Oops, it's been a while since I last updated! Time to make that up to y'all with this little bit of fluff!
Elizabeth: 20 months old
Junior Spender
"Come on, Misty, give it back."
Misty looked up from the laundry she was folding and raised an eyebrow. "Give what back?"
"You know what," Ash sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe.
"No, I don't," Misty replied tersely, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"
"My credit card!" Ash finally blurted, pulling away from the wall. "It's not in my wallet, and I haven't touched it, which means you took it out."
"Ash, I don't have your credit card," Misty replied tiredly.
"That's what you said the last time!" Ash cried. "Look, I know you like shopping, but you need to slow down a little. What if it gets to the point where we can't afford food?"
"Please, with the way you and Aiden eat, I've already budgeted extra for food," Misty scoffed. "That's the one thing we'll never run out of money for."
"Misty, it's not funny!" Ash whined.
"I know, I'm being serious."
"Misty," Ash stated again, "I need you to give me my credit card back."
"And I told you, I don't have it," Misty groaned. "When was the last time you saw it?"
"Yesterday; the last time I opened my wallet," Ash replied. "Brock and I are going out for lunch in a little while, and it's my turn to pay. I just opened my wallet and it's not there."
"Where were you yesterday when you opened your wallet?" Misty questioned.
"Indigo Plateau," Ash responded. "I had to take out my ID to get into the fitness center."
Misty's brow flattened, much to Ash's confusion. "I hope you didn't drop your credit card on the floor there."
"What?!" Ash practically shrieked. "Why would I have done that?!"
"Come on, Ash, we all know you can be a little klutzy," Misty sighed. "Not to mention forgetful, irresponsible, spacey-"
"Thanks, I get it," Ash grumbled.
"If you dropped that credit card, someone definitely got their hands on it," Misty continued, unaffected by Ash's tone and mood. "Maybe we should close it before they go on a personal shopping spree."
"I didn't drop it!" Ash cried.
"Do you know for sure?" Misty pressed.
"No," Ash admitted rather quickly. "But I also don't know for sure that I did."
Misty sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Fair enough."
"So…what do I do?" Ash asked.
"I already told you," Misty murmured, turning back towards the laundry. "Close it. You don't want someone else using it."
"But I don't want to close it right now because I don't know if someone else has it or not," Ash whined. "And if I close it, and then find it, I'm gonna look pretty stupid."
Misty opened her mouth, and Ash quickly cut her off with a growl. "Don't respond to that!"
The gym leader giggled. "Aw, you're so cute when you get all worked up."
Ash was not nearly as enamored as his wife, but he was a bit surprised. "You know, you're a lot less mad about this than I thought you'd be."
"Because I'm not surprised," Misty scoffed. "This is pretty par for the course for you. I can only get mad about something so many times before it becomes routine."
Ash rolled his eyes. "I'm not that irresponsible."
"Says the man who has no idea where his credit card went," Misty quipped.
"Hey, I came up with some ideas," Ash grumbled. "And we don't know if they're right or wrong! Do you think maybe I should call Indigo Plateau and see if someone handed it in?"
Misty shrugged her shoulders, tossing a newly folded t-shirt on the couch cushion beside the laundry basket. "I guess you could try. But the chances of someone handing over a credit card with the Pokémon Master's name on it are pretty low."
"Yeah, I guess you'd know something about that," Ash jibed.
Misty's (likely to be biting) response was cut short by the sound of fervent giggles. Elizabeth came scurrying into the living room, beaming up at her mother and father. Pikachu was running alongside the child, keeping a watchful eye on her.
"Hello, pretty baby!" Misty gasped, kneeling down and holding her arms out towards the toddler. Elizabeth smiled and walked right into her mother's embrace. "Pikachu, have you been following Lizzie around everywhere?"
"Pi-ka!" Pikachu confirmed, nodding his head.
"You are the best babysitter ever!" Misty complimented the mouse. "The cutest one too!"
"Cha…" Pikachu trilled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh, Misty…the credit card?" Ash prodded.
"What?" Misty babbled, holding onto their young daughter's sides as she playfully twisted the child at the waist.
"My credit card!" Ash hissed. "We have it figure out where it went before someone goes and makes us poor!"
"That's not how it works," Misty sighed, casting her eyes down and watching as Elizabeth tried to climb on her. As the little girl reached up with her right hand, however, Misty realized that something was being clutched in the child's fist. "Lizzie, what's that? What do you have?"
Misty reached up and gently tugged the object out of Elizabeth's hand: a blue plastic rectangle embossed with silver numbers and letters.
"Um…Ash?" Misty squeaked.
"What's up?" Ash breathed, running a hand through his hair.
"I found your credit card."
Ash's eyes widened. "Seriously?!"
Misty nodded and held the card up for proof. Ash knelt down and snatched it, staring at the item in shock.
"Where'd you find it?" Ash questioned, glancing back up at Misty.
"In Elizabeth's hand," Misty murmured.
"Elizabeth?" Ash repeated. Upon hearing her name, the toddler began to giggle and clap her hands together, totally oblivious to her father's shock.
"How did she manage to get a hold of it?" Misty questioned. "You always leave your wallet on the dresser in our bedroom."
Ash scratched his temple in thought before allowing his face to fall. "Uh…actually…now that I think about it…"
Misty narrowed her eyes as Ash trailed off. "What did you do?"
"I put it down on the couch before because Vaporeon was scratching at the door and I wanted to let her outside."
Misty rolled her eyes. "So you left it in the perfect spot for Elizabeth to grab it."
"But why would she only take my credit card?!" Ash whined.
"Easy," Misty giggled. "She's my daughter!"
"Mama!" Elizabeth shrieked, reaching up towards her mother.
"You silly girl," Misty murmured, kissing her daughter's nose. "What were you going to buy with Daddy's credit card? MooMoo milk? Hair bows?"
"Deff!" Elizabeth babbled, pulling her skirt up.
"Oh, a dress?" Misty gasped playfully. "A very pretty dress for a very pretty girl? Is that it?"
Elizabeth laughed wildly and nodded her head.
"Hey, don't give her any ideas!" Ash cried.
"I'm just kidding," Misty snickered. "She doesn't even have any idea what I'm saying. Maybe in the future!"
"Great, now I've got to worry about two of you blowing through my money," Ash grumbled.
"Excuse me, have you seen Elizabeth's already clear affinity for clothes and shoes?" Misty scoffed. "You've got to worry a lot more about her than me."
I can definitely see a scenario where, when Elizabeth gets older, she takes her father's credit card and uses it without his knowledge. She just really likes shopping.
