Hey everyone! My apologies for getting this chapter to you all late. I've been so busy with work, dance, vacations, and a new puppy that this one shot ended up falling a bit behind!
As I'm sure you can all guess from the time of year (and the title) this is a Father's Day one shot. I found this one particularly fun to write, so hopefully you all enjoy reading it!
Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old
Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old
Further from Father
Ash was in an exceptionally cheerful mood today.
One might consider that par for the course. After all, Ash was generally a pretty happy guy. He didn't let much bother him and was pretty go-with-the-flow. Nothing really seemed to take him too off guard, and even if something wasn't exactly going his way, Ash could easily adjust, all with a smile on his face.
The reason for his particularly positive disposition, however, was that Father's Day was quickly approaching. Although Ash loved all holidays, Father's Day was one of his favorites, and it wasn't even because of the gifts! He adored his children and was so proud to be their father. It felt really nice for him to be able to celebrate and fully enjoy a holiday that he had dreaded as a fatherless child.
He bounded down the stairs that morning, his eyes sparkling as soon as he saw his family gathered around the breakfast table.
"Morning, guys!" Ash greeted.
"Morning!" Michelle returned. Both Aiden and Elizabeth were too busy stuffing their faces and hadn't actually responded.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu chimed in. He too had been eating, but was happy to take a quick break in order to greet his trainer.
Misty, on the other hand, just smirked at her husband. "Finally made it downstairs, I see."
"Yeah!" Ash chuckled. "I'm so ready to eat!"
He sat down next to Aiden and ruffled the boy's hair. When Aiden once again didn't respond, Ash raised an eyebrow and took a closer look, realizing that Aiden was tearing through his breakfast even faster than usual.
"Going a little crazy there, aren't ya champ?" Ash questioned.
Aiden swallowed his latest bite of food and quickly shook his head. "Nah, I just have to finish up quick!"
"Quick?" Ash repeated. "Why, you have a hot date somewhere?"
Aiden's face flashed red, while his sisters giggled. "No! I'm meeting Brandon after breakfast so we can practice together."
"They have that big playoff game next weekend," Misty reminded her husband. "So they're pretty nervous."
"We're not nervous!" Aiden cried. "We can beat them easy!"
"I believe you," Misty giggled. "I think you can too!"
Ash, however, looked somewhat disappointed. "I thought you were going to practice with me for the big game!"
"Oh, yeah," Aiden murmured. "Sorry, Dad, I forgot!"
Though he was still let down, Ash managed to put a smile on his face and give his son a nod. "It's okay, it happens!"
Aiden finished off the last of his breakfast and hopped out of his seat. "I'm going to meet Brandon now! See you guys later!"
"Aiden, put your plate in the sink before you go," Misty called just as the boy was about to run off. He halted and let out a huff, but still turned around and retrieved his dish to put away. "Thank you!"
"Yep!" Aiden called over his shoulder as he scurried out of the kitchen.
Misty sighed and pushed her fork around her plate. "That boy is always in such a rush."
"Yeah, even more than usual," Ash murmured. "But hey, at least our girls want to hang out with us!"
Michelle sheepishly looked down at her plate. "Actually, Selena and I were going to go to Cerulean Park and draw."
Ash sucked in a breath as Michelle stood up, gathering her own plate to place in the sink. She spun back around and smiled more confidently at her father, adding, "but we can do something fun later! Whatever you want, Daddy!"
Ash, however, still seemed in shock as Michelle skirted away. Misty noticed this but kept it to herself, taking a small sip of her coffee before putting the mug down and smiling at her youngest daughter. "Well, it's just you and us now, Lizzie! Right, Daddy?"
The Pokémon Master quickly brought himself back to reality, beaming at the little girl. "That's right! Is there anything fun you'd like to do today, pumpkin?"
"I wanna dance!" Elizabeth chirped.
"But you don't have dance class today, sweetie," Misty replied.
"That's fine!" Ash chuckled. "I could dance with her! Lizzie's much better than I am, but…I can try my best!"
"No, Daddy!"
Ash blinked and looked down at the toddler. "No?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Myse-f!"
"Oh, you want to dance on your own?" Ash asked, deflating.
Elizabeth nodded her head and slid off of her chair, standing on her tippy toes so she could grab her plate and carry it over to the sink…which she could also barely reach. The little girl just managed to perch the plate on the edge of the sink, and apparently that was good enough for her, because she left it there and bustled away with a big smile on her face.
"And that one thinks she can roll like the big kids," Misty snickered, getting up to properly put the plate in the sink. "A true youngest sibling."
"Gary was right."
Misty raised an eyebrow and glanced over her shoulder. "What?"
"Gary was right," Ash repeated. "He told me the kids were going to grow up and want nothing to do with me."
Misty scoffed and turned back towards the sink. "Gary is an idiot."
"Yeah, but a right one!" Ash cried.
"Ash, our kids adore you," Misty stressed. "They would never want nothing to do with you. But it's perfectly normal for them to want some space from time to time!"
"Really?" Ash deadpanned. "Even the one who isn't even 3 yet?"
"Elizabeth isn't like most kids her age," Misty refuted.
"How is she not like most kids her age?!" Ash howled. "She loves pink and princesses and ballerinas! She thinks her stuffed Pokémon are living creatures! She's obsessed with tea parties! But she's too cool to hang out with me all of a sudden?"
Misty blinked hard before sighing. "Relax, sweetheart. None of the kids think they're 'too cool' for you. That's just silly."
Ash grunted before muttering, "Aiden's a lot cooler than I was at that age."
Misty dramatically rolled her eyes as she walked back towards the table. "You're talking about an 8 year old boy."
"Okay, so he's a cool 8 year old boy!" Ash fired back.
"I highly doubt you were some giant nerd as a kid," Misty challenged, retaking her seat. "And don't bother telling me you were because Gary said so. I already told you he's an idiot."
"We were friends back then, you know," Ash reminded her.
"Yeah, and you're friends now," Misty replied. "He and I are friends too. But that doesn't make him any less of an idiot."
Ash shook his head before resting in his hand. "I just wish I knew why the kids don't want to hang out with me."
"I already told you, they just want some time to themselves," Misty groaned. "There doesn't have to be some big conspiracy theory behind it."
Ash let out another sad sigh. Pikachu, who by now had finished his breakfast, scurried up his trainer's chair to perch himself on the man's shoulder and comfortingly rub himself against Ash's cheek. This brought a reluctant smile to the Pokémon Master's face, who reached up to scratch Pikachu between the ears.
"Looks like Pikachu is more than happy to spend some time with you!" Misty giggled.
"You really know how to cheer me up, buddy," Ash chuckled. "Thanks! I appreciate it!"
Pikachu mumbled happily as Ash continued to scratch his head.
"You know, you should be grateful for some alone time too!" Misty suggested. "The kids are usually all over us, to the point where we barely have a second to breathe. So them becoming a bit more independent is actually a pretty good thing!"
"I guess," Ash grumbled. "It just feels weird."
"That's because they're usually following us around like little Ducklett," Misty giggled. "Why don't you take advantage of this? Father's Day is tomorrow, after all. A little head start sounds like a good idea to me!"
Ash twisted his mouth. He really wasn't one for relaxing. Sure, he loved a good nap when he was especially tired, but just lying around doing nothing wasn't exactly his idea of fun. It was why he loved that the kids had so much energy. Playing and running around after them was way more appealing to him than just lounging around. But they were all busy on their own for the day…
"Yeah, sure," Ash replied, smiling weakly. "I'll give it a shot."
Misty watched as he got up from his chair and headed outside to the backyard. Once he'd closed the door behind him, Misty sighed and picked up her cup of coffee.
"I give it 5 minutes before he does something stupid."
XXX
There was a hammock in the backyard. Misty had bought it because she wanted to use it as a place for her to lay in and relax outside. Ash usually swung on it with the kids (getting scolded by Misty in the process) but since he was alone, save for Pikachu, he decided to try and lay in it like Misty normally did.
And man was it boring!
"How does she do this?" Ash grumbled.
Pikachu, who had curled up by the side of his trainer's head, had no problem dozing off. He was way more passionate about lazing about than Ash was. Sighing, Ash turned his head and looked over at the house.
"This isn't my idea of fun," Ash groaned. "I like being trailed by the kids! Most of the time, anyway."
He started to think, and after a little while, he got an idea. Sitting up straight, Ash caused the hammock to rock back and forth, roughly waking Pikachu up from his shallow slumber.
"Pi-ka?" Pikachu groaned.
"Buddy, I just got an idea!" Ash cheered.
"Kachu pika?" Pikachu muttered.
"I think it's a great idea," Ash gloated. "And once it works, the kids and I will be hanging out again no problem!"
XXX
"Wow, Aiden! That was a great hit!"
The young boy snickered and puffed his chest out. "Thanks! If I can keep hitting like that, we'll take the Nidoking down!"
Brandon excitedly nodded his head in agreement, but quickly stopped when he looked over his best friend's shoulder. "Um, Aiden, why is your dad coming over?"
"Huh?"
Aiden spun around and as soon as he saw his father, his eyes widened. "Dad?!"
"Hey buddy!" Ash greeted.
"What are you doing here?!" Aiden hissed.
"I figured I'd help you and Brandon practice for that big game," Ash replied.
"Um…why?" Aiden squeaked.
"Because I know how important this is to you guys," Ash replied. "Besides, I love spending time with my champ!"
Aiden's face flashed red at the nickname. "That's…really cool of you, Dad. But Brandon and I really wanted to practice on our own! You know, to show our coaches how responsible we can be. It's kind of important to us."
"Oh," Ash breathed, straightening himself out. "I didn't realize how important it was to you guys. Or that you were trying to look so responsible."
Aiden beamed and nodded his head, clearly proud of the fact.
"Well, that's understandable!" Ash continued. "And I don't want to bother you two while you're in the middle of practicing. So…I'll see you later!"
"Thanks, Dad!" Aiden crowed, picking up the ball at his feet and running back towards Brandon.
XXX
After leaving the baseball field, Ash made his way over to Cerulean Park. Although the park was big, he knew exactly where to find Michelle and Selena: by the big lake in the middle of the park. And sure enough, the two young girls were there, just a few feet away from the edge of the water and both with a sketchbook laid out in front of them. Ash grinned to himself and started walking over to the girls, neither of them looking away from their work.
"Hey, Shelly!"
Michelle jumped, the colored pencil in her hand sliding erratically across the open page in her sketchbook. "Oh no!"
"What are you two drawing?" Ash asked, looking out towards the lake. "Water Pokémon?"
"Uh huh!" Selena replied, unaware of her friend's anguish. "There's some Goldeen that like to jump out of the lake!"
"Wow, that's really cool!" Ash chuckled. "How's it going?"
"It was good until you scared me," Michelle grumbled. "Now I messed mine up!"
"I scared you?" Ash questioned, pointing at himself.
"Well yeah, you came out of nowhere," Michelle sighed. "How come you're at the park?"
Ash started to sweat. He wasn't going to outright tell his daughter he had come there looking for her! "Oh, I…just decided I felt like going for a walk. And everyone knows the park is the best place to go for one! Right, Pikachu?"
The unimpressed mouse sitting on his shoulder narrowed his beady eyes as he muttered, "pi, Pikapi…"
Michelle seemed to think about this for a moment before smiling at him. "That makes sense! The park definitely is pretty!"
Ash laughed, glad that Michelle hadn't caught onto him. "Yep!"
"Have fun on your walk," Michelle beckoned. "I'll see you later!"
And just like that, Ash's confidence was pretty much shot. Michelle had believed him, but now with that story, he couldn't really hang around.
"I'm going to show you my drawing when I come home," Michelle continued, regaining her father's attention. "I don't want to show you before it's finished! I want it to be a surprise!"
Ash perked back up and grinned at Michelle. "Okay! I can't wait to see it!"
XXX
As soon as Ash arrived back home, he headed upstairs to Elizabeth's room. From behind the half-closed door, he could hear the little girl jumping around, as evidenced by the soft yet constant thuds. He gently pushed open the door and found Elizabeth running back and forth, having pulled a fluffy pink tutu over the outfit Misty had put her in for the day.
"Don't you look so pretty?" Ash crooned.
Elizabeth whipped around and frowned at her father. "Daddy…"
Ash chuckled at his young daughter's little whine. "I just wanted to watch you dance for a little bit! I know you said you wanted to dance by yourself, but I really like watching you!"
Elizabeth didn't look placated by that explanation. She marched over to the corner of her room, throwing herself down into a pile of stuffed Pokémon and lying there rather dejectedly.
"You really don't want me to watch you, huh?" Ash asked. Elizabeth picked her head up and shook it. "Well…I guess that's fair. I'll leave you alone then!"
He turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Elizabeth sat up in her sea of toys, staring at the now closed door with wide emerald eyes. On the other side, Ash continued facing the door, a small smile playing on his lips.
"How'd I know you were going to get yourself all involved?"
The Pokémon Master looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"
"You just walked out of Elizabeth's room," Misty replied, pointing at the closed door for emphasis. "You were trying to watch her dance, weren't you?"
Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I'd ask."
"Right," Misty drawled. "Meanwhile, I thought you were going out to the backyard before to relax. I went to check on you 10 minutes later and you were gone. You went off to see Aiden and Michelle, didn't you?"
"Maybe…" Ash hummed.
Misty groaned and tilted her head. "Ash, I already told you the kids wanting to be on their own for a little while is nothing against you!"
"I know, you're right!" Ash cried.
Misty put her head back upright and blinked hard. "What?"
"You're right," Ash repeated. "About all of it. I did go to see Aiden and Michelle…because I wanted to hang out with them. But you're also right that it was for good reasons! Aiden just wanted him and Brandon to practice on their own to show their coaches that they're responsible. And Michelle wanted to draw on her own because she wanted to surprise me with the finished picture!"
"Aw, those two are so sweet," Misty crooned. "And what about Elizabeth? How come she didn't want you to watch her dance?"
"Oh, she really didn't have a reason…" Ash mused. "She just didn't feel like showing off today."
"Yep, a true youngest kid," Misty snickered, repeating her earlier statement.
"But that's okay," Ash declared. "Because she might change her mind later! Or tomorrow. Whenever. But I think I understand the whole thing a lot better now."
"I'm glad," Misty replied, smiling sweetly at her husband. "You're a great dad, Ash. Everyone knows it! But no one knows it better than our kids."
Ash smiled and nodded his head. The door behind him suddenly reopened, and Elizabeth poked her head through, gazing up at her parents. Misty noticed the little girl first and started to giggle, peaking Ash's interest.
"Why hello there, little girl!" Misty greeted. "You spying on us?"
Elizabeth shook her head. Ash turned around and locked eyes with the child, causing her to smile.
"Daddy!" Elizabeth squeaked, reaching up towards the man. "Watch me!"
Ash blinked his eyes. Then his smile widened, and he happily took Elizabeth's hand into his own. "I'd love to watch you dance, Lizzie! Thanks for the invitation!"
Elizabeth giggled and started to try and drag him back into her room. "Come Daddy!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Ash laughed. "Trust me, Lizzie, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
Even as an adult, I imagine Ash would have boundless energy, so following the kids around and playing with them would likely be one of his favorite things to do.
