I feel like it's been a while since Elizabeth got her own story, so here's a cute one for you all!
Elizabeth: 8 years old
Bear with Me
With the scowl on her face, you might've thought Elizabeth had just gotten into some kind of explosive argument with someone. Or was very mad at someone. Or had gotten upset over the way someone had treated her. But the reality was, she was in her bedroom and had been for a while, all alone.
Unless, of course, you counted the stuffed Teddiursa sitting across from her. Which was what she was actually glaring at.
Elizabeth's room was full of stuffed Pokémon. It always had been. But that Teddiursa, who had affectionally been dubbed 'Teddi' long before Elizabeth could remember, was her absolute favorite. As the story went, her father had gifted it to her when she was born; it was not only the first plushie in her vast collection, but it was the first present she'd ever gotten from anyone. And from that moment on, she'd almost always had Teddi nearby. That little bear used to go everywhere with her: to the playground, to the supermarket, on family vacations…if you could think of a place, Teddi had more than likely been brought there. It was also her constant bedtime companion; if Teddi wasn't in her bed, Elizabeth wouldn't be able to fall asleep. There had been countless nights (and days, when she used to take naps) where Teddi had gone temporarily missing and sent the rest of the family scrambling to find him for fear of Elizabeth performing a never-ending sleep strike. Honestly, he had probably been left in as many different places as Elizabeth had taken him, each time an accident but no less crushing to his little owner than the last.
But Elizabeth was getting older now, and she worried that maybe holding onto her beloved stuffed Pokémon might be considered babyish. After all, none of her friends still slept with a plushie, and she certainly didn't want to be made fun of if they ever found out she still did. What about sleepovers? She definitely couldn't bring Teddi with her to those anymore. She had snuck him to the last few, but how much longer could she really do that? And what about when she left on her Pokémon journey? The girl could only imagine how much she'd be tormented for sleeping in forests and Pokémon Centers and all different places, still with a stuffed Pokémon by her side every night.
Picking up the bear, Elizabeth stared deeply into his embroidered eyes and mumbled, "sorry, Teddi. But this is for the best."
When she held the toy closer, Elizabeth could clearly see the areas where he was most worn. The discolored spots, the little stitches that had been sewn in to close up rips…if anything, it only made Elizabeth feel even worse about the whole thing. After all, she had literally loved Teddi to pieces.
With a short huff, Elizabeth hopped off her bed, Teddi still in her hands, and walked over to a nearby display of stuffed Pokémon. Her plan was to position Teddi right in the middle, that way she could still see him without actually having to keep him in her bed.
Quit calling him a he! It's not real!
Shaking her head, as though that would get the lifelong habit out, Elizabeth gently placed Teddi amongst her other plushies. He fit right in, much to Elizabeth's delight, and she was content enough to walk away.
Except that when she tried to do just that, she couldn't stop looking over her shoulder, back at Teddi. All of a sudden, she felt guilty. It was almost like, despite the static, happy expression on his stuffed face, Teddi was somehow pleading with Elizabeth to not leave him there. That he was more special than that spot told. That the only spot he should be sitting in was on Elizabeth's bed.
Groaning, the girl turned back around and scurried towards her toys once more, picking Teddi up and frowning. She'd have to be more aggressive if she didn't want her oldest friend taunting her like this.
Glancing around her room, Elizabeth quickly caught sight of the toy chest across the way. She didn't open it up nearly as much as she had when she was younger, which meant she wouldn't have to look at Teddi all the time and feel bad for moving him.
She made a beeline for the wooden box and opened it up, giving Teddi one last look before delicately placing him into the trunk and quickly closing the top. She knew that if she waited any longer, she'd probably back out, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
With that settled, Elizabeth knew there was still one more thing she had to take care of. Finally able to leave her room, Elizabeth headed up the hall and then down the stairs, where her parents were hanging out in the living room and talking to each other.
"Attention, everyone!" Elizabeth proclaimed, succeeding in interrupting their conversation and getting their eyes on her. "I have an announcement to make!"
Ash and Misty both snickered, causing Elizabeth to puff her cheeks out in aggravation.
"Sorry, Lizzie," Misty apologized. "You're just too cute!"
"I know, but this is serious business," Elizabeth replied. "So, no laughing!"
"Alright, you got it," Misty promised her daughter.
Clearing her throat, Elizabeth continued, "You're not going to be seeing Teddi anymore. I'm only telling you because I know if I don't, you'll just ask and I don't wanna talk about it after this."
Ash and Misty were definitely not laughing now. They exchanged overwrought looks, both stammering incoherently until Ash managed to nervously ask, "Lizzie, what did you do to Teddi?"
"Nothing!" Elizabeth groaned. "I'd never do anything to him! Uh…it! All I did was put him…it! In my toy box!"
Ash raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth sure was acting weird. "How come you put him in your toy box?"
"Yeah, and how come you're going out of your way to call him an it?" Misty followed up.
"Because that's what it is," Elizabeth stressed. "Teddi's not real! He's just a toy! And I just don't want him in my bed anymore, that's all. I wasn't gonna throw him…it! Out or something like that."
That still didn't satisfy either of her parents. After all, this was a pretty intense 180 from Elizabeth's usual feelings towards the stuffed Pokémon, and it wasn't making much sense to them.
"Sweetheart, I don't understand," Misty stated. She figured she might as well be direct with the girl. "Why do you all of a sudden want nothing to do with Teddi? That's not like you."
Ash frowned. "Did someone make fun of you or something?"
"No," Elizabeth grumbled, crossing her arms. "But I'm afraid they might!"
"…why?" Ash asked.
"Because nobody else sleeps with a stuffy!" Elizabeth cried. "None of my friends, I mean."
Misty raised an eyebrow. "You know that for sure?"
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Elizabeth admitted, "well…no." Quickly regaining her composure, she continued, "but I never see them with one at sleepovers!"
"Yeah, probably because they feel the same way you do and just assume that they'll be made fun of if their friends see it," Misty replied. "You're only eight-years-old, Lizzie. There's no way that none of your friends still sleep with plushies."
Ash tilted his head. "You really think so?"
"No, I know so," Misty assured him. "I used to be a little girl too, you know! And I vividly remember leaving my favorite stuffed Horsea at home whenever I would go to a sleepover because I didn't want my friends to see him."
"Aww, you had a stuffed Horsea?" Ash chuckled.
"Yeah!" Misty crowed, a smile on her face. "He was the cutest thing!"
Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "He?"
Misty nodded. "Horsea was totally a he. And I might not have taken him everywhere with me the way you do with Teddi, but I did have to sleep with him every single night or else I'd get worried! Horsea always made me feel safe."
That caused Elizabeth to frown. "Teddi makes me feel safe, too."
Walking over to the couch, the girl sat down between her parents, propping her head up in her hands. Ash and Misty both looked at her, curious as to what was going through her mind. And Ash, who of course was never really able to stay quiet for long, was the first to actually ask.
"Whatcha thinking about, pumpkin?"
"Teddi…" Elizabeth sighed, lowering her hands and placing them in her lap. "I just realized that I don't know what it's like to not have him."
Ash smiled at her. "Teddi has been around as long as you have! It's kind of funny when you think about it."
"Yeah, you came home from the hospital with him," Misty recalled with a giggle. "There has never been a day where you two were apart!"
Elizabeth sat up straight. "Not ever?"
Misty shook her head. "Not one. Daddy gave you Teddi when you were just a few hours old, so except for those couple of hours, you've always had him."
Blinking, Elizabeth breathed, "wow," before rolling her eyes up towards the ceiling. "So, I really don't know what it's like to not have Teddi!"
"Nope," Ash confirmed. "But if you're going to try and sleep without him tonight, you'll find out!"
Almost as soon as her father finished talking, Elizabeth jumped to her feet and ran back up the stairs. Ash and Misty watched her go in bewilderment before turning towards each other once again, their facial expressions unchanging.
"You don't think she went to take him out of her toy box and put him in the garbage instead, do you?" Misty asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"I hope not," Ash sighed, pressing his fingers against his temple. "I knew Elizabeth probably wouldn't sleep with Teddi forever, but I was hoping she'd at least hold onto him. He used to be really special to her. Honestly, he's special to me too."
Misty frowned as Ash's shoulders slumped, and she reached over to squeeze his knee. "Hey, I'm sure he's still really special to her! It's just hard growing up, that's all. Especially when you're a girl. Elizabeth's afraid of what her friends might think of her if they knew she still sleeps with a stuffed Pokémon, that's all. She's not actually thinking about the fact that Teddi is a lot more than just that right now, even though I'm sure she knows it."
In hindsight, maybe the garbage comment hadn't been too smart on Misty's part. She was definitely regretting opening her mouth about that, especially now that she was still looking at the dejected expression on Ash's face. But it was something that worried her. Elizabeth could get pretty emotional and do irritational things in response…very much like her mother. Misty was afraid that after all the talk of Elizabeth not knowing what life was like without Teddi, she might just take drastic measures to ensure she would find out.
Misty's fears were quelled, however, when Elizabeth came flitting down the stairs once again, this time with her stuffed companion in her hands. That perked Ash up instantly as well, and upon seeing that, Elizabeth smiled herself.
"I bet Mommy is right," Elizabeth spoke as she approached her parents. "My friends probably all do sleep with stuffies and just don't say anything. So, there's no reason I shouldn't get to sleep with mine, either!"
"That's right!" Misty agreed. "You should never let what other people do or what they think of you get in the way of being yourself."
Elizabeth grinned even wider and snuggled Teddi against her cheek, causing Ash to chuckle. "I'm glad you're not going to keep Teddi locked away in your toy box!"
"Me too!" Elizabeth agreed warmly, her smile suddenly becoming more sheepish. "That was a stupid idea to begin with."
"Nah, it wasn't stupid," Ash refuted, shaking his head. "You were just frustrated and trying to find a way to solve your problem."
"Maybe…" Elizabeth sighed. "But I shouldn't have taken it out on Teddi. He's too special to me! Know why?"
Ash smirked. Of course, he knew why, but there was no way he wasn't going to indulge his daughter. "Why's that, pumpkin?"
Giggling, Elizabeth jumped onto her father's lap, resting her head on his shoulder. "Cause you gave him to me! And I love you!"
"Aww," Ash cooed, wrapping his daughter up in a hug. "And I love you too, my sweet little girl!"
And then, lifting Teddi from Elizabeth's grasp, Ash pressed the stuffed bear's muzzle all over his daughter's face, making kissy noises as he did so. Elizabeth giggled wildly, trying to squirm away from the toy. "Daddy, quit it!"
"But I wove you!" Ash cried in a high-pitched voice, clearly trying to speak for the plush Pokémon. "I wove you just as much as your daddy! Maybe even mowe!"
Elizabeth gasped and snatched the bear from her father. "Teddi, don't say that kinda stuff! I'm not gonna pick between you and Daddy!"
Misty giggled as her daughter scolded the toy. "Personally, I hope this never changes. Because it's just too cute!"
"You and me both," Ash agreed with a chuckle, giving Elizabeth (and, in turn, Teddi) another hug.
I think any of us who grew up with a special stuffed animal can relate! I used to have a blankie myself, but he (yes, he!) is long gone now, unfortunately. Much like Elizabeth did with Teddi, I literally loved him to pieces!
