Author - Chibi / Warlordess

Disclaimer - I don’t own Pokemon. At this point, that’s a very good thing, seeing as I barely have enough time to spend writing up my fanciful fics, let alone if I owned the actual series. . .

Notes - Oh, look, I've got a few reviews for the first chapter! -cheers- Thanks for those. Anyway, eh hem, let's see. . . Oh, yes, I got quite a few. . . I guess I could call them complaints, but I could also call them concerns, as well, so I'll address them anonymously so that this fic doesn't get deleted for my breaking the FFN rule that states I can't reply directly to reviewers. . . -rolls eyes at the stupidity of FFN staff, then hopes they don't ban me for that comment- But I’ll wait until the end of the chapter to get to that. . .

Now, onto the fic!

OoOoO

Pokemon - "The Strangest Kind of Love"

Chapter One - "And My Retaliation is Fierce"

Fic Facts:

Summary - Many years into the future, Ash and Misty are both looking to settle down. The only issue is, neither one is very good at keeping a relationship going. Then, by odd convenience, they end up moving in together. . . Pokeshipping fic.

Rating - Teen. Or PG-13. Whichever works for you. The rating is alluded to the fact that there will be adult fluffiness, alcohol, and pregnancy, eventually. Plus it just feels right.

Characters and Ages -

Ash / 23

Misty / 24

Brock / 26

Tracey / 25

May / 19

Drew / 20

Gary / 24

Delia / 45

Professor Oak / 49

(Note that not all of these characters will be that important.)

The idea for this fic was created in August of 2005.

This fic was officially started in February of 2006.

This chapter was officially created February 13th - 17th of 2006.

OoOoO

Ash and May found themselves driving out to Cerulean the day after Misty's collapse.

May had taken to renting out a mini-van. This Ash had to ask himself about, as he wasn't brave enough to question May. Why did she have to rent something so big? They were just going to pick up Misty. . . What with the price of gas, the last thing they should be trying to do is drive halfway around Kanto in such a barrel of a vehicle. . . But maybe the automotive center just didn't have anything else in stock at the moment. It was a beautiful summer day; college students probably wanted to get out of their dorm rooms and run rampant across the beaches of Vermillion, and it wasn't like they were going to risk being seen by their friends driving a mini-van.

Ash turned to May and his brow creased as they turned out of the tourist passing valley of Mt. Moon. He could tell that she was worried by the way her back was hunched. Her forehead was practically crushed against the steering wheel as though urging the car to go faster, but she was acting remarkably calm on the outside. They knew that Misty was fine; they'd talked to her just yesterday after she'd been released from the hospital, but that hadn't allayed May's fears. . . Misty was one of her best friends after all, her best female friend, and her only confidante, really. They'd grown very close over the years.

Of course, as Ash turned back to face ahead again, he was worried too. It wasn't like Misty wasn't his best friend. But he also knew that he'd have plenty of time to discover if she was truly alright once they were settled in together. . . And then his brow knitted again, his thoughts turning back to her collapse. . . He'd told her last week that she should have slowed down. . . ! Why hadn't she listened to him? What, did she think that it was a conspiracy? That he was planning on ruining everything she'd been working so hard for while attempting to maintain a lesser front of friendship with her? Whoa, talk about crazy. . .

And while Ash proved that he was crazy for allowing these thoughts to go through his mind, May pressed down hard on the brake pedal, causing them to come to a sudden stop.

". . . We're here! Now, come on, Ash!" And May pulled the keys from the ignition and grabbed a hold of Ash's arm, attempting to rip him from his seat and pull him out of her side of the car. It probably would have been easier, first-off, if he'd had his seatbelt removed, and if he'd just tried to get out of his own side, and he tried to tell her that, by way of choking to death, ". . . Oh, alright, Ash; I get it! But c'mon, really!"

As Ash managed his way out of the vehicle and followed after the young Hoenn foreigner, he caught his first sight of the Cerulean Gym in, what he suddenly realized had been, quite a few years. He'd have liked to imagine that it looked just the same as it always had, but he'd be lying, of course. The truth was, it was in near-shambles compared to its former glory.

Shaking his head and making a mental note not to mention his opinion to Misty, he slouched in through the sliding double doors after May, barely taking notice of a large pile of black bags sitting by the main desk. He looked up and around the lobby and caught sight of May, practically a nervous wreck for fear that Misty's condition was worse than it seemed, as she threw herself at the redhead, who had taken to sitting on one of the trainers' couches until her friends arrived to pick her up.

"Oh, no, Misty, your complexion, you look so pale and exhausted. . . ! Should you really be traveling this soon after being released from the hospital? Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to take you to Pallet!" May wheedled affectionately, and Ash and Misty both sighed from their positions at the girl's eager attitude, "And this seat isn't at all comfortable! Why are you down here? You should be upstairs, resting! Have you eaten anything today? Should we maybe stop somewhere and pick up some food? Ash brought some extra cash, so we can afford to. . ."

". . . Awe, c'mon, May, stop treating me like I'm some special charity case. I mean, thanks for the help, but I don't need all of this attention." Misty smiled at her to show that she was as healthy as she could stand to be at that point in time, before turning to Ash, "So, how's it going. . . ?"

Okay. It was time for the lecture circuit.

"Didn't I tell you to settle down last week after our meeting? Didn't I say you should chill out, ask for some time off, take a break or a vacation or whatever? What's your problem, Myst?" Well, that was fun. . . Unfortunately, he'd chosen to come out with it wrong. May knew that the best thing to do would be to back away, as Misty rose from her seat, having taken Ash's choice words of concern the wrong way, but she also knew this wasn't the best time for the redhead to be getting excited.

She attempted to open her mouth to say something about this, but, as was always the case, Misty was able to prove once again that she was quite capable of having the loudest voice in the entirety of the Kanto region, and anything May might have been working up to was drowned out completely.

"Are you kidding me, Ash Ketchum? No 'How are you?' No 'It's good to see you!' What the hell happened to those good old fashioned greetings?" She asked, taking a step forward and shrieking just as she used to when they were teenagers.

"Oh, I don't know. . . They probably went flying out the window just like the modesty you threw away instead of using to take my advice! Really, Misty, how hard is it to really understand that I - that all of us - only care about you, and that's why we say things like that, and like this, even if they're not what you want to hear!" Ash shouted back, also taking a step forward. Unbelievably so, the whole 'yelling-themselves-hoarse-while-moving-ever-steadily-closer-together' thing was how their fighting had always worked. . .

"I would have taken your advice, but that was only if I was desperate enough to think that anything you had to say was worth my time! And anyway, I didn't think that my condition was that bad off!" She allowed herself to admit, and as she faltered, Ash was pleased to see the embarrassed scarlet patches colouring her cheeks. Suddenly, mid-glare, her eyesight wavered and she stepped back and regained her seat beside May, who looked ready and willing to flip out and attack Ash in her place if it was needed.

Thankfully, it wasn't, as he too came to understand what was happening and allowed her a moments' rest.

"Uhm. . . are you okay?" He asked her, keeping a certain distance from her so that she didn't decide to jump him and slam him upside the head with one of her mallets at the last second. It was a wistful thought, actually. All of these years, all of these changes they'd gone through, and yet he knew that she wouldn't hesitate to do so, even now. Yet, reminiscent of those memories or not, he wasn't ready to actually experience them again; not by a long-shot.

"I'm just fine, Ash. . ." She said, and then lifted both of her hands and placed her fingers to her temples to rub tenderly. She squinted horribly up at him, though, as though attempting to glare and prove that she was still quite managing to maintain her angry demeanor.

"Don't worry, Misty." May attempted to console her, and then, by way of comfort, she continued with an afterthought, "I brought a mini-van." When next Ash saw Misty and May glance at each other, both of their faces held identical sadistic smirks. And then they turned to face him, with those fixated expressions of the utmost cruelty and evil upon them, and he knew then that he was doomed.

"Ash, could you help me take my bags to the car? I. . . I think that I can manage to help you out that much. . ." And possibly putting to use a bit too much of that acting she'd learned from her sisters over the years, Misty forced herself to her feet, placed a woesome hand to her head, gave a damsel-ish moan, and made to take a few steps forward.

"Uh, no, Myst, I - I mean, really. . . You shouldn't be putting yourself through so much duress if you don't think your body can handle it. Don't worry; I've got this. So. . . where are these bags of yours?" Ash said, looking around, and Misty allowed the 'woesome hand' to drop back to her side as she regained her spot next to May and the two young women exchanged a very suppressed grin of victory (if it hadn't been suppressed, it probably would have been a contemptible laugh or somewhat that would have scared Ash from the Gym, or the city entirely).

And then she pointed to the very large pile of black bags sitting beside the main desk.

Ash's eyes widened, and he gulped, knowing now that he'd clearly fallen into a trap. He clamped his eyes tightly shut, counted to three, opened them again, as though willing the horrible task at hand to go away, but those huge, heavy-looking bags were still there. . . He turned to look at Misty and May, but both of them gave him the full onslaught of their baby-blue-eyed, "We're in need of a big, strong man!" stare, and Misty mocked her former actions of looking less-than-healthy (which might not have been all mocking in any case), and he was basically putty in their hands.

What could he say?

He really did like all of the attention.

But then he turned back to the pile of bags. Just on the top of his head, he was able to catch sight of seven. Seven. Wasn't Misty only going to be staying with him for two weeks? It was true that growing up had indeed allowed her to expand her fashionable horizons, but really. . . What could she be keeping in there? The thought had crossed his mind before Ash realized. . . there was no way in hell that he ever wanted to find out. A girl's mind had always been so complicating to him as a teenager; how much easier could he expect a woman's mind to be?

Ugh. He was going to need loads of therapy after this, he was sure.

Shaking his head, he pretended to roll up a pair of sleeves on his shirt (he was actually wearing a tee-shirt, but he always saw guys doing this when they were getting ready to start working on something for their lady friends) and strode forward, throwing one very large bag over each of his shoulders and resigning to his job as. . . well. . . for lack of a better word, "pool-boy."

Hey, as the leader of the Cerulean City Gym, he was sure Misty would have it no other way.

"May, can you go unlock the trunk of the van for me. . . ? Er, Myst, are you. . . sure you've got everything?" He asked, regretting it almost instantly and visibly flinching. He couldn't even begin to imagine what could be missing. "I mean, you'll be staying at my place for at least two weeks, right? You've got all of your stuff? Your toothbrush? Your, er, womanly. . . things?" He made to dash out the front door with his face entirely scarlet when he saw her reach for her mallet at the mention of said. . . things. But then she stopped and blinked almost confusedly as May went to pop open the back of the vehicle they'd be taking back to Pallet Town.

"You. . . you mean, I'm staying with you for. . . both weeks?" She almost squeaked. Okay, and now he was confused. How could she not know that? Wasn't that how they'd set this up? "No, I mean I thought that I was just staying for one; you know, because then I could at least get a start on my immediate recovery without being able to run off with my mistress!"

"Er. . . Your mistress?"

"Oh, when some people become too attached to their jobs, then sometimes those jobs often get referred to as their 'mistresses'. Heh, and with all of the things I've got to do. . . I feel. . . guilty. . . running off like this. . . No matter how much my sisters might deserve it, since it's their fault we're in this position in the first place. . ." And Misty did something that Ash found totally unexpected next off, and that was that she collapsed once again back onto that ever-faithful lobby couch and placed her face into her hands, allowing a dry sob to escape her.

Ash dropped her bags cautiously at his feet, feeling a wave of sympathy wash over him. He knew what it was like, what Misty was talking about, or what she wasn't talking about, since she hadn't exactly been clear when she'd just crumpled into tears so suddenly. . . but, for once, he understood that it wasn't one of those things he would never really get, those things he'd dubbed as a 'girl thing', or a 'Misty thing'.

"Myst, c'mon, really. . ." He said soothingly, "Ah. . ." He commented almost blushingly when he realized that his voice was cracking too, but then, the conversation topic was hitting mightily close to home, "You're not. . . Don't think that you're abandoning them."

This comment brought a gasp from Misty, and, almost quakingly, she raised her face to gaze unblinkingly at Ash, silently questioning how he could possibly know exactly how she felt that way.

"Well, every Pokemon trainer feels it at some point on their journey, I guess." He replied sheepishly, one of his hands sweeping to the back of his neck and grasping at it embarrassingly, "I mean, I felt it way back when, the day I first started out. Do you know how hard it is to leave the one person who brought you into this world, who taught you how to walk and talk, even if it is to try and attain your dreams? And even with her blessing?" He finished in addition.

"But. . . but I'm not a trainer anymore, Ash! This has nothing to do with my dreams anymore! So where is this sense coming from?"

"I think it's maybe. . . a delayed reaction, of sorts. . ." She was obviously perplexed, and so he continued, "Well, remember how you left here to start your journey to becoming a Water Master years ago? It was after an argument with your sisters, a selfish, biting argument that I really know nothing about, but I'm just going on what I know about your family. . ." He finished before she could comment, "What I'm getting at is, at that time, you probably wouldn't have been worried about what you were leaving behind. Now, though, well, you and Daisy are getting pretty close, aren't you? She's started training and, whether you like it or not, you've gotten older and wiser and, well, you have better judgment than to believe that your sisters can handle this place without you for such a long time on such short notice, and without any guidance."

She couldn't help but smile at him. It was good to know she had friends who could show up at times when she didn't know what to think of herself anymore, friends who could undoubtedly reassure her that she was a good person.

"Uhm, Ash, what are you still doing in here? I went and opened the trunk of the van for you, but that was almost ten minutes ago. . ." May said, hopping back in through the sliding main doors to the Cerulean Gym, and Ash got back to his feet, finally remembering that he was supposed to be Misty's universal slave-boy for the time being.

"Er, so, why don't you go get. . . whatever it was you still needed. . . ? You know, now that we're clear that you're spending both weeks at my place?" Ash told her absentmindedly, as he picked up the two bags he'd dropped and continued out the entrance, dreading how limp his limbs were going to end up being by the end of this.

"Oh, that? Ash, really, obviously I was joking. . . I mean, honestly, isn't twelve bags enough?" She asked him and he nearly tripped over himself.

"Twelve?" Men stronger than him would have broken down and started crying, but no; not Ash Ketchum.

It took nearly half-an-hour to get everything packed into the van and, by that time, Misty seemed to have regained an almost remarkable amount of strength, something that Ash couldn't help but notice. Just as he was about to start another one of their biting arguments, she brought up a conversation of her own.

"Hey, Ash, where's Pikachu?"

"Oh, uh. . . well, when I travel out of town nowadays, I usually end up leaving him at Professor Oak's ranch with all of my other Pokemon. He gets his exercise and all of the apples and Poke-Chow he wants, and he gets to interact with all of his friends, and all at no expense to me. I think it's better, anyway, than bringing him out here like this, cramping him up in a car for hours at a time. I don't think Pokemon were meant to ever live that way. Maybe in Pokeballs, but, well, somehow those things don't seem to me to be designed too small to contain the creatures, and Pikachu never liked them anyway, you know?" Ash replied, and Misty nodded, "So, what about your sisters?"

"Oh, well, after what happened yesterday, the League let us close down the gym for today. . . They didn't want to end up having us inadvertently scaring off anymore challengers. . . Lilly and Violet are working their shifts at their other jobs right now and Daisy's taking a nap upstairs. . ."

"Or, well, she, like, was. . ." Said a new voice from behind them, and the blonde appeared on the first floor landing, yawning yet still looking somehow attractive in her nature. "You two have got to work out your issues if you're going to be living together; there was, like, no way for me to sleep through that. . ."

"But. . ." Ash started, completely oblivious, ". . . our fight was almost an hour ago. . . What took you so long to get down here? Did you forget where the staircase was or something?"

"No. . ." Misty sighed almost irritably as her eldest sister reached her side, "Fortunately, Ash, you're the only human being capable of doing that."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true!"

"No it's not! I haven't forgotten where the staircase was to my house since I was fourteen! And I'm quite proud of that accomplishment!"

"You would be. . ." Misty smirked, her irritability somehow slipping away, but she yawned.

"I was grooming myself. There was no way I, like, would show myself to our guests with the inevitable pillow head." Daisy explained, tossing her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, "No cowlicks or unmanageable curls for me, thanks."

"Uh huh. . . Anyway, guys, maybe we should get going. Misty can have the front seat and take a nap on the way back." May said, removing the key ring from her pocket again and swinging it around her finger, "And I, of course, will be driving."

Ash shuddered. He avoided looking at May, who seemed to be silently questioning if he had a problem with her skills on the road, and turned instead, to face Misty and Daisy again.

"Okay, so. . . do you two maybe need a few minutes alone? You know, to say goodbye? I mean, I know it's only a couple of weeks, but you are. . . family. . ." He hadn't even finished the statement before the two grown woman basically threw themselves into each other's arms, wishing the other luck and giving advice.

"I'll, like, miss you, little sister!" Daisy wailed.

"I know; I'll miss you, too!" Misty responded, equally teary-eyed, but then, slowly calming down, ". . . But maybe this will be a good experience for both of us. . . I need the rest, and you need the practice, the training. . . And Lilly and Violet need to grow up a bit more." She added, and she and Daisy shared a small grin as they broke apart and wiped at their own eyes.

"Yea, well, if this doesn't work, then at least feel comforted with the fact that you, like, totally enjoyed yourself. . . And you had better have enjoyed yourself. Now get out of here, alright? You stay any later and you'll, like, be on the road throughout the entire night!" Daisy ended the discussion by means of a farewell and Misty was ushered out the door with May and Ash, "And Misty? You and your little boyfriend better not get ahead of yourselves!"

Both Ash and Misty flinched at that comment.

"Ignore her, ignore her. . ." Misty murmured, breathing deeply as she found her way over to the front seat of the car. Ash sighed and sidled in behind her while May found herself behind the wheel.

"Hey, Myst? I hope you grow attached to your seatbelt. . ." Ash said with a small grin as he shut the door.

"Er, why?"

"Because, I've learned that May's driving techniques aren't exactly legal in every country."

OoO

(The next week or so is far too gruesome for thine eyes to read. The following narration taking place over the course of Ash, Misty, May, and Brock's bi-weekly meeting will have to suffice as enough of an explanation for you all.)

While Ash and Misty chose to glare almost ruefully at one another, May and Brock couldn't help the almost sly grins that grew on their faces. The group of four were sitting once again at the cafe in Viridian, their preferred spot for their reunions, and were immersed in a very interesting discussion of how Ash and Misty's first week of living together had gone. Well, it was less 'interesting' and more 'horrifying', as they quickly discovered, after both of the Pallet citizens had retreated to their seats and started ranting, not minding the ferocious insults that flew from their mouths.

"First of all, really, think of all of those bags she had! And she couldn't wait to use my bathroom! She left hair in the shower drain!" Ash started off straight away, giving way to the shudder that went through him a moment later.

"You're lucky that I moved in with you when I did, Ash Ketchum! When your mother left, she didn't know what she was leaving behind! You're nothing but a disrespectful slob! You have Doritos crumbs knee-deep in your couch cushions! And did I ever tell you that you need to make an effort to try and grocery shop more often? Your milk is three weeks old!" Misty scoffed in a disgusted sort of way.

"So what? Or have you forgotten that it's my house? I daresay that you don't have a right to complain."

"No, except for the fact that you invited me to stay over there for the time being, and you should be making this at least a bit more comfortable for me, shouldn't you?"

Drumming his fingers on the table annoyingly as though bored with her argument, Ash continued with his own, ". . . You think what you've got to say is bad. . . ? Guys. . ." He turned to face Brock and May now, and the two of them stared at him. He was giving them a look of the utmost misery, ". . . she - she tried t - to cook for me. . ."

There was a chorus of appalled gasps at this statement, and Misty turned red. She knew that her culinary skills weren't that great, but. . . Ash was going a bit too far, rubbing it in like that. . . And the fact that Brock and May had never even tasted anything she'd attempted to make (but they'd heard the stories) and were still backing away from her was a sign that Ash was winning this battle. . .

Well. . . Misty smirked. She knew a way to change that. But the effort would definitely cost her some dignity.

"You think that that's bad? I've got news for you!" She slapped one of her hands onto the table now to regain everyone's attention (they were still looking a little revolted there) and then continued speaking, ". . . The day after I moved into the guest bedroom (Ash's old bedroom), Ash had gotten up early to start on some project. . . Don't ask me what. . . I ended up sleeping in because I was still so tired. . . Anyway. . . Just as I was beginning to come around, I heard my bedroom door open a bit, and someone yawning, and then I felt something being tossed all over me, and then I heard the door being closed again. . ." Misty paused here for dramatic affect, but she was able to tell that she'd gotten at least May's full interest, ". . . And then, when I'd finally been able to wake myself up enough. . . well. . ." She turned red here, and it was more out of disgust and embarrassment than anything else, ". . . Ash ended up throwing his dirty underwear on me! The dense idiot!" And here, she turned and gave him a haughty look.

"Oh, ew!" May said, and she attempted to repress a large quake as well, but with much difficulty, "How could you do something as. . . as. . . awful as that, Ash?" She asked him, and Misty busied herself quite suddenly with her diet latte, pleased that she'd finally gotten away from the limelight.

"I'm sorry! I forgot that she was staying there! My mom had been moved out for so long and that room had become one used for storage more than anything else, alright?" He excused himself, but May was still giving him a dirty look, and although Brock looked a bit like he wanted to burst out into peals of laughter, he was managing to contain himself with a fatherly expression of disapproval as well.

"Really, I think you both are at fault here. I mean, Ash, you should have put a bit more effort into being sure that Misty would be comfortable in this new environment. . . And, Misty? Have you ever heard of the word 'compromise'?" Brock attempted to say, but neither of them really seemed to want to be any part of it. It was hard to try and move things along when both Ash and Misty thought themselves perfectly right. . .

"Well, I think that maybe you two just moved in together a little too soon into your relationship. . ." May sighed, and this comment was met with a unanimous response.

"What?" Ash, Misty, and Brock spat out, quite literally, overtop their hot drinks. May found herself drenched in a strange combination of hot chocolate and coffee.

"Well, I mean, maybe your sister was right. Maybe you two are getting ahead of yourselves." May shrugged, "I know you guys have had this age-old 'thing' going on between you, but come on, really, is this the best way to resolve it? Moving in together on a whim? You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think Misty planned that fainting thing so that this whole thing would happen the way it did. . ."

"Whoa, whoa. . . So you're pinning this on me?" Misty practically shrieked, pointing at herself. Ash couldn't help laughing, he was so beside himself. Whether or not he agreed with where this topic was going, it was definitely a good thing to see the redhead back in the hot seat.

"I'm just thinking about it a certain way. . . You show up at your first reunion in months after you break up with your boyfriend, which, coincidentally, is at the same time that Ash breaks up with his girlfriend. . . And then, just as he's walking you to the bus-stop, he kindly offers you a place to stay, should you ever need it. . . Then, just a few days later, you end up fainting? Talk about right on time. . ." May said, and now, not only was Ash fighting to suppress his laughter, but so was Brock.

"Stop it, May; I'm serious. . ." Misty said, flexing her fists under the table.

"No, keep going, May, this is getting interesting. I want to know more about Misty's undying love and affection for me. I want to know how she's been pining for me since we were twelve years old and how she planned this whole thing out just so that she could act on those emotions just when I least expect it. . ." And then, unable to contain himself any longer, Ash burst out into a fit of raucous hilarity, and Brock joined him.

Of course, that didn't last very long, seeing as Misty pulled out one of her seven-foot-tall mallets and pulverized both of them without a second thought. She was quite proud of herself for being about to do so without any trace of scarlet appearing on her cheeks at the mention of the crush she'd indeed had on him as a kid. Now that she thought about it, the thought of ever being able to love a loser like him was almost degrading, what with the way he reacted to it.

"Well, anyway, since you guys don't seem ready and willing to try and resolve this thing on your own, and otherwise, Misty might as well just go home and end up hospitalized for attempted suicide, we're going to have to go about solving this another way." Brock massaged his chin in thought after both he and Ash had recovered, "How about. . . I don't know. . . throwing some sort of. . . home-warming party? Given, Ash already knows all of the people who live in Pallet Town, but it will give Misty a way to meet some new people, and if it just so happens that you two end up getting so sick of each other that you, Misty, pack up your things and move yourself out, maybe you'll have met up with someone else by then who you can count on to take you in for the last few days of your vacation." He suggested.

"Er, Brock, I dunno when you last came to my house, but, well, it's not exactly the type of place that you can just. . . throw a party. . ." Ash started awkwardly with a hand behind his neck.

"Yea, you'd need a bulldozer to mow through all of the trash first, wouldn't you, Ash?" Misty asked, scrunching up her nose.

"You two forget who you're talking to." Brock said with that strange twinkle in his eye that told them he was not far from pulling on his pink frilly apron and a French accent.

"I think it's a good idea," May said, "It'll give us a chance to go shopping for new dresses." She continued pointedly to Misty, but Ash groaned at this before she could reply.

"Great, more clothes. . ."

"Oh, shut it. Well, I don't know about it either. Other than the fact that it's not my house, I just. . . I don't know why, but I just feel weird about this idea so suddenly, and it's not like I'd have long to get to know these people, right? I mean, I'll only be around for, like, another week."

"Yea." Ash said, "So, see, Brock? What's the point? It's really not worth it. . . I mean, I don't want to put you out, what with all of the cleaning involved beforehand, and Misty will be going home soon, and I'm sure that the two of us can make it through that long. . ." He said, although he wasn't looking so positive about it, "So let's just forget about it and move on. . ." But Brock still had that look on his face, "How come you seem more interested in this than any of the rest of us. . . ? I said NO, Brock, N - O --"

"-- I'll cater it. . ." He said tantalizingly in a singsong tone.

"Done and done." Ash finished with an expression of determined resolution on his face.

OoOoO

((Anonymous things that probably should have gotten tagged with a number but didn't)) --

Misty and May's Combination Baby-Blue-Eyed, "We're in need of a big, strong man!" stare - Parental discretion is advised. This little number is considered quite deadly in some situations. Do not attempt to reenact without proper supervision.

May's driving - Er, I couldn't help it. . . I could see her being one of those manic road-runner types. . . :)

Brock's unusual interest in throwing a party in Ash's house - So sue me; Brock is Brock, and I think that he'd be into this, if not for the fact that he misses picking up after people, and all of his younger siblings have moved out and blah, blah, blah. . . This will give him the chance to reminisce about the good, ol' days. . . Heh. As long as Ash and Misty don't end up killing each other first.

Ash and Misty's living situation - Yea, I could see these issues happening, especially the underwear thing, strangely enough. I think it would be one of Ash's more rebellious stages. After all of those years of Mrs. Ketchum's nagging that he wash them and change them everyday, and now that he's finally been able to live on his own. . . He's just gotten used to his way of living. Yep. Until Misty came along. Heh. And then it all went away.

Notes - First of all, yes, I did decide to make the characters exceptionally older in this fic. I've heard that this upsets one reader in particular, as she feels that it takes away from the original innocence of the series, and that it also inflicts injury on what could have been some good humor, meaning Ash's stupidity as a teenager. Well, just because he's grown up doesn't mean that he's a genius! I mean, obviously he'll have grown into some things, but other things he'll be deftly confused about, so, hopefully, you'll still have some stuff to look forward to. Don't worry. I mean, like you read in the first chapter, he didn't get it when his girlfriend broke up with him and proceeded to call her the next day, and he got a pretty big chewing out for that one. . . And wait until he knocks up Misty (way later on in this fic) and has to explain to his mother that he is indeed sexually active. . . -coughs- Moving on.

I'm glad that urging Brock's medical issues onto a professional was a good idea. Unfortunately, it won't become a major plot, or sub-plot, but as long as the thought of it is still funny, then. . .

Oh, yes. . . What the heck? Who out there says I'm not a Contestshipper? I mean, I've only had it written down in the 'Shippings' segment of my FFN biography since at least June of last year, if not earlier that I support May/Drew! -hyperventilates- And what about the hint(s) in "Illicit Saints" (which is something else I must talk about next -cringes-)? For those of you who seem to be such loyal fans, you sure don't read into it much. . . :P

Also. . . -sniffles- are you guys picking on me? Really, because at least one of you (if not two or three) has said that this idea is good, but it'll probably never match up to "Illicit Saints"! Wah! You make me want to go and delete that stupid fic! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Ugh! Now, I'm going to start feeling like everything I write is going to be inspected and graded by all of you and then marked in comparance to IS. . . -wants to log into FFN account and delete IS really badly right now-

Oh, wait, there was one more thing I think I had to comment on. . . Someone mentioned that it was a curious thing that Ash and Misty didn't act anything other than indifferent to the other's romantic relationships with opposing people. Yes, my friends, I'm going to come out with it. This isn't going to be one of those futuristic fics where Ash and Misty have spent the past ten or so years pining secretly for each other's affection while attempting to, at the same time, get over each other by dating other people. In this fic, much like with "Miss Discovery!", neither starts off with feeling anything besides friendship for the other. Heh. But that's gonna make their growth and their relationships and possible denial and the jokes and stuff way more fun, don't you think? -smirks- That's not to say that there won't be reference to the obviousness of the crushes they had on each other as kids, but as of now, they really have sort of grown out of it, especially after not seeing each other for so long. . .

Anyway, should I put up a spoiler. . . ? -wonders- Well, first I guess I should come out with it. . . I did plan on actually putting the home-warming party in this chapter, but then, when I got finished with the second part of the chapter, I realized just how long it was and I decided to wait. Don't worry; hopefully you'll get it next time around. Heh.

So, yea, spoilers -squeals-. . . Well, of course, the home-warming party takes place first off and everything is a hit. Ash is pigging out, and Misty's meeting a ton of new and interesting people. Brock's turned the Ketchum home inside out to make it look its best for everyone, and the event ends pretty well, considering, and even for our new roommates, it finishes on good terms. . . Then, a few days later, Ash is cruising Pallet when he runs into Gary Oak, who's in town for Delia and Samuel's third wedding anniversary. A spark of their former and yet unresolved rivalry comes into play when the Oak grandson mentions his hot date, and reminds Ash of the fact that he's failed to maintain a relationship for awhile now. Of course, Ash being Ash, the raven-haired ex-trainer swears that he'll have his previous rival beat. . . And then, just as soon as the discussion is over, he remembers that the anniversary party is less than forty-eight hours away. . . Can he really manage to find a date within that amount of time? -rolls eyes- Yea, this should go well. . .

Er, that's all. Can't a girl get some reviews?