Chapter 4 "Here we are!" Ash crooned like a father does to a child. Static was given the bottle and she enthusiastically began to drink up. They were all around a table at the new bark pokemon center and Static began to listen to the conversation around her. "You really have to let Static try some solid foods Ash. You've had her for about two weeks already and she hasn't had anything else." Misty said in a scolding tone. "But Static likes her milk." Ash protested. Misty sighed at Ash and looked back to Static. "And another thing, Ash, you have to start training her." Gary spat out his milk and coughed a few times. Gary was Static now and he accepted that fully. In fact, the only time that Gary ever surfaced now was when the word training or Oak was mentioned. "Eeeew!" Brock moaned beside Ash. The milk went a distance and managed to soak the poor breeder fully. Misty giggled but Gary didn't think it was funny. "What do you mean train me!?" Gary growled. Pikachu, who thanked someone up there that he decided to sit beside Misty today, jumped into the conversation. "Ash is a good trainer. Training under him is easy compared to the way some other people train their pokemon. You really lucky to have a trainer like Ash." "Oh no! Forget that idea Misty." Ash suddenly snapped at the girl opposite to him. "There is no way I'm training Static in this century." "What?" Pikachu said in shocked awe. That sated the Gary side for now and Static resurfaced. "Oh? Why not? You train all your other pokemon." Misty pointed out. Ash snorted and turned to look at Static. "That's different. For one, all the pokemon I train want to be trained. I gave them a choice to remain with me or go back out into the wild. Static can't make that choice, not yet anyway." Static looked up into Ash's eyes and saw that he was serious. "I don't see why that's a problem." Misty said eyeing Static. "She seems intelligent enough to make that decision." Ash turned away in a snit. "I don't see you giving that choice to Togepi." Ash snorted. Togepi recognized his name and began to coo and wave his arms back and forth. "That's different! Togepi has never lived in the wild and is way too young…." Misty trailed off. Ash gave her a grin that shouted 'VICTORY!'. "Oh, stuff it Ketchum." "I think training Static might be a fine idea." The group of four looked to Brock who had finally decided to join the conversation. "You saw what she did to that light bulb at the baby contest. It might be a good idea to have her trained while she's young to harness all that power when she becomes a Pikachu." "Et tu Brock?" Ash sighed and leaned back into the booth's cushions. "I'll think about it." With that conversation over, the group began to talk about getting back to Pallet. 'Pallet. That's one place I'm not sure I want to go to.' Gary thought sadly. It might be good to see his grandf er-ex-grandfather again but what about his pokemon? Gary wasn't too sure that he wanted to know what had happened to them after all this time. "By they way Ash, have you told the Prof about Static yet?" Misty asked curious. "Ummm." Ash started to say. Brock and Misty fell over in their seats. "Ash!" The pair said in unison. Ash looked sheepish and then realized that Static had finished the bottle. "I know! I know! I just haven't got around to that yet. I have been busy with Static you know." Ash then put Static on his chest and burped her. "Besides, I was going to call him right after breakfast." "You." Misty growled. "If your head wasn't attached to your shoulders, I'm sure you would have forgotten it somewhere in Pallet!" For once, Ash ignored her slam and turned his attention back to Static. "I think you'll like it when we go and visit the Prof. He's a really nice guy and he likes pokemon." Static gave Ash a skeptical look. 'I know that you doofus! I was his grandson after all.' Static thought to herself. Static had to keep those comments to herself now because Pikachu could understand her. It was a little weird knowing that a pokemon could relay the information to Ash. That was something Gary did not want. "So, what time are we leaving?" Misty asked out of nowhere. Ash looked up from Static and turned to Misty. "I think we should leave right after we phone him. I want to get back to Pallet to see my mom anyway!" Ash said gleefully. Everyone at the table fell over. Static smirked when they all got back up again. 'Heh. If I had a mom like Ash's, I wouldn't have left home in the first place.' Gary sighed a little and snuggled deeper into Ash's warm embrace. 'Now I have a reason not to leave home. My home is with Ash now. Ash would never leave me or ignore me. I just hope that he stays this way.' "Ash!" Misty growled in her usual warning tone. "We're not going to Pallet to see your mother! Professor Oak wants us to see something and to talk something over with you." Ash looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know what's so important that I have to miss the opening of the crimson league for. I'll be behind everyone in the starting of the league." Static looked up at Ash's disappointed face and realized something. 'I wouldn't have gone back to see gramps if I was in the middle of training a new pokemon. Then again, I wouldn't be Ash would I?' Static nuzzled Ash's arm to cheer him up. Ash noticed the movement and looked down to see Static showing an outward sign of affection. 'That's odd. Static seems to be warming up to me lately, I wonder why.' Ash never voiced the doubts in his mind that Static never really liked him much. It had been a different story after the incident with team rocket though. Static was almost becoming as affectionate as his mom was to him when he was little. "Ash!" Misty and Brock brought Ash out of his thoughts by arguing over which path they should take to get to Pallet town. Misty finally won an argument and was given the map. Of course ladies go first… "And you tell me that I have a bad sense of direction!" Ash growled under his breath. Static giggled and watched as Misty tried to decide which way they should go. Glaring daggers at Ash and Brock, Misty went back to the map. "It figures that the first time Misty ever gets the map that she would end up getting us lost" Brock whispered to Ash and his Pichu. Gary couldn't help but snicker at the comment. 'I may be a Benedict Arnold by thinking this because I'm a girl now but, girls have a worse sense of direction then guys even though they don't like to admit it.' Gary's thoughts popped into Static's head. But there was also something to be said about boys since Gary remembered being one and now being a newly reincarnated girl. 'But boys like to go without being prepared, and girls plan the thing to death!' "We go this way!" Misty finally piped up. Ash looked over Misty's shoulder and sighed. Static took the opportunity to look at the map by jumping on Misty's shoulder. Pikachu was the one to echo Static's thoughts. "We're going the wrong way, boy is she lost." Gary blinked at the map and agreed. There was only one way to solve this problem and that was to- "Static!" cried Misty in surprise when Static took the map from her clutches. Static grinned and began to run in the right direction to Pallet town or at least for a little ways. "Static!" Ash's shout was more worried and surprised than Misty's. Static inwardly groaned when he heard the tone. This could mean trouble. "Pikachu, catch Static!" Before Static could get to where she wanted to be, Pikachu leapt in the way making her screech to a stop. "What do you think you're doing?" Pikachu demanded. "This is no time to be playing with a piece of paper. We're trying to find Pallet To-" Pikachu gave an experimental sniff as the blessed winds changed. "Ash! We're near Pallet! Static found Pallet Town!" Ash, Misty and Brock ran up to the two pokemon a little winded. "Did you say something Pikachu?" Ash asked in a breathless tone. Brock relieved Static of the map. Before Pikachu could respond, Brock voiced his findings. "Pallet Town should just be over this hill! Look! There's the edge of the Viridian forest over there and you can hear the waves to the right of us." Static found herself to be the center of attention very quickly. "What?" Static asked innocently with sparkling eyes. Pikachu shook his head and let out a smirk. Ash looked at the map over Brock's shoulder and let out a laugh. "You know, if we had gone the way that you wanted to go, we would have gone into the heart of Viridian forest. You know, there are probably a lot of BUGS there." At the word of the slimy icky insects, Misty turned blue in the face and began to shudder. "Don't say things like that!" Misty bellowed at the pair. Static exchanged a look that said 'I'm not gonna ask' with Pikachu. Pikachu sighed and looked down at the ground. "Don't ever let Misty near a bug of any sort. Misty will either a) run in hysterics or b) try to mallet it away and anyone near it in the process." Pikachu said still looking at the ground. Static winced as the memory of the infamous thumping that Misty could incur flashed through her mind. "Ouch." Static said in a small voice. "You have no idea." Ash watched the entire exchange with interest. It was amazing how well Static and Pikachu were getting along and he was secretly proud on how things were going between the pair. 'Static's learning a lot because of Pikachu. I can't wait to present her to Prof Oak, will he be surprised. I may not be a pokemon researcher but I know when a pokemon exhibits above average intelligence. Static's a smart little thing. If Gary was still alive he would have been jealous-' Ash's thoughts stopped at the thought of Gary. It was still painful even after all this time. "Well, let's go! I can't wait to see my mom." Ash said picking up Static. Pikachu decided to walk. Misty chose the moment to try and tease Ash out of his thoughts and keep him from thinking about the inventible. "You mean you can't wait to eat your mother's cooking." Misty said in a teasing tone. Ash stuck his tongue out at her. "Nyaaaaa. You just jealous! My mother is a really good cook and you aren't" Static closed her eyes. 'Ash, when are you ever going to learn tact? Five, four, three, two, one…' Misty suddenly became Ash's worst nightmare with an enlarged head, breathing flames and a fan in hand. 'Right… she broke her mallet last time she hit Ash.' "Are you calling me a bad cook!?!" Misty demanded. Ash backed up with a sweatdrop running down the side of his head. Looking ferocious, Misty advanced on the retreating boy. "I- uh- er-" The fan was raised. "Eeeep!" Ash went running for the safety of his house. "Can't we talk about this!?!" Static clung to Ash as a weird feeling of deja-vu claimed his memories. Disclaimer: I wished I owned pokemon. If I did, Gary would be a cute little Pichu (and snuggled up to Ash of course) ^_^ Just a teaser. I'll get the full chapter in Tuesday.