the training room; an area to the side of the main gym where she spent her time exercising her pokemon. It was also the place where most of her family's pokeballs resided. She wasn't too concerned about that, knowing that the security was state of the art and almost impossible to break through. Pausing at the entrance to the gym's main battle area, she peered into the room noticing the training equipment set up around the pool. The lights were off, but the training room was illuminated well enough to allow a dim glow to settle over the body of water. Misty's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, as a figure appeared before her. His back was to her, and he stood in a wide stance on the yellow block at the pool's near end. There was no denying his identity, based on the mop of unruly, black spikes covering his head. His black shirt clung to his body as if drenched in sweat and he still wore a pair of striped pyjama pants making it look like he had just rolled out of bed. Misty observed him silently, three pokemon present at his feet.

"Okay, Pikachu!" he began, "thunderbolt! No iron tail! Wait! Stop!"

"Chuuuuuu?!" Pikachu wailed, unsure of his command. The little pokemon, stood obediently at Ash's feet, the trainer sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You ready, Bulbasaur?"

"Bulba!" the grass-type grunted in approval. Misty gathered that Ash must have arranged with Professor Oak to have Bulbasaur with him, before they left Pallet Town. It had been a while since she had seen it in battle.

"Alright, razor leaf! Right at the target—" he pointed to one of the training targets in the centre of the pool.

Bulbasaur followed through with the command, hitting its mark and noticeably damaging the target. Ash nodded sternly. "Good! Back it up with a vine wh—no a tackle attack!"

"Bulba?!" Bulbasaur cried, losing its momentum and plummeting straight into the pool. Misty winced, still keeping quiet by the entryway.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried, his Talonflame, the third pokemon at his feet, flying over to help pull Bulbasaur out of the cold water.

Ash stepped off the floating block and back on to firm ground, recalling Bulbasaur and Talonflame before allowing his body to hit the floor with a thud. It was almost as if his connection with them all had been broken and he was thrown straight into the deep end of a pool before realising that he couldn't swim.

"Ahhhh!" he cried out in frustration, "what the hell is wrong with me?!"

"Pikapi," Pikachu uttered, trying to comfort his trainer by nuzzling into his side. Ash ran his hands over his face, exhaling loudly, still visibly frustrated by his poor attempt at training his pokemon.

Misty frowned, deciding now was as good a time as any to break her silence.

"Hey…" she spoke softly, her feet bringing her closer to him, Ash jumping slightly at the sound of her voice.

"Sorry I woke you," he mumbled, "I tried to keep it down."

"That's okay," she smiled gently, "what are you doing down here?"

He shrugged, making no attempt at trying to match her smile. He looked so dejected, which made Misty feel as though someone had brutally ripped her heart from her chest.

"Couldn't sleep."

"So you decided to come down here… to train?"

"I don't know what I was doing! Okay!" he snapped, Misty taking a step back from him as he rose to his feet. The shock was evident on her face, a deep frown tugging her lips downward.

After a moment of silence, she found the confidence to speak again, her companion avoiding her eyes at all costs.

"Ash… what is it?" Her hand found his shoulder and she tried hopelessly to break through to him, but he was icy; like he was frozen solid by Dewgong's ice beam. Even with the warmth her eyes conveyed and the touch of her hand, she wasn't able to melt him and that worried her.

"It's nothing!" he barked again, jerking her hand from his shoulder. His eyes finally met hers and she noticed that they were becoming glassy, which only made her feel even worse. She usually knew how to talk to him when he was emotional and yes, he didn't always take her advice but she would be able to give it. This was unlike any of those times, she was speechless and quite frankly rather distraught seeing him before her on the verge of tears. It was obvious he was frustrated and angry, but beyond that he seemed… lost. She wanted to help him find his way, but even she didn't know what to do.

"I'm going to bed… Sorry about the gym, I'll tidy it later," he announced, his words burning through her like she was a dainty wurmple, against a scalding fire blast.

She didn't know how to stop him, so she let him go; Pikachu offered her a sad look, bounding after Ash as they both left Misty alone in the arena.

This was not the Ash she knew. She hated seeing him so down in the dumps. He may have had the distraction of reuniting with his friends and family and the holidays, but she knew now that being here wasn't enough for him to forget the reason behind his return.

He was different… and it was time for her to get to the bottom of why that was.

Let me know what you think!