This is another one I wrote a really long time ago. I really love writing Misty's nieces, and their relationships with Ash are also really interesting and fun for me to write. I wanted to do that with a bit of a high school twist, since that's something Ash really never dealt with.
Enjoy!
Dakota: 15 years old
Vanessa: 14 years old
A Vote for Vanessa
"Uncle Ash! You know all about being famous, right?"
Ash gasped and fell on his back, Pikachu tumbling off of his shoulder. He had been relaxing just a second ago, and all of a sudden, he'd found himself face-to-face with his middle niece, Vanessa.
"Uh…I guess?" Ash stammered.
Vanessa giggled and sat back, allowing Ash to get back in sitting position. "Sorry! I just need some help and I figured you were the best person to go to!"
Ash's frustration at being startled quickly evaporated. "Really? That's so nice of you, Vanessa! What do you need help with?"
Folding her hands in her lap, the teen announced, "I have decided to run for class president at school!"
Ash blinked before raising an eyebrow. "That's a little random, isn't it?"
"Chu…" Pikachu agreed.
"Yeah, I guess so," Vanessa admitted. "But I want to get as involved in high school as Dakota is, and gymnastics season isn't until the winter! And drama club and dance ensemble are really slow right now."
"So you think being in charge of all your classmates will fill that void?" Ash deadpanned.
"Maybe," Vanessa sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"Not for nothing, I might not be the best person to go to for this," Ash sighed. "Presidency isn't all about popularity after all."
"Of course it is!" Vanessa cried.
"Vanessa, your classmates aren't going to elect you if you can't make good points and promise to make improvements," Ash elucidated. "You're going to need a good strategy if you want to win. Like a Pokémon battle!"
Vanessa furrowed her brow at that. "Uncle Ash, I'm running for class president in high school. The whole thing is a popularity contest!"
Ash thought about this for a moment before pursing his lips. "Guess you're right."
"I'd like to think I'm already pretty popular," Vanessa mused. "I've got lots of friends, after all, and everyone knows that Dakota and I are cousins!"
"Why does that matter?" Ash asked.
"Because she's pretty much the most popular girl in the 10th grade," Vanessa sighed. "Come on, Uncle Ash, keep up!"
"I never went to high school!" Ash cried. "I'm not really sure how any of this works."
Vanessa's eyes widened. "You never went to high school?!"
"No…I was a Pokémon trainer from the day I turned 10 years old."
Vanessa hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head. "That's interesting. You really missed out!"
"Heh, I don't think so," Ash chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "School was never really my thing."
The blue haired teen thought for a moment before beaming at her uncle. "Oh, I know! Since you never went to high school, and I need help with my campaign, you should come to school with me and make the rounds!"
"Make the rounds?" Ash repeated.
"Yeah, you know, sign autographs, take pictures, all of that," Vanessa explained. "You're a celebrity, and if I have a celebrity supporting me, how could I lose?"
"Vanessa, you know I don't like using my fame that way," Ash sighed.
"Please, Uncle Ash?" Vanessa pleaded, clasping her hands together and putting on the best, most convincing pout she possibly could. "I really would love to be class president, and it would mean so much to me if you helped me out!"
Ash grimaced the second Vanessa pulled that face. Even though his nieces were only his through marriage, he'd known all of them since they were babies, and he had as big of a soft spot for them as he did for his own children.
"Fine," Ash sighed, rubbing a hand against the side of his face. "I'll do it."
"Yay!" Vanessa squealed, throwing herself at her uncle and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, Uncle Ash!"
Ash blanched out in shock for a moment before smiling and hugging his niece back. "Of course! Anything for you."
XXX
"Vanessa, are the sunglasses really necessary?"
"Pika, pikachu?"
"Uh, yeah! They make you look even cooler than you already are!"
Ash didn't have the heart to tell his niece that the only thing it made him look was hungover. Pikachu was sporting his own pair as well, although the mouse was enjoying it far more than his trainer.
"We're going to meet up with my running mate in the garden," Vanessa continued. "She should have everything all set up for you by now!"
"The garden?" Ash repeated. "Your school has a garden?"
"Duh!" Vanessa giggled. "Where else are we supposed to hang out when we have free periods?"
"I don't know," Ash muttered. "I didn't go to high school, remember?"
"Oh yeah," Vanessa sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I keep forgetting that!"
As Ash followed Vanessa down the hallway, he took advantage of being behind her and pulled the sunglasses up on his head. Suddenly, he felt a little more normal, and was now able to get a better look at his surroundings without the dark filter provided by the tinted lenses. It looked like an average school hallway: lined by lockers and classroom doors. He could also tell that the school was in very good condition and well-maintained. He certainly hoped so, after hearing how much the school cost from his chatty sisters-in-law.
"Uncle Ash?"
The man blinked and stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder. Dakota was standing at her open locker, sea green eyes narrowed. She slammed the locker's dark blue door and scurried over to her cousin and uncle, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Hey, Dakota!" Ash greeted, giving the blonde a little wave.
"What are you doing here?" Dakota asked.
"Ask your cousin," Ash replied with a smirk, nodding his head towards Vanessa.
Dakota turned her attention onto the blue-haired girl. "Why is Uncle Ash here?"
"He's helping me with my campaign for class president!" Vanessa chirped.
"Class president?" Dakota repeated, raising a wry eyebrow.
"Yeah, I thought it'd be fun to be in charge of people," Vanessa explained. "My dad's in charge of tons of people at work, and he seems to like it!"
Dakota hummed in thought before turning her attention back onto Ash. "You know, you're in charge of a lot of people too, Uncle Ash. Do you like it?"
Ash chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wouldn't say I'm in charge of a lot of people…"
"But you're the Pokémon Master, of course you are!" Dakota continued. "In fact, doesn't that technically make you in charge of Aunt Misty?"
Vanessa's eyes lit up at the prospect, and she spun around to beam at her uncle. "Oh my gosh, she's right! You are in charge of Aunt Misty! What does she think about that? If you're at work and you tell her to do something, does that mean she has to do it?"
"You two know your aunt just as well as I do," Ash scoffed. "Do you really think she lets me boss her around?"
"No," Dakota admitted. "But it's funny to picture it!"
"Anyway, I'm taking Uncle Ash out to the garden," Vanessa continued, turning back towards her older cousin. "Aliya is out there waiting for us."
"What, is she supposed to be your vice president or something?" Dakota asked jokingly.
"Yeah!" Vanessa chirped, missing the blonde's teasing tone.
"Oh," Dakota breathed, shifting her eyes away. "Well…I guess that makes sense."
"Come on," Vanessa urged, grabbing her uncle's hands. "Just wait until you see this!"
She pulled him along, Dakota watching after them with a raised eyebrow. As she watched them go, two of her friends, Rylee and Charlotte, came shuffling up to her, surprise plastered on their faces.
"Was that the Pokémon Master?" Charlotte asked. "With your cousin?"
"Yeah…" Dakota sighed. "He's my uncle."
"WHAT?!" Rylee and Charlotte cried simultaneously, causing Dakota to wince.
"I never knew that!" Rylee shrieked.
"It's not really something I like to advertise," Dakota grumbled. "Obviously, Vanessa feels differently."
"Oh, I would," Charlotte breathed. "He's so cute!"
"Ew, Charlotte!" Dakota whined.
"What? He is."
"How come he's at school?" Rylee questioned.
"Get this," Dakota began. "Vanessa is running for freshman class president, and she thinks using our uncle is a great way to get people to vote for her."
Rylee and Charlotte exchanged looks before Rylee replied, "that's genius."
At this, Dakota's sea green eyes snapped open. "You can't be serious."
"I'm totally serious!" Rylee gasped. "Everyone knows that class president is basically a popularity contest. And Vanessa is parading one of the biggest celebrities around our school like it's nothing!"
"Maybe we should see where they're going," Charlotte suggested. "I wouldn't mind getting the Pokémon Master's autograph!"
Rylee nodded in agreement, and the two girls went scurrying after Vanessa and Ash. Dakota watched after them in disbelief, but eventually chose to follow, curiosity getting the better of her. The three girls eventually wound up in the school garden, which fell between the school building and the field. The grassy green area was full of colorful flower beds and benches, and a beautiful stone water fountain in the center. At the far end of the garden, a large crowd had already gathered around Vanessa, Ash, and Vanessa's best friend, Aliya.
"Ugh, this is a disaster," Dakota groaned.
"Seriously," Charlotte sighed. "How am I supposed to get my autograph with a crowd like that?!"
Although Ash was used to being mobbed by admiring kids, this felt a lot more suffocating than usual. Probably because he was trying to do something for his niece that he didn't necessarily agree with but just couldn't say no to her.
I wish I wasn't so soft…
"HEY!" Aliya suddenly barked, snapping Ash out of his own head and causing Pikachu to nearly slip off of his shoulder. "If you want an autograph from the Pokémon Master, you're all going to have to form a line!"
As the students obeyed, Ash eyed the brunette girl with interest. "Hey, you're pretty good! You might even give my manager a run for his money."
"No poaching my vice president!" Vanessa scolded. "I need her way more than you do, Uncle Ash."
Ash chuckled softly to himself, watching as the star struck students organized themselves into a neat line just as Aliya had demanded.
"Good," Aliya purred. "Now, when you come up here to meet the Pokémon Master, have any items you want signed ready to go! Also, if you'd like a picture with him, you can give me your cell phone or poké gear and I will be happy to take it for you! Not too many autographs or photos, though. We've got a long line here and we need to keep it moving!"
After Aliya finished her spiel, the first student approached the trio while everyone else in line resumed talking to one another. Despite still feeling awkward (and conflicted) about the whole thing, Ash put on his best smile and greeted the teenage boy in front of him, taking the hat he had in his hands in order to sign.
Dakota was still watching from a distance and rolling her eyes, but let out a startled yelp when Charlotte grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. "Charlotte! Don't do that!"
"Look, it's not really fair for me and Rylee to have to wait in that ridiculous line," Charlotte sighed. "I mean, he's your uncle, and you're like our best friend!"
"She's right," Rylee agreed, causing Dakota to look over her shoulder so she could see her other friend better. "Besides, we're some of the most popular girls in the 10th grade, and we're cheerleaders! Wouldn't it look good for Cerulean Prep if we were like…the first people to meet the Pokémon Master?"
"Yeah, good publicity and all that!" Charlotte chirped.
"Come on, guys, this whole thing is stupid," Dakota groaned. "Vanessa only brought our uncle here to bribe people to vote her!"
"Which is genius," Rylee replied. "I already told you that!"
"It's not like she's hurting anyone," Charlotte chimed in. "Come on, Dakota. We'd just really like to meet him!"
"Why should I encourage Vanessa's crazy plan just because you two are weirdly obsessed with my uncle?" Dakota scoffed.
"Because if we don't get to meet him, we'll take your cheer bag and hide it in the boys' locker room," Rylee threatened.
Dakota gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't!"
"Oh, we would," Rylee coolly retorted. "We already did it to Jayda after she tried taking Charlotte's pom-poms."
"And she had to wait until the whole football team changed after practice to get it," Charlotte added. "She had to take three showers just to get the scent off of her."
"Alright, fine!" Dakota growled, pulling Charlotte's hands off of her shoulders. "But you both owe me for this."
Dakota marched towards her cousin, roughly pulling on her arm once she got there and getting a rise out of the blue-haired teen.
"Hey!" Vanessa cried.
"Okay, listen," Dakota whispered in an aggravated manner. "Rylee and Charlotte want to meet Uncle Ash, but they don't want to wait in this stupid line you've got going on."
"Well, that's kind of too bad," Vanessa sighed. "We have to keep it organized because a lot of people really want to meet him."
"Yeah, great," Dakota drawled. "But I think it would be in your best interest to let those two cut the line."
"Why?" Vanessa questioned.
"Because they're super popular," Dakota replied effortlessly. "If everyone else sees Rylee and Charlotte with Uncle Ash, which you know those two will post all over the internet, then it'll just make even more people aware of you running for class president."
Vanessa hummed and rubbed her chin. "I never thought of that…"
With a smirk, Vanessa scurried over to Aliya and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, Dakota just gave me a really good idea!"
"What?" Aliya asked.
"She told me that Rylee and Charlotte really want to meet my uncle, but they don't want to wait in line," Vanessa explained. "But if we let them meet him right away, they'll put the pictures up all over the internet!"
Aliya's eyes widened. "They're so popular, everyone will see that in minutes!"
"Which means even more people will know about my campaign, and even quicker!" Vanessa squealed.
Ash, who had just finished signing a girl's notebook, peered over his shoulder and switched his eyes between Vanessa and Aliya.
"What are you guys up to now?" Ash questioned.
Neither girl bothered to answer. With an excited smile, Aliya scurried over to Rylee and Charlotte, animatedly speaking to the two older girls and motioning towards a bewildered Ash. The older girls quickly went from unimpressed to crazy excited, and before Ash could even process it, they were both standing only inches away from him.
"Hi!" Charlotte squealed.
"We're best friends with Dakota!" Rylee breathed, quickly motioning her head towards the flustered blonde. "But she never told us you were her uncle!"
"Could you sign my planner?" Charlotte pleaded, holding the colorful spiral bound book out towards the Pokémon Master.
"Uh…sure!" Ash replied, his smile sending Charlotte and Rylee into another fit of shrill giggles that caused him to wince.
Man…I hope Michelle and Elizabeth don't make those kinds of noises when they turn into teenagers…
"Hey, Aliya! What gives?!"
The brunette girl narrowed her deep blue eyes. "What are you complaining about now, Marc?"
"How come they get to cut the whole line?" The boy demanded, pointing at the oblivious duo of Charlotte and Rylee.
"It's not cutting when they got permission to do it," Aliya replied smartly.
"Yeah? Well I don't agree," Marc seethed.
"That's your problem," Aliya scoffed, shrugging her shoulders. "You can always get off the line, you know. But if you really want to meet the world famous Pokémon Master, then you'll be patient and take the wait."
Marc still seemed annoyed, but clearly his desire to meet Ash was greater than his pride, as he closed his mouth and stood in place with an aggravated glare on his face.
"Seriously, you're like…scarily good at this," Ash commented to the girl as he handed Charlotte back her planner.
"Uncle Ash, I already told you she's mine," Vanessa sighed.
"Let's take a picture!" Rylee suddenly squealed, pulling down on Ash's shoulders until he was level with her and Charlotte.
Ash sighed as Rylee snapped away with her phone, trying to keep the forced smile on his face. "Suddenly the idea of playing dress up for the rest of my life isn't so bad…"
Now Ash is (even more) terrified of his daughters turning into teenagers. Oops.
