.

- The Crash -

March of 2033. Late Afternoon. Pallet Town, Kanto.

The living room came into view in a blurry haze as Misty groggily opened her eyes. Her mouth was dry and her head felt heavy as she slowly lifted herself from her laying position on the sofa. Running her fingers through her hair, she looked out the window. The sun was just starting to set and she squinted, inwardly cursed at having been asleep longer than she intended.

But upon realizing just how parched she was, Misty decided to let it go and rise to her feet, making her way into the kitchen. As she walked down the hall, she began to notice just how quiet the house was. There were no sounds of running or talking—only a heavy silence filling the empty halls. Such a silence felt almost foreign in this home. But Misty shrugged it off as she stepped into the kitchen.

Pulling open the refrigerator door, Misty sighed as she retrieved a water bottle from inside. Unscrewing the cap, she raised the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. However, she nearly spit it out when a loud 'crash' came from outside, startling her.

She quickly whipped her head towards the kitchen window, only to see the limp body of her husband lying face-down on the ground. Gasping, Misty dropped the bottle to the floor and rushed out to the backyard.

"A-Ash!" she cried, running over to where he lay motionless. Her heart was beginning to race as she knelt down beside him and turned him onto his back. "Ash! Can you hear me!?" she asked, taking his head gently into her hands. "Ash!"

A soft groan escaped Ash's mouth, and Misty sighed in relief. "Mist..?" he murmured, cracking his eyes open. "What hap—!" But before he could even finish his sentence, Ash sprung to his feet with a gasp. "Shoot!" he said hurriedly, waving Misty away as he brushed himself off. "Leave! Leave! You're gonna blow my cover!"

Misty paused, her eyes widening. "Blow your— What?" she managed, exasperated. "What do you mean 'blow your cover'?! I thought you were dead! Hey! What are you doing?!" she snapped, growing angry as she watched her husband attempt to climb the tree he had just fallen out of.

"Misty! I said—!"

"There he is!"

"Get him!"

Ash jumped at the sound of the voices as their three children and Pikachu ran towards them. "O-oh no!" he managed as he began to run across the yard. "They're gonna catch me!"

Before Misty could be bothered to ask questions, Skye, Reid, and Calla all sprinted past her, tackling Ash to the ground.

Ash let out a cry of feigned pain as he squirmed beneath the three children crawling all over him. "You got me!"

"There's no escape now, Mr. Champion!" Skye yelled as she pounded on Ash's back with her fists.

"Yeah, we got you!" Calla giggled, tugging at his arm.

"Surrender!" Reid cried, pulling at his father's other arm. "We've even got Pikachu on our side!"

"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement, clenching his paws with a devious smile.

Misty watched with her mouth parted just the slightest as Ash continued to wriggle beneath the weight of their children before loudly saying, "Never!"

The kids all let out surprised yelps as Ash managed to rise to his feet, Calla and Reid hanging from either arm as Skye clung on to his back tightly. However, they soon began laughing as Ash struggled to walk while supporting all of their weight. Even Pikachu let out a giggle as he started to run around his trainer's feet in circles.

Misty remained standing silently, observing the sight of her husband playing with all three of their children at once. With her and Ash both being away so often to focus on their training, this was something that she didn't get to see too frequently.

A smile crept onto her face as her children's laughs grew louder. After a moment, she began to run towards them.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing wrestling that Pokemon Master without me?"

...And so it continues!