COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Pokemon / Pocket Monsters, Superman, Hercules, or the song "It's My Party (and I'll Cry If I Want To)," performed by Lesley Gore.

COMMENTS: And now (*drum roll*) the finale of "It's Her Party 2." Viola!

It's Her Party, and I'm In Big Trouble Again

Aiselne Phoenix

Ch.6: "Punishments and Presents"

Team Rocket's karaoke machine had been ear-piercingly loud, but it was nowhere near as loud as Mom when she screamed,

"Ashton Ketchum! What in God's name happened here?"

I cringed, wanting to shrink and hide under the sofa, a chair, rug…anything to escape Mom's wrath. Not that hiding it would have made much of a difference, though. Mom had already seen the damage.

Pallet-Palooza left a path of destruction throughout my house. Even though Brock and the others did their best to clean up, there was just too much of a mess and too little of time to eliminate the evidence. To my friends' credits, they managed to clean up the coffee table, mantel, and most shelf-like locations where partiers lazily left their plates and cups.

Unfortunately, the harder-to-clean carpet was an entirely different story. Not only had the floor been covered with food, crumbs, split soda, and junk of all kinds, but the debris had been nastily grounded into the carpet's fibers. After all, the partygoers had been jumping up and down for most of the night, obliviously stomping their trash into my carpet. There was no way I could've expected Brock to vacuum, or even wash, the whole carpet in such a short timeframe. I knew it was quite a job to thoroughly clean a carpet, which was why I also knew exactly why Mom was bound to hit the roof.

I was as good as dead. Still, I knew it would be best to try and at least salvage whatever chance I had left of surviving this night. Swallowing, I balled a nervous fist by my side in an attempt to remain strong. Whenever Mom looked at me with that enraged look, I knew I had better be scared!

When I failed to immediately answer Mom, Professor Oak suddenly stepped forward. He must've drove Mom home, which was a nice gesture, but it didn't help my situation at all. The professor is like a dad to me, and I didn't feel the least bit comfortable being glared at by both my mother and my father-figure. It's double the guilt-trip!

But surprisingly, Professor Oak didn't immediately lecture me. He wore a stern face, but he also seemed irked by something else. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. That was when the man turned away from me, briefly alleviating half of my pressure, while Professor Oak noticed his grandson.

"Gary?" asked the professor, sounding almost as surprised as me. Until then, I hadn't realized my rival stuck around. After I found out Team Rocket's scam, Misty and I raced out of the house to catch the thieves. Considering the near-war Gary and I almost underwent beforehand, I figured the guy would've left, too. Instead, Gary was still in my house, and frankly, that didn't make my predicament any easier. Mom was seconds away from ripping me a new one, and Gary was the last person I needed in the audience. "I thought you told me you weren't invited to Ash's party."

Biting my tongue, I shot Gary a quick glare. But unlike before, the brunette didn't reply with some smartassed remark. You see, Gary doesn't act as high and mighty when his grandfather confronts him. I know Gary's parents used to pamper him, but Professor Oak is one grandpa determined to set his grandson straight, not stereotypically spoil him rotten. Gary Oak is a totally different person when the professor takes charge.

Obviously watching his mouth, Gary seemed to choose his words wisely. "Well, yeah," he trailed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "The other day, Ash said I wasn't invited, but…" And just like a get-out-of-jail-free card, Gary pulled out the fake Dragonair invitation from his pants. I could feel my temper heat up after just looking at those cursed cards, and wished my mind I could telecastingly, er, telekinetically burst the card into flames. "…But then I got this invitation yesterday, so I…I thought Ash changed his mind."

It was difficult for me to control my temper. A part of me thought Gary's excuse was cagey, just to make himself appear innocent. But then again, it was proven that Gary hadn't instigated Pallet-Palooza, so I really didn't have a right to get mad at Gary anymore. Part of me was still ticked over Gary confessing he was the cause of his ninth birthday party food fight. But all of a sudden, I realized there was no point in bringing up that fiasco now. The food fight was years ago, nobody cared about it except me, and if I brought it up again, I'd just look incredibly childish. And since I wanted to prove to Mom that I was a responsible young man, I didn't need any more examples of immaturity.

Even so, it was pretty dumb of Gary to think I'd "change my mind" and invite him. He obviously made that up, just so it'd seem like Gary had a "right" to come to the party. Folding my arms over my chest, I huffed at my rival's wishful thinking. "I told you before that you weren't invited, Gary. And after that last party of yours, if you think I'll ever have anything to do with you at a party, Gary Oak, you can stuff it–"

"You're not exactly in a position to be talking like that, young man!" Mom barked faster (and more scarily) than a Houndoom, knocking me down a peg or two (hundred). Remembering my own sticky situation, I shut my trap. Now was not the time for my big mouth to add fuel to the fire. Once the heat was taken off Gary, it went right back to me.

"Now, answer me, Ashton," ordered Mom, causing me to shrink back just a little. I didn't want to cower, but it was hard for me to stand strong in Mom's wake. As scared as I was with Misty, Mom's ten times more terrifying. She's usually cheery and smiling, but like the professor, Mom's not afraid to discipline unruly boys. I never had a real dad around to discipline me, so Mom had to make up for it. So trust me when I say that when Mom means business, you'd better look out! Misty can instill the fear of God into people, but Mom can be tough enough to instill the fear of God, along with the fear of Heaven and Hell! Putting her hands on her hips and using her height advantage to intimidate me, Mom demanded, "What happened here?"

I swallowed again, feeling my grip loosen each time Mom yelled. She hardly spoke to me like that. But when Mom did speak to me like that...well, let's just say, I was rarely stupid enough to encourage her to get so mad in the first place. Not even my friends were willing to speak up, since everybody else looked dumbfounded by my mother's transformation. Besides, it wasn't my friends' place, or home, to challenge Mom's rules. I didn't want my friends fighting my battles anymore, either.

"Mom...I..." But dammit, my voice wavered. Even if Mom was really scaring me, I couldn't allow myself to fall apart. All along, I wanted to prove to her that I was responsible and mature. Because of Pallet-Palooza, I had already lost my chance of proving responsibility. Punishments were inevitable, but if I didn't handle them maturely, that'd be more strikes against me. "I can explain."

"Oh, you'd better start explaining, mister!" Mom warned, her disgusted look broadening as she kept surveying the disastrous living room. "My God...I leave you kids alone for a couple of hours and this is what I come home to!"

Professor Oak was equally unimpressed, not that I could blame him or Mom. It was impossible to believe my house was squeaky-clean this morning. But it seemed that the professor also knew his place, and gave Mom the honors of scolding me. So while I was Mom's helpless victim, Professor Oak wandered around the living room to better inspect the damage.

"Urgh." Wrinkling his nose, Professor Oak randomly asked, "What is that smell?" Despite my friends' cleaning-up, there was still God-knew-what all over the place. If I were in a laughing mood, I'd call my house Mini Gringy City, but that wasn't funny at all.

As the rest of us noticed the odd scent, Mom just rubbed her temple. "It smells like… On second thought, I'm afraid to find out." Me too. Nevertheless, Mom still wanted an answer from me.

"It was Team Rocket, Mom!" I blurted out, barely hearing Pikachu shout a confirming "Chu!" by my feet. My buddy was very close with Mom, but it was a little reassuring for me to know that, even if Pikachu loved Mom, Pikachu was still on my side.

Mom blinked curiously, obviously considering Pikachu. However, I knew Mom was gonna' need more proof of my innocence, aside a vote of confidence from my pet. Cocking her head, she replied, "Team Rocket did this? Really?" To my displeasure, Mom didn't sound like she believed Pikachu and me. "It looks more like somebody had a party in here...a party that turned out to be a tad bigger than my son told me!"

"Mom, it wasn't my fault!" I swore. "Team Rocket sabotaged the party!"

"'Sabotaged the party'?" I heard Professor Oak ask from the other end of the parlor. He was still trying to follow his nose to wherever the odd smell came from. "Why would they sabotage a kid's birthday party? They steal Pokemon, don't they?"

To me, the professor's words were perfect. "That's exactly why they did it!" I explained with an eager nod. "Team Rocket wanted to steal a lot of Pokemon. Somehow, they must've gotten a'hold of Misty's invitations. Then they rewrote the cards, sent them to all the kids in the neighborhood, and said we were hosting a bash called 'Pallet-Palooza'–!"

Before I realized, my voice paused to catch a breath of air. More importantly, I noticed a sound from Professor Oak's direction. He tried to muffle the chuckle via covering his mouth, but I noticed the smirk concealed behind his palm. Then my own mouth dropped open, especially when I returned my attention to Mom. She was just shaking her head in disbelief.

Feeling myself sink deeper, I felt my face sag. "You…you don't believe me?"

"'Pallet-Palooza'?" repeated the professor, releasing only one hearty laugh. "Actually, that's a pretty catchy name. We could use it for next year's county fair."

Running a hand through her brown bangs, Mom groaned in exasperation. "Honestly, Ash. If you spent as much time cleaning the house as you did concocting that story…"

"It's the truth!" I exclaimed, poorly keeping myself afloat. In retrospect, I knew my excuse sounded ridiculous. The name "Pallet-Palooza" was outrageous enough, not to mention all the other unbelievable things Team Rocket did to blow Misty's party. I hadn't even told Mom how Jessie and James disguised themselves as schoolgirls to fool us…although…uh…on second thought, I really don't want to remember James in a miniskirt. Mom wouldn't believe it, anyway.

"I'm not amused, Ash," Mom spoke firmly, digging my grave deeper. "You said it yourself that you wanted to throw a big party for Misty. The least you could've done was be upfront with me about it. And I'm not pleased with you making up some stupid excuse to cover it up, either! At the very least, tell me the truth."

Mom may have had a point, but I couldn't believe she thought I was still pulling her leg. I may have been scared out of my wits, but Mom should've known I wasn't the type of person to lie my way out of a problem. "I am telling you the truth!"

"Oh please, Ash! Do you really expect me to believe that?" she blasted, silencing me and making me take another fearful step backwards. "If Team Rocket really wanted to steal Pokemon, don't you think that palooza thing was a very exaggerated way of doing it?" Poor Mom didn't realize this wasn't the first time Jessie, James, and Meowth worked butt-backwards. "Why would they invite so many people, too? To make you more popular or something?"

"No! They did it to get more Pokemon, and get me into trouble!"

"Well, you can thank them for succeeding on that last part…if they're even responsible, that is."

"But they are responsible, Mom!"

Mom just rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and clearly not believing me. "Ash, I'm very tired right now," she moaned, raising a hand to silence me again. Rubbing her forehead for the nth time, I knew my mother was reaching her limits, but so was I. I didn't like to fight with her. Still, I didn't want Mom to believe I instigated this mess when it honestly was Team Rocket's fault. Sadly, with such a stupid-sounding excuse as "Pallet-Palooza," how could I convince Mom that I was innocent?

"This is the last thing I need tonight, Ash." Then Mom sighed heavily, as though she was carrying unneeded weight on her shoulders. As peeved as Mom seemed, she was obviously more disappointed than anything else. "I thought I could trust you–"

Drastically losing my battle with Mom, and the battle with my composure, I nearly bawled, "You can trust me!"

"If I could really trust you, this never would have happened!" blasted Mom, pointing around the horrific living room to prove her point. Like it or not, I wasn't going to win this fight. Ironically, Mom always taught me to never give up, but this was one case where I couldn't afford to stay stubborn. The longer I tested Mom's patience, the worse my punishment would be. It would be better if I just got it over with.

But just before I accepted defeat, Professor Oak's face unexpectedly popped out from being my couch. Apparently, he found whatever was making that weird smell. Once the professor got to his feet, Mom (and everybody else in the room) turned pale upon seeing the item Professor Oak recollected from under my sofa.

A liquor bottle!

It was one of those cases where a boy was "scared enough to want his mommy." Except, Mommy was the very thing I was scared of! Whoever came up with the concept that a boy can be scared enough to want his mommy never met mine!

Never before had I seen Mom so appalled. Remember how I said an angry Misty resembles a Gyarados? Well, there is no Pokemon-equivalent to describe Mom's anger. Let's just say I was starting to miss Gyarados-Misty. Mom's enraged eyes shot me like a bullet. "Ashton! I told you no alcohol! You promised me I had nothing to worry about. What is the meaning of this?"

I felt like I was playing a bad game of limbo – how low can I go? Is it possible to be a deader-than-dead man? There was no way I could've prepared for this shocker. I know the palooza partiers romped around the house, but I was 99.9% certain none of them went downstairs near the wine cabinet. "I don't know where that came from, Mom, honest–!"

No surprise, Mom shut me up again. Storming in my direction, she promptly grabbed my chin, urging me to open my mouth. She obviously wanted to check if there was any alcohol on my breath. Can't say I blame her, but boy, that was embarrassing. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about, and Mom looked pretty relieved to know I was clean. Just to be safe, she had Professor Oak check the rest of my friends, and everybody passed the makeshift breathalyzer tests. At least that went in my favor.

"Well...somebody must have drank this," Mom noted, holding the empty bottle. "Sam, could you go check the wine cabinet and make sure this didn't come out of there?" she asked, Professor Oak nodding and doing the favor. Mom still did not look pleased with me, but I was so glad when the professor returned to confirm the cabinet was untouched.

"Told ya!" Stupidly, I blurted out, though I hushed when Mom glared right back at me.

"Either way, somebody drank this!" repeated my mom. "Somebody drank this in my house, without my permission, and without me present! None of you kids are of age! Do you know how much trouble we could get in, Ash, if people found out alcohol was being served to minors without adult supervision?"

"But Mom, I didn't even know that bottle was here!" I spoke honestly.

"Then you obviously weren't paying much attention, were you?" she retorted matter-of-factly, making me cringe all over again. "Ash, when you're alone in this house, you are responsible for it, understand? That means you have to be aware of what's going on around you at all times."

She was exactly right. Perhaps I should have been paying closer attention. Somebody obviously snuck in that bottle during the party, and I never noticed. Then again, the party was absolutely crazy! I could barely keep track of my friends in the crowd. Clearly, none of my other friends noticed the alcohol, either. For all I knew, the liquor might've been instigated by Team Rocket to get me grounded for the rest of my life (which was absolutely gonna' to happen after tonight). I was going to lose a lot more than dessert privileges for this fiasco.

Plus, aside the palooza's wildness, my other major distraction silently stood by my side. When Misty asked me to dance with her, I forgot all about what was going on around me. We entered our own little fantasy world, which undoubtedly caused me to forget what was going on in the real world. So lost in Misty, I wouldn't have noticed a bomb go off.

"Oh my God!"

Out of the blue, everybody jumped when we heard a scream. It wasn't Mom who shrieked, but the voice was feminine and familiar. Spinning around, my eyes fell upon May. For some reason, she was down on her knees, cradling a small blue turtle in her arms. "Squirtle! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Bobbing its head as though it were full of sand, the red-faced Water Pokemon's only reply was a hiccupped, "Squirt!"

Squirtle sure looked funny. It kinda' reminded me of how Pokemon act goofy when exposed to Sweet Scent. But Professor Oak took the matter much more seriously, dashing to May's side and inspecting her tiny turtle.

"Professor, what's wrong with Squirtle?" May needed to know, her panicked voice almost breaking. "Squirtle got lost in the party crowd, and I found it hiding under a recliner. Is it sick?" Sometimes animals do hide themselves when they're sick, after all. Maybe the party hoopla was too much for Squirtle. I know I barely handled Pallet-Palooza, myself.

However, the serious expression on Professor Oak's face looked too grim for comfort. "I'm afraid Squirtle is intoxicated, May. It must've found the bottle under the sofa." And while the stunned May attempted to grasp the unprecedented situation, Professor Oak turned to his assistant. "Tracey! We're taking Squirtle back to the lab immediately. Alcohol can be deadly to Pokemon, especially Pokemon as little as this one."

May's Squirtle was much younger and tinier than mine. It was practically May's baby, which was why the coordinator nearly burst into tears when Professor Oak said the word "deadly." I felt so bad for May when she started sniffling. Max was at her side in a flash, holding her hand while Professor Oak and Tracey led the siblings out of my house, heading straight for the Oak laboratory. It all happened so fast that my brain could barely keep up.

Silently praying that Squirtle would pull through, I felt my feet shuffle, absentmindedly trying to follow May and the professor. May and Max were my best friends, so I wanted to be with them in their time of need. But before I could run out of my house, Mom stopped me.

"I'm sure Professor Oak and Tracey will work a lot better if they don't have a bunch of people crowding the lab, Ash," Mom spoke gently, briefly placing a hand on my shoulder. I could also tell she was addressing the rest of my friends left behind, making sure everybody stayed where they were. Mom was right. May and Max didn't need an audience.

But now that the tables had turned 180-degrees, I felt a wave of dread come over me. I had faith in Professor Oak and Tracey, but a little voice inside of me feared the worst. What if Squirtle died? Even if Team Rocket was behind tonight's fiasco, I couldn't help but feel at fault, too. Like Mom said, I didn't pay very good attention to what happened during the party. If my cluelessness caused a Pokemon's death, I knew my heart couldn't handle it.

"This is why I didn't want to leave you alone, Ash," I heard Mom softly sigh. No longer did she sound mad or disappointed. Now she just sounded sad, clearly concerned for Squirtle's life. Mom sounded like she was upset with herself for leaving the house in my care. Perhaps she was partially blaming herself, too. "And I know I told you countless times that I didn't want any Pokemon in the house."

"I know you did," I replied quietly, doing my best to maintain my voice. But by then, matters were getting overwhelming for me. "But Squirtle was allowed to do a little performance when Misty arrived, remember? You said it was okay." For once, I had the right comeback and Mom accepted it with a nod. "But shortly after Misty arrived, all those extra people showed up. Things got pretty crazy, so Squirtle must've gotten lost in the crowd."

At least Mom acknowledged that explanation, though she was far from pleased. Never before had I seen her rub her forehead so much. Her headache must've been splitting. "What a night," she exhaled to herself, shaking her head before giving me her attention again. "I just hope Professor Oak doesn't take away your license for endangering a Pokemon's life, Ash."

Mom's words cut me like a knife through butter. My entire body froze over, and I could've sworn my heart skipped a beat. Just when the night couldn't possibly get any worse, Mom drove the stake right into me.

I started planning for Misty's Pallet Town party this time last year. After all that forethought, how could a simple birthday party become a life-or-death situation? If I had known half of these things might happen, I never would've bothered. No matter how important Misty is to me, no birthday party is worth this.

The guilt was unbearable. I felt guilty for letting the party go out of control. I let Mom, Misty, May, and everybody else down. I may lose my training license, and poor Squirtle might…

"Ash isn't lying, Mrs. Ketchum. I saw what Team Rocket did."

My red-haired heroine came to the rescue, but sadly, Misty was a little too late.

"I'm tired," heaved Mom, obviously considering Misty's honesty, but choosing to be the responsible parent. I could tell Squirtle's episode bothered Mom more deeply than she let on, but she didn't want to soften up before punishing me. "I'm not in the mood to keep arguing with you, Ash. You can forget about your Battle Frontier next week, because you're grounded for the next two. Clean this mess up before you go to bed. And I want Ash to do it by himself, kids, understand? The rest of you should head off to bed." She wasn't about to punish children that weren't her own, and my friends weren't about to object her rules, either.

The immature side of me believed Mom was unreasonable, but I knew better. I got myself into this mess, and I had to dig myself out. Honestly, I wasn't too surprised that Mom grounded me, and technically, a postponed Battle Frontier was the least of my concerns. But even though I had myself to blame for this mess, I still felt my eyes water.

I heard Mom sigh once more, sounding as though she didn't enjoy punishing me. But not the type of person to go back on her word, Mom turned away from me and headed across the parlor. Uneasily, my friends shuffled their shoes, and I felt Misty place her hand on my shoulder. She meant well, but at the moment, I wanted to be alone. Misty's warm sympathy was rapidly melting what little composure I had left. Crying wouldn't help my situation whatsoever.

"Oh G-God…"

The last time we heard, "Oh my God," something bad happened. Now was no exception. Blinking, Misty and I turned to where we heard Mom gasp. Just when I thought I was freed from my mother's presence – and just when I thought the night couldn't possibly get any worse – the unthinkable happened.

Like May, Mom lowered herself to her knees, picking up something from the floor. Well, actually, Mom picked up some things from the floor. Piece by piece and clink by clink, I felt faint when I realized something did get broken during Pallet-Palooza. And of all the items in our house, the thing that broke happened to be ultra-special to Mom.

Dad's Articuno statue.

He gave it to Mom as an anniversary present, so many years ago that I barely remembered. But Mom remembered, and I could tell the memories flooded her the moment she picked up the broken statuette. Articuno wasn't obliterated, but its long wavy tail was no longer attached to its majestic body. One of its legs was detached, too.

I expected Hell to break loose. However, Mom stayed silent the entire time. Too tired and unwilling to believe what happened tonight, she left Articuno's remains on its mantel. Mom probably figured she'd deal with it in the morning. As if she wanted to flee before something else went wrong, Mom quietly yet quickly disappeared upstairs. When I heard her bedroom door shut, I chewed my quivering lip.

My house was plunged in silence afterward. Nobody knew what to say, probably because there was nothing to say. Shortly after Mom left, my remaining friends followed upstairs to my room. I tried to ignore their reassuring pats, shoulder-rubs, and Pikachu's soft "Pikapi," because like before, I just wished to be left alone.

Once I got my wish, I depressingly grabbed a dustpan and brush, dropped on my hands and knees, and got to work. The sofa was first to be cleaned, then the recliners. Once I crawled on my stomach to clean underneath the coffee table, that was when I finally noticed tears dripping off my nose.

Nearly two hours passed since Hurricane Mom ripped me apart. It was nearing midnight by the time I finished cleaning the living room and headed for the kitchen. I didn't feel like sleeping, and I was too afraid to go upstairs and accidentally bump into Mom. So I just kept working.

My earlier instincts were right; the partygoers must've raided the kitchen without me realizing. The living room was definitely in worse shape, but there was still plenty of trash and food scattered throughout my kitchen. The place looked like Munchlax binged. Sighing with disgust, I filled a pail with tap water, grabbed a mop, and started washing the gunk off the kitchen tiles.

What a mess.

I hadn't heard from Mom or the others since they went upstairs, although the phone had been ringing quite a bit. My guess was that neighbors were calling to ask what happened with that Pallet-Palooza nonsense. More importantly, I just hoped one of those callers was Professor Oak, letting us know May's Squirtle was okay. But with nothing else I could do, I continued cleaning up the mess I got into.

"Ash?"

My mop handle almost fell to the floor, and I barely managed to contain a surprised, "Wah!" when I heard a voice come out of nowhere. The tiled floor being wet, my sneakers noisily skidded when I spun around, barely managing to catch my balance (and my breath) upon seeing Misty standing at the kitchen threshold. Jeez, Misty sure knew how to get my heart racing (in more ways than one). I probably lost ten years off my lifespan after tonight's hoopla.

Regaining myself, I set aside my mop before quietly approaching Misty. By then, she was already dressed in her blue Poliwag-printed pajamas. Her hands were casually placed behind her back, almost making her seem like a little girl. She looked cute, but I wasn't about to get lost in another fantasy. I still had work to be done. Plus, the way my bad luck had been going, I didn't want Mom to suddenly stroll downstairs and find me shooting the breeze. My current punishments were bad enough.

Still, I didn't want to ignore Misty, either, since she was obviously brave enough to come downstairs after Mom's blowup. "Myst? What're you doing up?"

"I just wanted to check on you. We were worried," she answered, which did make me feel a little better. Even if my friends knew better than to raise their voices to my mother, they were still on my side all the way. Slowly walking towards me, the redhead gave me a sympathetic smile. "Are you okay?"

"Okay" wasn't the first word I wanted to say. Shrugging indifferently, I shamefully looked away. I supposed I deserved Mom's punishment, but that didn't mean I had to enjoy it. "As good as I can be, anyway. I can't blame Mom for being upset, though."

"It's okay if you're upset, too, Ash."

I didn't want to agree with Misty. If anything, shouldn't it have been Misty who was most upset? I botched up everything, turned my house into New Gringy City, so it seemed that Misty and Mom were at the tippy-top of the disappointment list. But then, if I didn't have a right to be upset, why did I feel upset? Nobody likes to be punished, of course, but I also knew that Mom's punishments weren't the top reasons why I felt like a heel.

"Brock told me about the past few days," Misty continued, while I bit my lip. "He told me how much you wanted to throw me a big party to make up for the others." Déjà vu, this conversation was beginning to remind me of Mom's earlier lecture. How many times must I be reminded about how I stupidly wanted to throw a big party I couldn't possibly control? "But even though he knew you were dead-set on a huge shindig, deep down, Brock and the others figured 'Pallet-Palooza' was overkill, even for you."

So it seemed that my friends believed my innocence all along, which was a relief, but, "Tell that to Mom."

"She's your mother, Ash. Of course she knows. She's just tired and upset right now, that's all. I dunno if she'll lighten your punishment, but I'm sure she doesn't want something like this to happen again, either. Your mom doesn't strike me as a parent who disciplines her child without reason."

Boy, Misty hit the nail on the head. "I just…" I trailed for a second, unsure if I wanted to say what I was about to say. It felt childish to admit, "I just wanted Mom to realize I was responsible."

"You accepted your punishment a lot better than I expected, so I'd say that counts for something," Misty noted, although I couldn't help but wonder how she expected me to react in the first place. Kicking and screaming like a five-year-old? Suuure, that would reeeally impress Mom. "A lot of other kids would probably just throw a tantrum or cry like babies."

I sweatdropped after hearing Misty's last comment. My eyes were dry, but still a little raw. Dammit, maybe Max was right all along about me being soft. That kid is too smart for his age! Oh well, what Misty doesn't know won't embarrass me.

"But your mom's bound to realize you're responsible." Surprisingly, I heard Misty chuckle softly. "Ash, you've been traveling across the world for a few years, and we've faced a lot worse situations than a Team Rocket-spiked party. Your mom would have to be blind not to realize you've developed some level of responsibility. Remember Shamuti Island? But you're not Superman, either. Exactly how much 'responsibility' were you planning to prove, Ash?"

I didn't expect that question. Maybe I had gotten in over my head from the beginning – not that me going overboard is new. But maybe that was the point. Misty said it herself: she predicted I would go overboard, and perhaps Mom was the same. The party was obviously meant to be a learning experience, so I'd open my eyes and realize how easily I attracted these fiascos. And maybe, just maybe, I'd learn to resolve (or avoid) them in the future. Because just like that time on Shamuti Island, Mom worried about me, and she wanted me to learn how to look before I leaped. I guess I still had some brushing up to be done.

"You're right, Misty," I nodded, still not ready to smile but feeling a bit better. "Still, I wish these birthday parties weren't always disasters. A whole year's worth of planning went into tonight's party, and everything went wrong in a matter of minutes. I always thought the harder a person tried, the better the results."

"That's true," Misty seemed to agree. "But there's also such a thing as trying too hard, Ash."

Once again, it seemed everybody else knew the answers, and I was the last to find out. But Misty was right again. She told me before that she wouldn't have minded a simple get-together on her birthday. If that was enough for Misty, why wasn't it enough for me? I guess I was too worried about redeeming myself, but I really wanted to make Misty happy, too.

However, Misty was happy. Even after everything that happened tonight, she was still smiling beautifully at me. That was enough for me. Returning her smile, I nodded more sincerely. "Thanks, Myst."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Misty gushed, causing me to rub the back of my neck. "But next year, keep things simple, okay Ash?"

Unable to prevent myself from chuckling, I sweatdropped again, "Don't worry. I will. That is, provided I'm not locked in my room until doomsday. Mom was pretty pissed, and God help me if Professor Oak revokes my training license cause' of what happened to Squirtle."

"You worry too much," Misty winked, causing me to blink. "Professor Oak called about fifteen minutes ago. That's why I came downstairs looking for you, when the coast was clear, of course. I wanted you to know that Squirtle's fine. It'll be kept overnight for observations, and May and Max will bunk in Gary's empty room. But everything's expected to be A-okay. And I'm sure May and Max told Professor Oak what really happened at the party, so I can't picture him taking away your license for something you didn't cause. If anything, he might consider your punishment as a type of suspension, since your mom probably won't allow you to train much while you're grounded, anyway."

She sure wouldn't. When Mom grounds me, that means no TV, no computer, no video games, no dessert, no playing, and especially no training (which is the worst of all). Often, I'd leave my Pokemon with Professor Oak during grounding, but I always had at least Pikachu by my side. Mom understood that I needed to feed and exercise my Pokemon on a daily basis, so I wasn't completely cut-off from my Pokemon. I just wasn't allowed to "play" with my Pokemon. To a non-trainer like Mom, she considers training as a type of playing (probably because my training often ends as playing. But hey, after a hard day's work, I like to let my Pokemon relax, unwind, and have fun. They deserve it. Many people don't seem to understand that playtime can be just as important as training). No doubt, my grounding would be a suspension.

Regardless, I couldn't begin to express how absolutely happy I was to know Squirtle was okay, although my relief was probably just a fraction of May's. Honestly, May's Squirtle reminded me of my own, so I sympathized with her, because I'd never wish ill on my Pokemon. Finding out that Squirtle was expected to make a full recovery was undoubtedly the best news I heard all night! Thank you, God.

I was seconds away from throwing my arms around Misty to celebrate. However, something suddenly stopped me. In the mix of Misty's joyous words, one word stuck out from all the rest. True, I hated to spoil the mood, but my mood was already souring when it dawned on me.

"Gary's bedroom is…'empty'?" I realized, putting two and two together. "Wait…that jerk's still here?"

Obviously not wanting world war to erupt again, Misty cut to the chase. "He never left with Professor Oak and Tracey. After your mom chewed you out, I think Gary was leery about confronting his grandpa, since Gary snuck out to our party." Oh sure! Everybody pokes fun at me for being immature and irresponsible, while Gary Oak's running away from his grandfather. Tch! My rival thinks he's so freaking great, when he's really just chicken–

"Brock said he helped clean up the house while you and I chased after Team Rocket."

"I know Brock helped clean up. He said he would," I replied, barely managing to control my bubbling temper. Misty must've noticed, because she shushed me the moment my big mouth opened.

"Brock said Gary helped clean up, Ash."

Yeah. Riight. Gary Oak dirtied his hands, cleaning my house? I'd believe that when Grumpigs started flying, Magikarp became useful, and Team Rocket actually developed brains.

"Casey and the others were there, too, and all vouched for him," Misty confirmed, although I still failed to grasp this unexpected curveball. It was amazing how many unbelievable things happened that night. Gary Oak helping me out was one of the top mind-blowers of the century! "He didn't come out and say it, but I think Gary felt bad for you."

Almost blowing a gasket, I blurted out, "I don't want his damn pity–!"

"Gary wasn't lying when he said he thought you changed your mind, either," Misty continued, not giving me a chance to go on another Gary-related tirade. She sure knows how to control my mouth (I still need practice, huh?).

"After we went upstairs, you can be sure that me, Brock, and the others wanted answers from Gary. Boys like Gary and that red-haired bully aren't so tough once they see me crack my knuckles, heh. You don't want to screw with Brock, either. Brock isn't Hercules, but a guy who was brought up training and working out with heavy Rock Pokemon is not a pushover. And if you can believe this…if Brock and me failed to intimidate Gary, Casey threatened to sing! After that, Gary was happy to talk."

I gotta' admit, I was flattered that my friends got on Gary's case. It was time that jerk got what was coming to him. And if Casey let Gary have it with both barrels, I might just have developed a liking for the Electabuzz theme song. "Served him right."

"Yeah, but earlier, Gary wasn't lying, Ash." Of course, I perked when Misty pointed that out. "Remember when he got the palooza invitation, and claimed he thought you changed your mind about inviting him to my party? Gary actually believed that."

I still wasn't buying it, no matter how sincere Misty sounded. If she was pulling my leg, Misty was a fantastic actress. Huffing, I folded my arms over my chest. "Provided Gary told the truth, if he really believed I'd invite him, then he's an idiot. Hell has a better chance of freezing over."

"Maybe, but when Gary first arrived, he really didn't pull anything."

"Yeah, until he confessed to that food fight…"

"…Which he probably never would've brought up if you hadn't immediately started yelling at him!"

"B-but Gary started it!"

"Aargh! Ash! See? This is the kinda' crap your mom doesn't want. If you wanna' prove you're mature, this is one of the things you should work on. I'm not defending Gary, of course. I swear…you and him have no idea how alike you are. Whenever one starts a fire, the other has to keep fanning it! It wouldn't kill either of you to learn how to talk in a civilized manner."

I was too proud to admit it, but Misty was right. Gary and I were equally in the wrong, and neither of us put in much effort to restore our old, pre-rivalry friendship. Things like that don't happen overnight, but we had to at least try to make improvements bit by bit. Thinking back, Gary was pretty interested in Misty's party from the get-go. After all, he kept nagging me about the party. Maybe his interest wasn't rooted in mischief-making, but so him and I could reconnect a little. I still had a hard time believing it, but considering all the other shenanigans that happened tonight, Gary really wasn't my number-one enemy. Sure, he pissed me off, but Gary didn't instigate Pallet-Palooza, steal Pokemon, or trash my house – hell, Gary helped clean it up! But I was so hung-up in our idiotic past that I didn't want to believe my rival was innocent.

Everything sinking in, I ran fingers through my unruly black bangs. Maybe I owed Gary and apology, but not tonight. Someday, maybe, but not tonight. Sighing, I humbly looked into Misty's eyes. "I guess I've still gotta' lot of growing up to do, huh?"

Misty shrugged with a smile. "Doesn't everybody?"

Chuckling, I began to feel my spirits rise. I was still bummed out about postponing the Battle Frontier, but at least Misty was easing my pain. She was always there for me, when I wanted to be there for her. That was my duty as semi-boyfriend, right? Once again, I found myself being self-centered. The night wasn't about me, Gary, Mom, or anybody else. Whenever March 20th arrived, the most important person was Misty.

"Misty? Be honest. Did you…really enjoy tonight's party?"

It was surprising how easily the words escaped my mouth, despite how nervous I felt. But after everything that happened tonight, I realized there were much scarier things in life. Even so, I braced myself for the worst, just in case.

"Well, honestly…" droned Misty, almost playfully. I wasn't kidding around, but I could tell she was. "I knew I should've evacuated Kanto when I had the chance," she giggled, causing me to roll my eyes. But before I asked to her to be serious, the redhead finished her response. "Like I said before, I did want a simpler party, Ash, but I also ended up enjoying the big bash. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the big party more than I expected. Decompressing is nice, but having the chance to dance around and unleash some pent-up stress isn't so bad, either. But above all, I got to spend time with my long lost friends, and that's what I wanted most for my birthday." Nudging closer to me, Misty ended her speech with an affectionate, "You gave me the best birthday present, Ash."

I knew I blushed, but I was perfectly okay with that. Of all people, Misty was the person I wanted to impress most. And who'd guess it? I actually succeeded in making her a happy birthday girl! Like last year's party in Petalburg City, this year's party was far from my definition of "perfect." However, my definition didn't matter, as long as the party met Misty's definition of "happy." That made me happy, too.

And while Misty was on the subject of presents…I still hadn't given her mine! Man! So much happened tonight that I completely forgot about giving Misty her gift. Then again, with May, Max, and Tracey gone, I'm sure Misty didn't want to open their gifts until we were reunited tomorrow. But…I'm impatient, okay? I didn't want to wait any longer to give Misty my gift.

"Oh! And speaking of presents, Ash…"

Blinking, I perked when it was Misty who brought up the subject, not me. Misty tended to be hotheaded, but she wasn't arrogant enough to ask a person for her gifts. Then again, Misty wasn't asking for a present at all. Instead, she looked at me with another lively glint in her aquamarine eyes. I knew that look – Misty had something up her sleeve.

Or more specifically, she had something hidden behind her back. All along, I figured she was just casually folding her arms behind her back, but typical Misty, she always had an ulterior motive. Curious, I cocked my head, playing along with her.

Unable to keep a giddy smile off her lips, Misty encouraged me to, "Turn around and close your eyes."

This sounded familiar. Leave it to Misty to mimic, or mock, me. But I doubted she intended harm, so I played along. It was Misty's birthday, after all. Doing as told, my eyes shut a little uncomfortably, no thanks to the aftereffects of my earlier weepy spell. Even though it felt absolutely weird for Misty to be giving me a gift… "Uh…don't take this the wrong way, but what're you giving me a gift for, Myst?"

"Who said this is for you?" Ha! I should've known Misty would've shot me a wiseass comment. "I just told you to turn around and shut your eyes…though maybe I should've told you to shut your mouth while you're at it."

"Hardy har-har."

I heard her blow a raspberry over my shoulder. Before I could return the term of affection, Misty barked another order at me. "Alright, alright, dork. Turn back around and open your eyes."

And so I did, and in Misty's hands I saw Mom's Articuno statue…good as new!

My eyes and mouth widened in complete shock, while my gaze darted from the statue to Misty's bright smile. "I..." I stammered in shock, for a moment thinking I was dreaming, but the emotions the moment sent through me proved otherwise. "...I can't believe it! Myst, how'd you fix it?"

"I didn't, actually," she admitted, before placing Articuno on the kitchen table before it accidentally hit the floor again. "Brock's the one carrying a convenience store in that huge backpack of his. He had some super glue, so he sent me on a little sneaking mission downstairs to recollect Articuno from the living room mantel. I didn't wanna' get caught by your mom, and I wanted this to be a surprise for you, too."

Hell, I was beyond surprised! I could barely wrap my head around the fact that Mom's Articuno was not destroyed after all. The figurine held so much sentimental value to my parents. Plus, Articuno's resurrection meant I wasn't gonna' be destroyed by Mom, too! "I can't wait to show this to Mom!" I gushed, admiring the majestic statue as if I were six years old again, when Dad first game Mom that anniversary present. Mom was so happy that day, and I knew she'd be happy to know her precious figurine wasn't lost.

"Yeah," nodded Misty, admiring her and my friends' job well done. "Brock did a great job fixing it. I mean, the statue isn't 'perfect,' and I'm sure your Mom will notice a few spots that were glued. But all in all, I think Articuno looks a lot better than it did earlier."

It sure did. My red-haired guardian angel saved me once again, which was why I finally gave Misty the hug she rightfully deserved. I owed Brock a hug, too. Looks like I've got a bunch of guardian angels watching over me. And in a way, I guess my friends were looking out for Mom, too. I always knew Brock cared about her. Dad's Articuno figurine meant more to Mom than it could ever mean to me. Knowing Mom would be happy easily made me happy, too. "Thank you, Misty."

"No problem, Ash." I felt her rub my back, which I answered with a tender squeeze. "After all, I can't exactly leave my boyfriend hanging."

Then my hug went limp. Misty noticed, because she pulled apart to get a better view of my face. She called my name a few times, but I was too dazed to reply immediately. The greatest shocker of the night just flashed before my eyes, and I was too stunned to move. Out of the clear blue, before I even had a chance to prepare myself, Misty called me her…boyfriend. Not semi-boyfriend. Boyfriend! FULL-FLEDGED BOYFRIEND!

I must've appeared as goofy as a kid in a candy store, because Misty gave me the strangest look. But too happy to care, I gave her another bear hug while bouncing on my heels. "This means we're no longer semi, right?"

Drastically trying to catch her breath, the near-suffocated Misty pried herself out of my embrace, staring at me with wide blue eyes. "Huh? 'Semi'? Like 'semi-circle,' or 'semi tractor-trailer'? Where the hell do you learn your vocabulary, Ash? Unless…" Then she paused, swallowed, and a line of pink randomly brightened her cheeks. "Oh crap, please don't tell me you meant 'seme,' because I swear to God, Ash Ketchum–"

Blinking once, I innocently tilted my head. "Wha?"

Surprisingly, Misty seemed relieved by my answer, and left it at that. "…Never mind."

Following Misty's cue, I returned my attention at Mom's gorgeous Articuno statue. My impatience was reaching uncontrollable levels. Even though I loved being with Misty, I just couldn't wait any longer to tell Mom the good news. Would it be rude of me to leave Misty for a sec', just so I could return Articuno to Mom? Well, considering Misty and my friends helped fix the figurine, they obviously wanted Mom to receive the gift sooner or later. No time like the present to give a present!

Bounding over to the kitchen table, I reclaimed Mom's small statue, holding it carefully so we wouldn't have another crisis on our hands. "I've gotta' show Mom her Articuno! She's gonna' be sooo excited!"

Misty giggled, probably thinking I was the most excited of all. But not wanting to get in my way, the birthday girl stepped aside, wearing a confident smile for me. To Misty, this was probably the first time all night that she got to see me giddy, not super-stressed or discouraged. No matter how many times Misty used to yell at me for being a hyperactive idiot, I could tell she liked seeing me this way. "Then go to her, Ash."

Not needing to be told twice, I nodded to her before heading out. My energy was boundless, but Articuno was carried like a baby in my arms, just in case. But once I reached the kitchen threshold, I stopped only for a second. Even though my legs were anxiously walking in place, I couldn't leave Misty until I gave her a quick – but very thankful – peck on her cheek.

"I'll be right back, Myst."

Now, don't ask me where that smooch came from. By no means am I a romantic. Plus, the kiss happened so fast! Misty always used to kiss me, not the other way around. I didn't even realize what I had done until I left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Okay, okay…so I still needed to work on looking before leaping. Don't worry; it's on my to-do list.

Nevertheless, even though my kiss surprised both of us, neither Misty nor I minded one bit.

Even though my energy was restored thanks to Misty, I was still a little frightened to face Mom again. When I knocked on her bedroom door, I didn't know what type of a mood she would still be in after our earlier argument. Would she tell me to go away? Would she scold me for ignoring my chores? Would she worsen my punishment? Maybe I was getting paranoid again, but either way, I didn't want to make waves with Mom anymore.

So, you can imagine my relief when Mom opened her door, noticed the newly fixed Articuno, and gasped in joy.

"O-oh my…!" Mom stammered, briefly placing a hand over her mouth. She blinked a few times to make sure this wasn't an illusion. Then without word, Mom gingerly took the statue into her hands, admiring it with glossy brown eyes. The last time Mom admired Articuno like that was when Dad originally gave her the gift.

Smiling warmly, I watched Mom perch Articuno atop her sturdy bureau. Nobody wanted anything bad to happen to Mom's favorite statuette, after all. While Mom continued to silently admire the unexpected repair-job, I was inclined to let her know, "Brock, Misty, and the others actually fixed it, Mom." I didn't want to take the credit, since I really didn't do anything except accidentally get the figurine broken in the first place. Besides, my best friends definitely deserved the credit.

Either way, I was the person Mom hugged first. Hard to believe it was the same woman who barked my ears off just a few hours ago. But by now, Mom had time to calm down. Plus, she knew her figurine wasn't a total loss, so Mom's mood changed just like mine did when Misty cheered me up. Because truthfully, even though Mom isn't afraid to discipline me, she prefers to be cheerful just like me.

"I'm so sorry about what happened tonight, Mom," I apologized earnestly, wrapping my arms around her waist to return the hug.

Stroking my bangs, Mom kissed my forehead, "Oh, I know you're sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to be so hard on you, either. But for me to come home to a mess like that… I just lost my temper." Then I felt her hand fall down to my face, cupping my chin so she could raise my face to her eyelevel. I felt better when I noticed a small smirk tug Mom's lips. "You come from a long line of hotheads, although it's mostly from your father's side…"

Both of us giggled, which made me feel like a million bucks. As long as Mom wasn't yelling or punishing me, I was content. Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to ask Mom to take back her punishment, because I still felt like I was walking on thin ice. Part of me did believe I deserved it. Besides, Misty said I accepted Mom's punishment maturely. Who knows? Maybe in a few days Mom will let me off for good behavior.

"By the way, Professor Oak called earlier and said Squirtle's okay," Mom reported, briefly rubbing my back. "I was about to come downstairs to tell you, but you beat me to the punch line."

I smiled brighter. "That's okay, Mom. When Misty came downstairs with Articuno, she also told me about Squirtle. I'm so glad for May."

"Mmm," nodded Mom. "That was nice of Misty. I hope you thanked her."

I did my best not to blush in Mom's arms. "I did." Oh sure, I "thanked" Misty all right! I thanked her right on her cheek! But I wasn't sure how Mom would react to us kissing. Sure, Mom knows Misty and I were semi-boyfriend/girlfriend, but I didn't know if Mom was aware that our "semi" days were quickly coming to an end. Mothers tend to act weird when their "one and only baby boy" gets a real girlfriend. Since tonight had been full of more than enough surprises, I figured I'd tell the details to Mom later.

"Oh! And that reminds me," Mom perked, regaining my attention. "How did Misty like your present?"

Just like during the Petalburg party, a grown-up asked me about Misty's gift. Last year, I didn't have an answer because I got Misty's gift at the last minute. But this year, Misty's present was no problem for me. Except, Pallet-Palooza's hoopla made me totally forget to give Misty her gift.

Eyes widening, I exclaimed. "I forgot to give it to her!" And for reminding me, I gave Mom another affectionate squeeze before heading off again. Misty's gifts had been stored in the guest room across my bedroom, to keep them hidden in the event Misty wandered into my room before gift-opening. Not that Misty is the type of person to look for presents. If she were, we'd have to hide the gifts in the attic, Mom's closet, cellar – places Mom usually hid my Christmas gifts. Er…not that I ever went present-snooping, of course, heheh. Anyway, I didn't intend to give Misty my gift before Brock and the others', but I couldn't wait any longer. Besides, I'm Misty's semi…no, I'm her boyfriend, so don't I get first dibs? Yup! Thought so.

But before I left Mom's room, I peered over my shoulder when I heard her chuckle. "What, Mom?"

Still smiling, Mom just shook her head. "Nothing. Mommy's baby is growing up, that's all."

Aaargh! There she went again with her "mommy" and "baby" stuff! But before I could whine, I couldn't help but wonder why Mom said that in the first place. Like typical mothers, Mom wore that all-knowing maternal smile on her face. Call me crazy, but it seemed to me like Mom might've already known something. But that's silly. There's no way Mom could've sensed that Misty and I were getting closer…right? Or, do all females possess this special power? Maybe I'll never know.

Either way, once my blush caught up to me, I squealed in embarrassment. "Mooooom!"

A beautiful crescent moon glowed through the kitchen windows. I found Misty gazing out the backdoor's window, admiring the twinkling stars across Pallet Town's clear skies. Being a city girl, Misty probably doesn't often see landscapes like Pallet's rural charm. And for me, it wasn't often that I got so see as pretty a girl as Misty outlined by the moon's white glow. Sheesh, and here I thought I wasn't romantic. Who knew?

Regaining focus, I carefully and quietly walked across the kitchen tiles, trying not to be noticed by my stargazing girlfriend. I knew better than to sneak up behind Misty and yell, "Boo!" She'd wring my neck. I didn't want to scare her, so I made just enough noise once I was close enough to her back. In the window's reflection, I noticed her perk and smile, knowing I was near. Perfectly timed, just when Misty turned around to face me, I raised my hands to present her gift.

Not expecting that, Misty blinked, taking one step back to better inspect the small box wrapped in blue paper and a purple bow. She teasingly grinned at my sloppy expertise of gift-wrapping. The bow was lopsided, but I figured the present's insides were more important than the outsides. Sparing me the "your wrapping leaves an awful lot to be desired, Ash," lecture, Misty accepted the box.

Of course, I still should've expected some sorta' jeer. "This isn't gonna' explode or something, is it?" Misty joked, ignoring my stuck-out tongue while she untied the bow and began tearing the paper. By the time my tongue was back in my mouth, I felt my excitement peak once Misty opened the box' top. After her hand fished through white tissue paper, I could tell she found the present once her eyes widened.

"Ash…" trailed Misty, while my face illuminated like the moon. She was speechless, which I expected. Who wouldn't be speechless when they received the perfect birthday present? See? I told you that I planned ahead and got the best possible gift for Mist–

"Ash Ketchum! If you got me a creepy, nasty, dirt-eating Bug Pokemon for my birthday, mark my words, then you'll be the one eating dirt!"

…Er, okay, that wasn't quite the reaction I expected from Misty. Before I knew it, Misty's Gyarados-face drove me to shrink in fear. Gyaah! What did I do wrong this time? I got Misty the perfect present, right? Why was she screaming over a Net Ball–?

Oh. Right. Realizing the mistake, I straightened myself up, placing my hands on Misty's shoulders to calm her down. "Easy, Myst," I replied, unable to stop smirking when I realized the poetic irony of the present I got Misty: a teal and black Net Ball. It was a specialty Pokeball, designed to be super effective at catching Pokemon ordinarily captured in nets, such as fish…and bugs. I forgot about that small detail. "Do you really think I'd give you a Bug Pokemon?" I may be dense, but I'm not suicidal!

Misty knew the truth, of course. Quickly calming down, her face then sported a smile when she realized the truth. Net Balls were designed to catch Bug and Water Pokemon. If I gave Misty a Net Ball that didn't have a Bug Pokemon, then that meant one thing. "You…you got me a Water Pokemon, Ash?"

Dumb questions rarely came from Misty's mouth. However, instead of teasing her, I smiled brightly and nodded for the very happy birthday girl. "Of course I did! Who knows you better than me?"

She lightly wacked my shoulder to keep my ego in check. After setting aside the emptied gift box, Misty admired the polished Net Ball, wondering what Pokemon I got her. I half-expected her to immediately release the Pokemon, but Misty was smarter than that. No matter how overjoyed she was, Misty was a Water Pokemon trainer, aware that many Water Pokemon were bad on land. I didn't have a pool in my kitchen, so Misty obviously wanted to know the identity of the Pokemon before she released it.

"Well? What is it?" Misty wanted to know, hopping up and down like a rabbit.

Laughing at how jumpy and cute Misty looked, I played along, casually folding my hands behind my head. "Oh, it's nothing special, Myst," I teased, grinning and winking boyishly for her benefit. "Just a Tentacruel."

"NO WAY!" I dunno how Misty managed not to alert Mom, Brock, and everybody else in the house. Slapping a hand over her mouth, Misty lowered the volume of her voice, though she was unable to stop bouncing and gushing like a schoolgirl. I had never, ever seen Misty look so thrilled! "Oh my God, Ash! Seriously? You got me a Tentacruel?"

Boy. How would Misty react if I got her a diamond ring? (Uh, not that I'm anywhere near ready for that step, of course). My ears were almost ringing again, and I tried to keep her voice down, but I didn't want to spoil Misty's happiness, either. She deserved this, which was why I threw caution to the wind and told her the 'other' piece of good news.

"Yup! And wait till' I tell you this!" I added, pointing at the Net Ball. "Marina's been breeding all sorts of Tentacruel, and this one's got a unique teal-coloring to it!" To be fair, I owed a lot of credit to Marina for making Misty's dream a reality. "I caught Tentacool, and then gave it to Marina to specially evolve." Don't ask me 'what' exactly Marina did during Tentacool's evolution, but she must know what she's doing. After she returned teal Tentacruel to me, I trained with it a little, and damn, that's one impressive Water Type! "Trust me, you've gotta' great Pokemon here." Specialty breeding doesn't come cheap, but I had a whole year to save-up. It was soo worth seeing Misty's smile!

It was soo worth getting hugged by Misty, too. Well, actually, she kinda' tackle-hugged me, almost sending me backwards. Then began Misty's rambling chorus of, "!" while she squeezed me ten times tighter than Mom's bear hugs. I coughed a puff of air before my arms returned Misty's embrace. Just like last year's birthday party, Misty couldn't have been happier to receive my gift. Just like last year, Misty hugged me. Just like last year, Misty thanked me with another kiss.

However, unlike last year, Misty didn't kiss me on the cheek.

I instantly felt my cheeks burn and my eyes bug when moist, soft lips touch mine. Yeah, Misty kissed me before, but she never kissed me – gulp – on the lips. Not long ago, I used to gag at the thought of real kissing. Really, the idea of people's mouths touching mouths is…is that even sanitary? And isn't there some type of kissing involving tongues? Yuck! No wonder diseases get spread so easily!

But…you wanna' know something? As gross as lip-to-lip kissing sounded, Misty's kiss wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was kinda' nice. There's definitely a difference between a peck on the cheek and a kiss on the lips. True, I had zero interest in the gut-churning tongue thing, but Misty didn't bother with that, either. Thank God. Kissing took a little getting used to, but once I eased up, I actually felt my lips shyly return the gesture. Between you and me, I didn't really know what I was doing, but the kiss didn't last long enough for me to flub it up.

After parting, my moonlit girlfriend smiled gorgeously. "You are the sweetest person, Ash Ketchum."

Then Misty hugged me, resting her head on my shoulder while I combed my angel's fiery hair. I was still in shock over the kiss, along with the realization that I somehow survived another disastrous birthday party. But all along, I wanted to make Misty happy, and I think – I know – I succeeded.

Resting my head against hers, I whispered into her ear, "Happy birthday, Misty."

The End

A/N: Squee. And that's all, folks! Thank you very much for following "It's Her Party 2." Back when I wrote the original "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up," I didn't know if I'd write a continuation (I don't normally write sequels, either). But lo and behold, I just couldn't stay away from IHP's juicy Ash-torture and shenanigans.

And of course, it was a pleasure for me to read everyone's thoughtful comments to know my story/writing was on the right track. Your support means a lot to me, so again, thanks! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. ^_^

- Aiselne Phoenix Nocturnus