Chapter 5 Disaclaimer blah blah blah. Here's the story!!

Ash woke up with a headache. 'Good thing today's my day off,' Ash thought as 
he became aware of his other surroundings. Ash was in the tree house 
surrounded by his pokemon friends.

"Ohhh!" Ash moaned as he got up. Ash remembered how cold the floor was after 
her stepped on it. Ash grumbled as he made his way through the mess for his 
clothes. Ash's friends woke up slowly.

"Draaa?" Blue asked sleepily. Digger was doing his best to ignore the 
pokemon beside him and rolled over. Arrow was already gone, looking for its 
breakfast and Magic was just waking up.

"Shh!" Ash hissed as he put a finger to his lips. "I'll be back later today. 
I have to do chores at home. I'll be back around midday if father doesn't 
want to do a lesson."

"Growl-lith-grow-lithe?" Silver jumped off of Ash's hammock and ran up to 
him "Growl?" Ash took a moment before ht realized what Silver wanted.

"You have to stay here buddy. If my father found out that part of my cadet 
training is also pokemon training, there goes one job." Silver looked a 
little confused before Blue jumped off of its shared sleeping space and 
urged Ash to go.

"Dra-tini-dra-tini-tini-dra." Ash was being pushed towards the tree house 
entrance. Ash understood once he saw Blue's eye.

"You'll explain the situation, then?" Ash asked the dragon pokemon. Blue 
nodded. "Thanks!" Ash then set off to his house via the speed route. Ash 
snuck into his house and began to cook breakfast.

"Morning boy," Mark said from the doorway. Ash didn't even bother to turn 
around to speak to his father.

"Morning dad. What do you want for breakfast? Waffles are on the table, 
toast is in the toaster and juice is in the fridge," Ash said simply. Then 
Ash noticed something; his father had called him 'boy' again, not champ. 
"Something the matter?" Ash asked.

"What?" was Mark's only reply. Ash threw another batch of waffles into the 
waffle iron.

"You seem anxious. Is something wrong dad?" Ash tried again. Mark sat down 
at the table.

"Ash sit down for a moment," Mark ordered. Ash flopped the newly cooked 
waffles onto a plate and joined his father. "Where were you last night?" Ash 
nearly choked on his food.

"What?" Ash asked after taking a long drink of juice. Ash was hoping that he 
heard the question wrong. Mark repeated the same question again. Ash was a 
little surprised and a bit annoyed that his father would ask.

'Since when did you ever think to check up on me?' he thought. Ash's retort 
came out a little more bitter than he had intended.

"I ran into Ken yesterday." Mark's eyes got a little bit bigger. "We got to 
talking and before I knew it…"

"…It was after curfew," Mark said. Ash nodded. Mark wasn't satisfied with 
just that. "Where did you sleep last night?" Ash sighed.

"Over at a friend's house. I figured there was no way I was going to make it 
home in time so I…"

"…Didn't even bother coming home at all," Mark finished for him again. Ash 
didn't like the tone that Mark was using; it reminded him of a scolding his 
mother gave him once. The you-know-better-than-that scold. "Ash, I 
understand why you stayed our past curfew, but…"

'Here it comes,' Ash thought.

"…You shouldn't be staying out past curfew all the time. I hardly see your 
bed slept in and quite frankly, I'm a bit worried about were you do sleep. 
The curfew's in place so I get to see you at night, not to drive you away 
entirely!" Mark half yelled.

"I would be home more often if you extended the curfew. The problem is that 
I get off at five and the curfew is seven," Ash said bitterly.

"So?" Mark asked, not seeing the point.

"So? So I only have two hours to get our groceries together, seeds for the 
greenhouse, and get them all home. It takes me an hour to walk to town dad, 
and that's not with all that stuff!" Mark now saw the problem.

"Great heavens, boy! Why didn't you tell me?" Mark roared. Ash went silent 
for a moment.

"If I had told you, would you have listened?" Ash asked quietly.

"Of course I would have! Ash what makes you think that…" Mark stopped dead 
mid-sentence. Mark remembered what he had said to Ash the second time they 
entered the house.
****

"Here's home, Ash," Mark announced with flourish as soon as they pulled into 
the driveway. Ash looked out the window to see a small white house with a 
deck out front and a hammock to one side. Ash's enthusiasm leapt up one 
level when he saw a shed off to one side.

"Home?" Ash asked in a daze. Mark looked over to see Ash still in his sorry 
state of gloom. It was all the harder to accept that his boy had a memory 
loss, but his entire personality had completely turned around. Mark was 
followed inside by Ash.

"First things first, boy! We set the ground rules. One: you don't disturb my 
work. Two: you have a problem try to fix it yourself before coming to me. 
Three: there will be a curfew. Miss it and you sleep somewhere else. Four: 
you have chores. I expect you to do them. There are no exceptions."
****

'What have I been putting this boy through?' Mark wondered. 'For crying out 
loud! He took me too literally.' Ash interrupted Mark's thoughts.

"Well? You made it quite clear that you didn't want to be bothered, so I 
didn't bother you."

"Fish heads!" Mark growled. "I'm your father! You're my son! I'm supposed to 
be bothered by you! At least some of the time." Ash couldn't believe what he 
was hearing.

"You-you mean you want me to bother you?" Ash asked uncertainly.

"No, I want you to TALK to me!" Mark shouted. A moment of silence passed 
between father and son. "Damn it, this is exactly what I mean. You shut up 
when I want you to speak and speak when I want you to shut up. Well? Say 
something!" Mark said as he slammed his hands down on the table. Ash's face 
gave nothing away.

"Dad?" Ash asked.

"What!?"

"I hope you weren't hungry dad," Ash said suddenly. Mark was stopped short, 
confused by the comment. Ash continued, "'Cause you just squished your 
breakfast." Mark looked down to see where his hands had slammed on the 
table, right in the middle of his breakfast.  "Hope you like your waffles 
extra flat. Wash up after you're done. Bye." Mark just stood there, hands in 
his breakfast, watching Ash leave out the front door.

"He has to get that from his mother," Mark grumbled, removing his hands from 
his food. "Definitely his mother," Mark repeated.

'That was close,' Ash thought as he ran down his driveway. 'Dad almost found 
out that I slept outside.' Ash then stopped and leaned against a tree.

"Wheww!" Ash gasped. Ash then realized that he had the entire day off. It 
was the first time Ash had free time in nearly three months. Ash let out a 
whoop of joy.

'Now, what am I going to do with myself today?' Ash asked himself. Before 
Ash cold come up with and answer…

"Hey Ash!" Ash turned and was amazed to see someone coming his way.

"Ken?" Ash asked, "Is that you?" The person, Ken Ash saw in amazement, was 
literally tearing up the path on his bike. Ken came to a screeching halt in 
front of Ash. "What are you dong here?" Ash asked.

"You got the day off, right?" Ken panted. Ash nodded. Ken then put a smile 
on his face that would have scared a ghost pokemon.

"Uhh, why?" Ash asked, incredibly nervous. The smile didn't leave Ken's 
face, making Ash all the more nervous.

"Oh, you'll see. Trust me!" Ash shot Ken a meaningful gaze and said in a 
questioning tone,

"Ken?" Not even stopping, Ken continued his little speech.

"Haven't forgotten your old pastime have you?" Ken gave Ash a wink. "You 
know, the one that your dad never knew about?"

"You don't mean…" Ash got a Butterfree in his stomach just remembering that 
pastime. When Ash was seven, Ken pulled a few strings with his older brother 
Johnathan, the dare-devil. Ash was young when he met Arrow, so he wasn't 
afraid of heights, but nothing had prepared him for that adventure.

"Uh-huh," Ken said with another wink. Before Ash knew it, he was back on the 
air strip, talking to Big J.

"Long time, no see, squirt," J said as soon as he saw Ash. Ash remembered 
him with straight hair that was a natural brown and an overconfident smile. 
The smile was the same but his hair was a dyed blue and red combination now.

"Hi Bro. Are we going up alone?" Ken asked. Ash visibly paled.

"Nope, sorry. Some of the locals want to go up. Gotta make a living some 
way, ya know."

"Bummer," was Ken's response. Ash had a chock hold on Ken just after that 
exchange and dragged him off.

"What do you think you're doing!?! I thought we only came here for a visit!" 
Ash shouted quietly, as it there was a thing. "You never said anything about 
going SKY DIVING!" Ash's voice had dropped to a near whisper.

"That's my surprise," Ken said with a grin. "You haven't lost that old 
champion sky diving spirit have you?" Ken sneered, trying to goad his 
friend. Ash let the other boy out of a headlock and grabbed the front of his 
shirt instead. Veins were popping out of his forehead.

"It's been years since I've been skydiving!" Before Ash could shake the 
living daylights out of Ken, a very familiar voice was heard.

"Hey look! It's the rocket propelled runt! What are you doing here? Come to 
watch the big boys show their courage?" Snickered Trevor. Ash let go of Ken.

"No way!" Ash growled. Justin and Mike walked over to Ken and Ash.

"Hey Ken. What 'cha doing with the wimp? Giving him sympathy lessons?" Ash 
by now had steam pouring out of his ears. Ken noticed that Ash was angry and 
decided to make things interesting.

"It's the first time he's going up this year," Ken walked causal around Ash. 
"He's a bit nervous." Ash was now a nice shade of purple.

"Wha-I AM NOT!" Ash growled. "Traitor." Ash whispered in a hoarse voice to 
Ken. Ken gave a smug look to Ash.

"Chicken eh?" Trevor sniggered. "Can't say I don't blame him for being 
afraid. Wimp like that wouldn't have the guts to jump anyway."

"Watch me pal!" Ash growled. "Ken? You got an extra chute?" Ken saw the fire 
light up in Ash's eyes and gave a inward yelp of joy.

'Now that's the Little A I know.' Ken thought running to one of the lockers. 
Ken pulled out a red and white bag that hadn't been used since Ash's 
departure.

"Here Ash. You'll have to modify it to fit but-" Ken gave Ash a wink. "-I 
think you can manage." Ash grabbed his bag and stormed off to the Pidgeot 
Streamer; John's airplane.

"You coming or what?" Ash yelled from the plane. The three bullies gave 
eachother a glance. Ken however, just smiled and grabbed his own parachute 
and boarded the Pidgeot Streamer.

"How did he know that was the plane?" Justin wondered out loud.

In the air

Ash hadn't felt like this in a long time. The last time Ash felt like this 
was three months ago battling in the Johto League.  Ash was strapped in and 
ready to go. Ken was the same as Ash, excited and ready to go. The terrible 
trio was having trouble.

"Is this they're first time?" Ash whispered in a snigger.

"Nope." Ken had to stifle a laugh. "They've gone up three times but no one 
jumped."

"Target?" Ash asked. Ken gave him a thumbs up.

"Red X, middle of a field." Ash gave Ken a questioning look. "Give me a 
break 'shura. We have amateurs with us."

"Drop point in two minutes kids," Came a voice over the PA. Mike, Trevor and 
Justin looked like they were going to throw up. Two minutes later, the door 
opened.

"What are you doing!?" Justin gasped as Ash neared the door.

"What's it look like?? I'm jumping." Mike, Trevor and Justin just stared. 
"That is why we came up here in the first place isn't it?"

"Time to go Ash," Ken said with a goofy grin. Ash replied with a confident 
smirk.

"Race you."

"You're on." Ash jumped the same time as Ken did and plunged downwards to 
the fields below. Ash could remember flying with Arrow and Pidgeot but, 
nothing was like freefalling from a plane. Ash and Ken plunged downwards 
together. Ken suddenly did a spiral midair and gave Ash the 'your turn' 
signal.

'Let's see.' Ash thought of a trick that could top Ken's and smiled. Ash 
dove suddenly downwards feet first and began to spin. The adrenaline pumped 
through Ash's veins. The only time he felt this alive was when he was with 
his pokemon.

"Yee-hah!" Ash heard Ken yell beside him as soon as Ash was done. Ken went 
zooming past him and gave Ash a little wave.

"Oh no you don't' Ash thought as he plummeted down after Ken. Ash was giddy, 
responsive, ALIVE! Ash felt the freedom of the moment and was on it's high. 
Ash saw Ken pull his cord and grinned stupidly.

'What the?' Ken thought as Ash went blasting by. 'Heh. Ash is in a good 
mood.' Ash barreled down to terra firma and decided it was time to pull his 
chord too. Ash spotted the red X a half a mile away.

'Not too far away.' Ash thought with a smirk. Ash gently floated towards the 
X and say a big box right in the middle. 'Oh ho! Sneaky Ken. Fine I land 
first.' Ash lowered his decent and within a few minutes was perched inside 
the box.

"I win!" Ash yelled out loud. Ash looked up to see Ken right on his tail and 
gave him a peace sign. Ash then scrambled to get his chute out of the way.

"Incomming!" Yelled Ken. Ash ducked just in time to miss being pulverized by 
a pair of feet. Ash rolled in a few summersaults before he felt it was safe 
to growl at Ken for nearly knocking his block off. Ken had landed right 
smack dab in the middle of the X like Ash had done, however.

"Mph! Y-you Ok Ken?" Ken had tripped over the box. "And you asked me if I 
had lost my diving spirit. You can't even land right without my directions!" 
Ken laughed. Ken promptly got off his flattened nose and grumbled.

"You would think not jumping for a few years would make a guy rusty." Ash 
let out a laugh and finished rolling up his chute. Ash looked up and 
wondered something.

"Hey Ken? Did anyone else jump?" Ash asked looking up into the sky.

"I don't think so," Ken replied with a smirk. "Too young I think." Ash gave 
Ken an exasperated look.

"Yeah right! And what age did I first jump? Come on Ken!" Ash first jumped 
when he was seven but he had been riding with Arrow long before that.

"You're a nutcase so age never mattered to you." Ken shot in. Ash gave Ken a 
grow-up look.

"So what does that make you? An abnormality of nature? You were jumping long 
before me." Ash shot back. Before Ken could answer the jibe, a truck pulled 
up. Ash recognized the driver as Ken's older sister Lisa. (Ken has an older 
brother John and an older sister Lisa).

"Come on you two! Can't be late for lunch or dad'll kill me." Ash and Ken 
exchanged hungry looks. Before Lisa could even open the truck door, the pair 
had piled their bags in the back and were climbing in the other side.

"What are we waiting for sis? Lets go eat!" Ken said with drool coming out 
from the side of his mouth. Ash was a little more couth than that but, not 
by much.

"Starving are we?" Lisa teased. "Well I shouldn't be surprised, you always 
had a bottomless pit of a stomach." With that, a brother-sister argument 
flared up with an 'oh yeah!' 'Yeah!' pattern to it.

'Yesh! I wonder if it was like this for Brock between Misty and I.' Ash 
listened to the argument for all of five minutes before he put his jacket 
behind his head and fell asleep. A little later-

"- and Ash agrees with me! Don't you Ash? Ash?" Ken asked puzzled. Ken was 
too busy with Lisa to notice Ash had fallen asleep. Ash never fell asleep 
after a dive! He would be on a natural high for at least an hour!

"Ash? Are you telling me that's Little A?" Lisa asked suddenly. Lisa 
remembered Little A quite well. "Wasn't he the little scoundrel that used to 
pester me all the time with you? I thought he moved." Ken replied with a 
grin.

"Ash did but now he's back and better than ever. Be careful! Your precious 
diary may be in jeopardy again." Lisa paled visibly.

"You wouldn't dare!" Lisa growled at Ken. Ken folded his arms and smiled 
evilly.

"I might not but he would," Ken replied. Oblivious to his surroundings, Ash 
sleep right through Lisa's questioning gaze. An hour later, Ash was awoken 
to the sound of tires squealing and the sudden halt of the truck.

"We're home!" Lisa said in a singsong voice. Ash opened his eyes to see 
Ken's log cabin home on the outskirts of town.

"More or less in one piece." Ken moaned. "Sis, I love you , but where did 
you learn to drive!?! I'm having a heart attack here and my favorite pastime 
is jumping out of airplanes!" Lisa did her best to ignore the comment.

"I got us home didn't I? Is Ash staying for lunch or did you forget to ask 
him?" Ash bolted upright in his seat and yawned.

"Lunch?" Ash asked drowsily. Ken fell over in his seat anime style and 
sighed.

"I don't know how you did it but you managed to Sleep right through a ride 
with my sister let alone survived to tell about the experience. Now you want 
food poisoning too? You have guts Ash!" Ash wasn't fully awake yet so he was 
slowly reaching for the door handle to let him and Ken out when-

"That does it! Come'er you!" Lisa growled.

"ACK! Move it Ash!" Ken yelled. Ash was thrust out the door by Ken and was 
running for the house before he knew it.

"Come back here gremlins!" Lisa yelled in pursuit. Ash ran right behind Ken 
, into his house and into his room.

"Hey! What did I do?" Ash asked through the locked door. Lisa leaned against 
the door and gave it a playful bang on it.

"You're guilty by association!" Lisa pretended to growl. "Just for that, you 
can stay in there until lunch is ready and if I find you outside before 
that-" Lisa let the threat hang in the air. The imagination of two young 
boys would be punishment enough.

"Your sister has been watching too much law enforcement shows lately hasn't 
she?" Ash asked in a loud voice. Ken laughed his response.

"Yup! I think she has a thing for Pokemon Police Law." Ash waited for an 'I 
heard that' and sure enough.

"I heard that you little creatins!" Ken and Ash laughed a while before they 
heard footsteps walking away. Ken then reintroduced Ash to a wonderful thing 
called video games before they were called for lunch Ash ate with half an 
appetite and Ken noticed.

"Something the matter Ash?" Ken asked. Ash looked up from his plate (amazing 
occurrence here!) and sighed.

"I was just remembering something-" Ash let a huge grin cross his 
features."-or rather someone who cooks like this." Ken openly gaped at Ash.

"You mean that there's someone who cooks just like Lisa? Tirbines! You 
must've carried a stomach pump around with you all the time!" Ken was smack 
upside the head by Lisa.

"There's nothing wrong with my cooking!" Lisa growled playfully at Ken.

"-That a good hospital rest wouldn't cure." Teased John. The trio at the 
table turned to find the other male in the family had returned from landing 
the plane. Ash ducked just in time to avoid a vegetable aimed at John. John 
wiped the turnip from his face and smiled. "You do realize that this means 
war."

"Food FIGHT!" Yelled Ken.