Building a Paddock

Part Two

Squandering high in full tree branches sat the scheming Team Rocket goons. After stripping the heavy and roasting costumes from their skin, they abandoned them in some bushes on Samuel Oak's property. Then, the three scurried over to the Parker's residence, cautiously following the twerps, learning more and more about the Parker's themselves and what exactly those brash kids were up to. The more talk of the Tauros and the overwhelming amount of various Pokémon residing on the land, conjured more unrealistic schemes in each of the bumbler's heads.

Funny enough, the unappealing smell the place acquired didn't seem to infiltrate their minds. The sheer hankering of capturing already owned Pokémon and making a profit off of them, was far too strong to ever let a whiff of that odor break their will of imagining.

"Ooo, this is quite a sight!" James exclaimed giddily, taking in a breath of the sweet nectar from the trees. "In some ways I prefer the country life over city life!"

Meowth jumped up on the man's head, equally as delighted with the lush farmland and what lied within it. "You said it, Jimmy!" the cat then proceeded sigh, dreamily shutting his eyes as he rubbed himself in James's surprisingly soft locks, fabricating them to be something else entirely. "Something about taking a catnap on a nice warm bail of hay sounds really good right about now..."

Jessie's eyes remained locked upon the trio, watching them attentively chuckle and smile as her binoculars zoomed in. She didn't care to acknowledge her preference over the life in a small desolate town, or a bustling roaring city that never slept. What really caught her eye was the sight of Ash jogging around, playfully egging the hyper Jolteon and Pikachu to partake in the little game.

Those energized creatures were truly a rare find.

She smirked. "You can sleep all you want, but those Jolteon of old man twerp's are pretty spectacular."

James immediately reached for his binoculars off to the side, and once he focused his gaze on where Jessie's laid, he squealed. "Ah, I see what you mean, Jess! They are quite swift and agile!"

Their fast paced movement was unlike anything they had ever seen. For being just small electrics companions the Jolteon were quite the pair, taking on such burly Tauros, rounding them up in pens daily. They could turn corners without a sprang of an ankle, they could spark and nip the heels of the bulls without a wince, and sounded the alarm without hesitation.

As Ernest approached in on the scene, they watched his cheeks puff with great air and as two of his finger rested within those filled pockets, he whistled for the Jolteon to come forth. In mere seconds they dashed over to their master and sat down promptly, eying the farmer with tongues hanging out of their mouths, and their butts wiggling anxiously. They were so sharp, the Pokémon were able to distinguish various whistles Ernest made, and this one in particular was the call of getting a biscuit.

"And they listen to commands to a tee!" the feline mentioned, letting his grossly exaggerated thinking take over his silly daydream of a snuggling down for a nap. "The Boss could use them to round those Tauros up to the meat grinder so he can open up his own hamburger restaurant chains! He'll be so happy we thought this one through for once, he's bound to give us a big reward!"

It appeared the vote was unanimous.

Jessie threw a devious grin at her teammates. "How does snatching a pair of electric mutts sound to you?"

Meowth and James shared a quick glance and soon followed with their lips curving up mischievously. They certainly liked the sound of a challenge that was worthwhile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" the man responded for the both of them.

As usual the abominable trio broke out in hysterical fits of laughter, finding themselves more amusing than they actually were. Still, even though hatching such a calculating plan was fairly easy, no one cared to admit that executing their little robbery would be a cakewalk.

Nor would be pleasing the Boss.

"Do we really need all these tools, Grandpa?"

Ernest shot his eyes at his grandson, then inspected the tools that lay before them, all scattered across the ground. Brock scratched the top of his head, making small facial expression as if he was trying to recall his memory on what half of those tools were. He had the qualities of being a handyman, more so than his two younger companions, but never in a million years did he recognize those items. Fixing a leaky sink or hammering in a tile on a roof was one thing, but building a post? He had never to have a whack at such a task before.

Ash wasn't much better either. With how much time he spent with his grandparents, he out of all the children should have been the most prepared. And yet he was the least. His mind went blank as he too attempted at determining what was what. He could obviously tell apart a shovel from a hammer, to a screw driver, and- wait. What was that tool called again?

The boy had seen those tools plenty of times out in his grandfather's work shed, though he was never fully intrigued to know what each device was called and what is was used for. Last time Ernest tried that, the kid about fell asleep standing up.

And that was barely before Ash left for his journey.

"Every tool is necessary if we want a sufficient pen," the farmer explained. He then took liberty of exploring the area, walking a little further, then stopping to check it once more. The kids shuffled and crowded around him step by step, listening fully to his grunts of ponder as well as, watched his rough fingers stroke his chin. Then, he finally settled on a spot. "Now, I think this spot should do."

Brock surveyed the area. It didn't look much different compared to every other inch of land. Not that he was some expert, but from what he could tell the bumpy landscape all seemed to bear the same appearance. "Why should we build over here?" he suddenly asked, sincerely wondering.

"High ground. We can't build on wetlands or where bodies of water could collect, and this spot has well-draining soil," Ernest elucidated. "We won't have any mudslides over here. Plus, it's close to the house and road. Easy access for me to check on them."

That seemed reasonable. However, Ash had a hard time not pursuing to ask more tedious questions.

"Hey, Grandpa? Aren't paddocks usually small? Will all my Tauros be able to fit in one?"

The old man thought he made it all clear to Ash earlier, after all he was being picky about choosing the designated area and took time to formulate the massive construction. He just wished the boy had a little more faith in him. Anything involving his Pokémon, especially with them being put in the hands of someone made Ash a little skeptical.

Harmlessly skeptical.

Ernest looked back at him, trying not to lose his patience. "Yeah. But uh, this is gonna be a jumbo paddock. The same kind of pen, but on a larger scale. Ya following me?"

Ash shrugged. "Sure. I guess."

"Here, take this." Shoved in the boy's face, was a measuring tape and he accepted it without hesitation. Ernest's expression hardened. "And quit with the questions. It's all gonna work out."

The old man's bones were starting to creak and he could feel the beginning of his back giving out, though he resisted the urge to snap at his worrisome grandchild. He had made an agreement.

Ernest had been committed to such harsh labor for years on end, and usually with this much irritable pain, he'd deny the request. But it was from Ash. His only grandson, and he was determined to make the boy happy and give him what he needed. Even if it was to build a large pen for a bunch of Tauros weighing one-hundred and ninety-five pounds a piece.

As his grandfather began stretching out the tape, Ash held onto the other end, watching the farmer pause and walk, then pause some more. Finally he spoke. "You kids will start about here," he instructed, snapping the long strewn out tape back to its holder, practically nicking Ash's fingers. The trainer jumped a little by its harsh force, though his grandpa seemed to dismiss the subtle infliction he put upon him. "We already measured our entire diameter so if you three work here, and I'm over here, we should meet right about here."

Ash could hardly follow any of it. The here and there and the talk of the diameter and the actual measuring, flew over the boy's head. None of it was making sense. It hurt his head to imagine the length and width of this last minute construction, and felt a twinge of resistance to dig in without any complaints. His stubbornness was growing stronger than his dedication; and judging from the distance, there was going to be a lot of hammering done in one day.

"That's a lot of posts to put up in one day," the trainer noted.

"Well it's gotta be done, Ash," Ernest said sternly. There was no backing out now. "The sooner we start, the better for your Tauros. Now, I'm gonna go call Keith and Rick over so they can help with the heavy lifting, and work with me," the old man explained, shuffling towards the house. "You kids wait for me, before ya start."

Ernest's trip to the house to call over some of his hand-workers left the trio silently waiting. That is, till a low huff poured from Ash's lips, his head hanging low. "I hope this works."

The anxiety of wanting to battle was built up in the trainer's system, and Ash could hardly contain himself from reaching a pokeball from his belt. There was no time like the present to start prepping, though it would be deemed as inappropriate and disrespectful if Ash engaged himself in other activities. His grandpa, didn't have to call over his workers for extra assistance, and he certainly didn't have to go to great lengths to make his Tauros a new home. But he wanted to and, Ash struggled to keep things in perspective.

"Don't worry Ash," Misty assured with a subtle smile. "Your grandpa seems to know what he's doing."

"Yeah, but once he gets involved in a project he gets kinda bossy. It all goes to his head."

"He just wants to make sure everything structurally sound," Brock reasoned. "This is an awfully big job-"

"And it's gonna take an awfully long time!" Ash burst, his hands gripping his hat with frustration. "Gah! Why couldn't I have just trained today- Ahh!"

Squish!

In the midst of his retaliation, Ash lost his footing on a slick surface and collided his back with the ground, a horrible pain throbbing all over his body. Pikachu took the unexpected fall with him as well, though stealthily jumped off of his shoulder before slamming against the grass too. The mouse loomed over his trainer worried stiff soon after, watching Ash gain a dizzy expression, lying almost lifelessly on the rough terrain.

The creature's voice rose. "Pi!"

It wasn't long after Pikachu's cry that Misty and Brock sprung into action. "Ash!" in unison, the two raced over to aid their fallen companion, fretting over his physical condition. Misty clenched her hands to her chest as Brock knelt, supporting the boy's upper back. Watching him rise a couple of inches off the ground startled the redhead, her heart pounding wildly as Brock checked him over, fearing the worst.

Brock looked almost panicked from Ash's soft whimpers. "Ash, are you all right?!"

There was no doubt the terrain was uneven and with the formation of small holes of loose rocks, it could have been anyone of them that fell. Though as Misty scouted the area near Ash's injury, she could not find a single piece of evidence to support the event.

Ash let out a few more winces as his arms supported his upper back and shoulders, fending Brock off a little with reassurance. At least he could move. "I think I'm okay..." His blurry eyesight led him to look down, the opposite side of where Brock knelt, investigating his own fall himself. However, as he raised his lower back just a smidge, he uncovered something far worse than a hole. "Oh, no!"

"What's wrong?!" Misty cried, her eyes shaking immensely. "Did you hurt something?!"

Something happened, all right. But it wasn't a serious injury.

The boy responded with another wince, then shot his gaze back up at the girl. He seemed perturbed. "My tailbone, but that's not the real problem."

A short groan was produced as Ash steadily rose to his feet, and thanked his friends with a nod as they each took hold of one of his arms. His balance was a bit shaky, though once his heels crashed with the rough exterior, he regained a stable stance. Straightening his back also eased some of the pain, there was however, an irksome sight stuck to his behind he so kindly showed off.

And the aroma wasn't much better.

Misty immediately covered her mouth and nose, her sniffer scrunching up in disgust from the stench. Her eyes could not shift away from the unfortunate result slabbed on her friend's jeans, and felt sympathy for his untimely fall.

Though, it was effortful to withhold such an outburst of repulsion.

"That stinks!" the redhead screeched, turning her head away sightly. "You're gonna have to clean up!"

Ash glowered as his face reddened. "No kidding!"

He didn't need the obvious stated for him. It was obviously twice as unpleasant for him as it was for her. Feeling the squishy, loose, cold texture of the manure seep through his jeans about made Ash hurl, and being humiliated in front of his two best friends -which one of them happened to be a girl- was also not pleasurable.

Brock swiftly intervened before a fight broke out, where Ash smeared the abhorrent contents onto Misty and in return, she gave him a douse of her fist. He didn't care to imagine the disastrous scene when it could be avoided. "All right," he started calmly, trying not to cringe himself from the scent, "let's just take a deep breath and think. You don't have any extra clothes you keep here, do you?"

Ash sighed, attempting to follow the older boy's orders at keeping his temper down. "I used to, but I cleaned out the dresser drawer in the guest room right before I left on my journey."

"Oh..."

Well, Brock had run dry of ideas.

Out of any of the solutions the trio conjured,having a spare change of clothes would be the best, and asking Delia to bring some over was out of the question in more ways than one. First off, she was probably at the store or caught up in some chore outside, the kids didn't have time to waste, and like any other typical child who wanted to avoid humiliation from his or her mother, Ash was set on not getting her involved. Her innocent motherly tendencies would only make the abashed boy feel worse.

Misty darted her eyes around aimlessly, in search for some logical answer. She thought seeking help from Leah was the best option, till the girl stumbled upon the Parker's woodshed and what sat next to it. "How about we use one of those rags over there?" she suggested, looking at a filed wheelbarrow and the buckets and cloths draping out of it. The towels looked like they had seen better days, and that they were out in the middle of the field was a clear indication they were not any of Leah's dish cloths.

Ash glanced over to where Misty's eyes fell, then he looked back at her. "Grandpa uses them when he gets oil on his hands from working on the tractor, or just when he sweats. I don't think he'll mind."

"Well, he'll have to be okay with it," Brock stated firmly. "You can't work with that on you."

The distance to and from the shed was short, and with jogging, Brock returned to the two with the gift and bestowed it upon his rattled friend.

Ash took it graciously from his hands. "Thanks Brock..." He began to smear the contents away and with every strike of the rag, it made a big stain more than anything. This just wasn't his day. Ash scoffed to himself. "And he said this spot isn't prone to having mudslides..."

They had worked three consecutive hours, and on one of their twenty minute breaks, Leah was kind enough to bring out some more lemonade. Drenched in sweat, the kids quickly reached for the icy cold drinks and chucked them down with great thirst. They had made some progress those long laborious hours, and with Ernest's bright idea of asking his hand workers to pitch in, the job was moving along with little to no complications.

Even Pikachu and Togepi were getting in on the fun of building. Their little comical routine of handing tools off to the busy workers was quite charming, that is, till naive Togepi nearly became embedded in a box of nails or met its fate at the terrifying movement of a working saw. Pikachu bent over backwards to save the baby countless times and almost had gotten hurt in the process. Also, it was bad enough he had to make sure Togepi wasn't getting too much sun, or else they'd all be having fried eggs for lunch.

Though the mouse supposed Togepi being innocently cherry over the horrifying encounters was better than it being scarred for life. Pikachu could handle the nail-biting and demanding role of playing mamma, while Misty was busy with the other humans. Even for a Pokémon, the yellow ball of fur understood the basics of what was going on. Still, it would have been nice to get some kind of recognition for saving the absentminded creature, instead of getting scolded for trying 'dangerous tricks' and listening to the trainers rant on how Togepi was so inculpable.

Yeah, right...

Once he was done thoroughly pounding in another nail, Ash and the other stepped back to inspect their long hard hours they chipped into the construction.

Placing his hands on his hips, Ash took in a deep breath. "Well, how does it look?"

Did he really want to know?

In truth, none of it was consistent. Brock swiveled his head around and looked at the fine craftsmanship Ernest and his team was putting forth, then back at their supposed masterpiece. Their nails weren't as nicely pinned in as the farmer's, and their posts were lopsided too. Ash's in particular needed the most work. It looked like he put those poor pieces of wood through the war and came back with crooked nails stabbed into them.

Brock shared a glance with Misty as they silently agreed on a verdict. "Uh, I don't think your grandpa's gonna buy it, Ash," Brock said, scratching his head.

Misty titled her head to the side and examined the work once more. She bit her lip briefly before conjuring the nerve to speak. She knew Ash wasn't going to appreciate her critic either. "Yeah, the panels are kinda crooked. Especially the horizontal set."

Ash snapped. "Arrgh! I'm not cut out for farming!" he declared, tossing the hammer to the ground in defeat.

The redhead ignored the boy's yammering, and felt the urge to remind him the purpose of the entire day, they promised they would make happen. Well, more on the lines of Ash promising to make it happen and just roped them into it. "But Ash, you're responsible for your Tauros."

"I know that Misty, it's just I hate manual labor! I wanna train!" he confessed between his teeth, groaning some more. "Not waste my time building some stupid fence!"

With that, he kicked a nearby toolbox and folded his arms up with a a loud blow from his nose. Ash letting himself get the best of him.

The overgrown tantrum he was performing and the sun's hot rays were wearing on Brock's patience. "C'mon Ash, this is important," he insisted, though it was obvious he was growing tired.

"Yeah!" Misty heckled. "Think about your Tauros instead of yourself!"

"Stop telling me what to do you guys!" Ash ordered, his fist tightening with irritation. He couldn't handle anymore of their jabbing.

And this setback was something he didn't need either. Ash could see his wrong doings in refusing to cooperate, but his stubborn streak of wanting to battle was consuming him. Rightly so, prepping for the Pokémon League was a dire task he needed to be held accountable to, and could see his slacking off was a bad choice with his time limitation. Ash wanted to be responsible for once, and prepare.

Still, there was no excuse, his behavior wasn't called for, nor was his hollering at his friends. They made a choice to stick it through with him, and see that the Tauros get the proper habitat they deserved. The gym leaders did however, comprehended the pressure Ash was under, yet they only wished he'd act more maturely, considering he had earned the qualifications to compete at the Indigo Plateau.

Plus, it wouldn't hurt if he showed a little more graciousness to his grandfather.

"I'm not trying to be selfish!" he continued defensively. "It's just hot out, I can't use a hammer to save my life, and now I smell! Arrgh! This is all just so much to handle with the league coming up, that I can't waste any more-"

"Well, well, look who's come home to visit Mommy? And apparently Grandma and Grandpa too! Were ya feeling a little homesick, Ashy boy?"

Did he have to show up at a time like this? Guess, even the likes of him had to take a bit of vacation.

Ash frowned. His worst nightmare. "I could say the same to you, Gary."

He quickly swiveled his feet and glowered at Gary face to face, hiding the embarrassing blemish that soiled his back-end. The worse circumstances overpowered his thinking. Ash could handle Gary's typical mocking, but if he found out about his little fall, well, he might not have let Ash live it down. He could just imagine it. The tall tale would spread around town from generations to come. Passed down by every new member of the Oak family and hopefully, the Ketchums would be settled somewhere else by then.

"Humph! I don't have time to visit with my folks!" the arrogant boy explained as he had a pokeball twirl on his finger, snatching it in the air one fell swoop. "I've got places to be and things to see, if I wanna be ready for the tournament, unlike some people!"

"Really?" Misty arched an eyebrow. She wished she could use that hammer Ash threw on him. "Then why are you standing here, flapping your mouth?"

Gary only returned her comeback with a sly grin, unmoved by her expression and stance. "Just thought it'd be cordial to say hello to you chumps." He placed the ball back on his belt. "If I walked on by you three wouldn't have had the decency to even glance over at me."

"Geez, I wonder why?" the girl snorted.

He thought it was silly that Ash's little girlfriend stood up for him, and silently chuckled at the idea of her wearing the pants in the relationship. Then, the boy flicked his eyes over at the small yellow furry creature nestled in the grass, watching him carefully with a cocked ear. Gary sneered. "I still see you haven't evolved your Pikachu yet, Ash. Not sure how such a small-fry will be able to handle competing in the Pokémon League. Then again, even if you did evolve it, it wouldn't make much of difference with you as its trainer."

Taking a blow at Gary was one thing, but if he dared tried to entangle Pikachu in the senseless squabble, there was going to be a world of hurt taking place down at the Parker's residence.

Ash lunged forward near the fence, a fist thrust high in the air. "Don't you dare say one bad thing about Pikachu! He's a lot tougher than you think!"

The yellow mouse rose up on its back feet, making the same pose as his trainer. He himself couldn't necessarily understand the conversation, but by Ash's stance he could tell there was tension building. "Pika pika!" he cried, his fur raising on his back.

"Humph! You- wait." The pause altered them all, staring at Gary oddly as his nose swiftly sniffed the air. "Where's that smell coming from?" They knew what was coming. Ash gulped a little as his rival eye him curiously, then swayed his head off to the side, trying to get a view at Ash. Though Ash reacting in hiding his behind, only led the cocky trainer to form a devilish grin. Here it comes. "Well, it looks like you soiled yourself again, huh, Ashy boy?"

Again? What was this 'again' business?

Ash blushed madly as he narrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?!" he yelled, trying to defend himself, but the overwhelming fit of embarrassment was creeping onto his face. "I never soiled myself!"

"Oh, so you don't remember that time in kindergarten?" Gary pushed, folding his arms with one eye cocked at him.

The boy's blush marks only darkened and his eyebrows furrowed all the more. "Hey, I peed my pants!" he outwardly clarified as he pointed at his rival. "I didn't do number two! And the only reason I did, was because you locked all the stalls!"

Such a vivid clarification.

The dreadful days on kindergarten. Ash had plenty of good memories of his childhood, all the times he spent with his family, the endless field trips the Viridian Elementary provided, but the ironic, classic, result of always being in Gary's class made Ash cringe. There was more than just one embarrassing moment that spiraled out of control. And it happened every year.

Gary took hold of his stomach as he let out roars of laughter. "Ha, you make me laugh! You even clarified in front of everyone that you peed and didn't crap yourself!"

Misty and Brock just about had enough. Gary's jeering just reached a new low and the two older kids had their fill with such infantile buffoonery.

Misty made a befuddled expression. "What's with the bathroom topic today?"

With no one answering her question, Brock took hold of the reigns and ceased Gary's uncontrollable chortling. "Hey, it takes a lot of juvenile thinking to go as far as use bathroom humor to humiliate someone," the gym leader pointed out sharply, stepping in front of Ash.

At times like this, which were thankfully rare, Ash didn't have the guts to decline Brock's prompt defense and for once, appreciated his friend's loyalty. In most instances, Ash was determined to stand on his own two feet and handle scum like Gary by himself; but when he was cornered in a situation where he felt vulnerable, he was glad he could rely on the aspiring breeder.

Gary simply snorted at the sight of Ash hiding behind Brock so sheepishly, unaffected by both the boy's actions. "Yeah whatever, I've got more important things to do than to change Ash's diaper!" so with a wave, Gary did his classic farewell, though a little clever twist was added at the end. "Smell ya later losers, literally! Aha, ha, ha!"

It was impossible for Ash not to let Gary get his goat.

Watching the cynical trainer cruise down the road, Ash's eyes were filled with a fiery passion of hate. How could he? How dare Gary sink so low as to chastise him with such trivial matters of the past? His remarks were certainly not helping Ash's already lowering self-esteem.

"Arrgh, that stupid Gary!" the dark-haired growled between grinding teeth, his fist clenched tightly in the air. "He better pray he won't have to battle me in the League!"

Misty and Brock ignored their friend's fit of enmity and made their own comments on the talented, but arrogant Gary Oak. And they weren't positive ones either.

"You know I never have cared for his laugh," Brock said with a prominent frown as he watched the pompous boy stroll off.

"Me either," Misty agreed as her eyebrows remained furrowed. "It sounds worse than a howling Meowth in heat."

The dark-haired boy's hostility lowered a great amount at the sound of the redhead's words. He then looked at her with the indication of wanting to join in on the conversation. That is the last part about the Meowth intrigued him. "You mean when it gets too hot outside?" he asked between a couple of clueless blinks. "Greta's Meowth is always like that, even sometimes when it's not hot. She acts really funny and-"

"Sure, Ash," said Misty with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever you say."

She didn't have the energy to correct Ash's moronic comments and assumptions on the reproductive system.

Even though he was further away, Ernest caught sight of Gary's appearance and faintly overheard the bantering exchanged between the two boys. Things hadn't changed, and Ernest hoped with Gary becoming a trainer that he'd grow up a little, and use his time productively instead of taunting his grandson without any remorse.

Before Ash started to throw a fit in regards of his disgust towards his neighboring rival, the three picked up the sloshing of Mr. Parker's boots. "Hey kids, was that Gary?" he questioned, then shot a glance down the road. As he glared at the boy, he shrugged off his nonsense with a wave of his hand and continued. "Ah, just ignore that little punk- Ash?" he could smell it too. The old man beamed strangely at the boy as he looked at his soiled jeans, irked by the sight. Why didn't he mention it earlier? "Aren't ya getting a little old for this?"

Just what he needed to hear.

Another loud groan seeped from Ash's throat as he looked to the sky. Of course he didn't want to tell his grandpa! They already had their rough spots in the past thanks to the uncanny resemblance Ash shared with his father and that Ernest severely disliked the man for silly reason; so the last thing he needed was another reason for Ernest to think ill of him. Even though he didn't and they had sorted the matter in the past, the inkling feeling haunted him of disappointing the old man, not being the farmer Ernest always wished him to be. No, he was more like a trainer. Like his dad.

A trainer who tended to stumble over his own feet though.

Ernest sighed heavily as he continued to stare at the unfortunate sight. Then, he ran his hand through what ever hair he managed to keep intact. "We better call your mom and get some change of clothes."

Waiting for the right time to attack always had its flaws. The virtue of patience was surely something Team Rocket learned quickly, and followed a great deal. The painstaking boredom that came with it was one of its very flaws. Their entertainment as they awaited to make their extravagant intrusion, consisted of random conversations on the things they saw, gut-wrenching debates about what to eat, or glorifying their 'brilliant' plan all the Pallet Town was engulfed in such natural beauty, the crafty cat and blue haired fellow took it upon themselves to discuss their surroundings. The Pokemon, were the hot topic as usual.

"I wonder what it would be like to take a gallivant on one of those Rapidash?" James dreamed as he leaned against the trunk of a tree. His hands were strapped comfortably behind his head as if they were a pillow.

Meowth simply blinked as he gazed wildly at a fluttering group of birds, snacking on berries in a distant tree. He licked his furry lips. "I wonder what those Pidgey would taste like barbecued?"

In the midst of their mindless waiting, Jessie was out and about in town, locating the nearest payphone. She had sneaked away without being noticed by the neighbors close by, and kept her identity concealed by staying incognito. She was relieved to finally escape peering eyes from the small handful of people journeying in and out of town, and made her grand getaway before anyone stopped her with a friendly, yet curious alone.

So as Jessie returned to their hideaway near the Parker's farm, she removed her disguised and announced her arrival in a harsh command. "Stop day dreaming, you two! We've got a little show to put on!"

James immediately flashed his eyes at his irritable partner, surprised by her quick return. "You already placed the order?" he asked, no longer leaning against the tree.

The magenta-haired woman finally slipped out a smile and folded her arms. "All done. It should arrive in a few hours."

Entering in a long distance call to Team Rocket Headquarters tended to be a real pain, though with the building being in close proximity, the call went through. There was hardly any static, and for once Jessie didn't have to listen to annoying elevator music play for over ten minutes, waiting to be connected to a human being.

For once, without any complications, the order the goons placed on their giant monstrosity of a machine, would arrive on time.

James lowered his eyebrows as he looked back in the field, watching Misty and Brock hurriedly work with progress. A small gulp was sent down his throat. "You don't think they'll be finished by then do you, Jess?"

Even with their estimated order on schedule, their was no telling how fast those kids could pick up the pace and when Samuel would bring by the bulls.

Jessie didn't seem too concerned. "I highly doubt it," she scoffed. "With the twerp falling and their constant redoing of the boards, I think we'll have just enough time to snatch that little farm of theirs. By the time they call that Prof. Acorn over with the Tauros, will snatch them up while they're still in their pokeballs."

Jessie's swift thinking ahead reassured the man. "Brilliant as always!" though there were other Pokémon they wanted to claim for their arsenal. "But what about the Jolteon?"

"We can still suck them up with the machine, and all those other Pokémon should be able to fit to. Even the Rapidash," Jessie stated.

They had thought of everything. To the size of the hose they'd use to suck up the Pokémon, to the protective glass of the machine, and to the various controls they needed to operate. Everything was going to go swimmingly, and not even Pikachu's sparks could stop them...

Or so they thought.

Team Rocket did forget one tiny detail. A detail that could shatter their entire operation.

With full confidence in their scheme, Meowth joined in on the conversation, happy as a Shelldar. "I can't believe this actually going to work! We get to snatch a double-douse of Tauros, a handful of fiery horses, and two obedient sidekicks!"

"Hmm! James agreed, closing his eyes briefly then opening them back up. "It is nice to see things are on our side for a change! If this plan is successful, we should go out for ice cream to celebrate!"

"What do you mean, if, James?" Jessie hissed, with slit could he doubt their operations now after how far they had come? There was no way they could lose! "Of course it's going to work! Besides," she continued with a giddy chuckle, "I could go for a strawberry ice cream cone myself! Though, I should be watching my figure..." The woman contemplated, staring down at her exposed midriff.

"Forget about your figure!" Meowth ordered sharply, pointing one of his claw's out at her. "It's time for us to get a reward! We only can celebrate snatching the twerp's Pikachu once!"

Once. And that's all it would take.

Delia hurried out of the house as fast as she could after receiving the surprising call from her father. In mere minutes she arrived at her parents house, bringing along a fresh clean pair of jeans for Ash to slip on.

She felt terrible about the entire event, and understood why Ash was in such a fix. Who could blame him for feeling so dispirited? He was told he had to move half of his Tauros to a new location and saw the damage done to poor Prof. Oak, then he was having a difficult time grasping how to properly build the fence his grandpa so brilliantly thought of and now he hurt his tailbone, ruined his jeans and was humiliated by his friends, and his rival. How could things get any worse?

Leah informed her daughter of Ash's current whereabouts right away, and soon, Delia made her way to the upstairs bathroom, knocking on the door before entering.

There was a slight pause after the knock, though she soon heard her son's exasperated voice welcoming her in. "Come in..."

Delia slowly creaked the door open to find Ash slumped on the rim of the bathtub in his boxers, his ruined jeans tossed aside on the bathroom floor. He was instructed by Leah to remove the unclean pants and waited so glumly for his mom to come with his savior of clothing. The least he could do was jump for joy at the sight of what his mother so kindly brought for him.

But he didn't.

Delia's eyebrows lowered dramatically and she sighed heavily. "Oh Ash, and you were doing so much better-"

"Mom, you don't understand what happened!" Ash cried, explaining what really went down out in the field before there was misunderstanding. "I fell and-"

"I know you fell," she interrupted calmly, closing the door. "Don't worry about it. I used to be a bit clumsy when I worked out in the fields too," she added and sweat-dropped.

Ash huffed as he thought to himself. What do you mean used to be? Thanks to you, I've got the clumsy gene...

"Grandpa also told me about, Gary. Something happened between you two? Do you want to talk about it?"

Ash exploded with rage. "He doesn't ever give me a break!" the boy complained, filling his mother in on his dissatisfaction with the day and people around him. "He's always gotta say something to me! Something mean. Arrgh! It was already embarrassing enough I smelled bad in front of Misty and Brock, but Gary?" Ash threw his face in his hands, sulking in his own dilemmas with doubts. He sighed. "Maybe building this pen wasn't such a good idea after all..."

"Oh Ash," she exhaled, sitting beside him on the edge of the bathtub, "don't get discouraged. Things like this happen all the time."

The boy beamed up at his mother with a raised eyebrow, his cheek resting in his hand. "Really, Mom?" he asked, sarcastically. "Being humiliated in front of your friends and rival because you slipped and fell in a smelly pile of crap is something people go through everyday?"

Not necessarily but- what was she supposed to say? She was his mother, of course she wasn't going to let him feel disheartened about it all! Something had to be done to to ease Ash's pain on the unfortunate event, and to not let him lose sight on what his main goal was. But what?

Think fast, Delia!

The auburn-haired woman bit down on her lip. "Well maybe not exactly but- you know, sometimes I get embarrassed at work."

That was a first. Delia's work was flawless and half of the time, she picked up slack from other workers. She poured her blood, sweat, and tears in helping Leah's in function. She never slipped up on the job.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "When? You do your job so well-"

"But accidents can still happen," she stated, trying to move the conversation along. "Maybe not what you experience but um- sometimes if I'm in a whirl, I forget to write down a reservation or leave food in the kitchen instead of taking it out to the customers." Then, a remembrance of a truly embarrassing moment popped up in her head. "Or there was this one time when you were just a baby and I was feeding you in the back room and when I was settled you down for a short nap, I came out with some of your spit-up all over my shirt. Sure everyone knew I was breast feeding and had to clean up constantly, but I was so frantic, I forgot to check myself!"

He didn't need such vivid images infiltrating his mind.

"Aggh Mom, gross!" he exclaimed, looking repulsed. "I don't wanna talk about your boobs!"

Such a child at heart. Even when no one was trying to make the situation awkward or humorous, Ash always had to react immaturely to nature's way of things. These were the days Delia wished her husband was around to have a man to man talk with Ash. She supposed her stories weren't as relatable as her husband's would have been to their son. Nevertheless, she made a point and it was close to what Ash experienced, in the aspect of being publicly humiliated.

Ignoring his juvenile rebuttal, Delia carried on. Calmly as she could without getting frustrated herself. "Ash, what I'm trying to say is that what happened today with Gary, doesn't mean what you're doing isn't the right thing or it changes what your friends think of you. Do you think everyone changed their opinions about me over something so silly?" she questioned and with the shake of Ash's head, Delia finally felt like she was getting somewhere.

He needed to stop worrying about what people thought and go with the flow. The fall was a complete accident, and any real friend would see it that way. Plus, the occasional stops they encountered as they built the paddock were bound to happen. redoing the boards, practicing their skills with the hammer, and even watching their step around the field was something they all had to do.

"Misty and Brock are worried about you, Sweetie," Delia persisted with reassurance. "They wanted me to tell you that they weren't laughing at you."

"Yeah," Ash snorted through his nostrils, "'cause they feel sorry for me. Me and my stupid paddock..."

"Ash, they don't pity you, they were trying to stick up for you!" her voice had heightened with such assurance, she managed to snatch Ash's gaze. His shaky gaze. "And this whole paddock business is a good thing! You're taking initiative and being responsible! I don't know many trainers who'd go to great lengths to keep thirty Tauros, and volunteer to help their grandfather."

Isn't that what Ash had done? Taking ownership and being responsible? Yet he was fighting that responsibility. He wanted to have his way, and not deal with the obstacle at hand. He just wished there was a way to save the business with the Tauros for another day, and start some hardcore training. He wasn't thinking about the inconvenience that would cause the Prof. Oak, and if Ash just expected Ernest to work day in and day out finish the paddock, that wouldn't be upright either.

Ash had a part to play in the situation, and was called to task to showcase such responsibility not as a trainer, but as person.

And all he had done that day was complain...

Delia steadily stood back up with a smile. "Now, go ahead and change. I'll be waiting in the living room when you're done."

His mom always had the magic touch to make things better, and whether Ash wanted to submit to her positive take on the matter, he had no choice. Something about Delia made it possible to look at the glass have full, instead of half empty. Helped him see where the fault lied, and what needed to be fixed.

Ash hesitated as he watched her turn the door knob. "Mom?" Delia glanced back at her son's call. He smiled softly at her and held up the clean pair of pants. "Thanks for the clothes."

And he was truly grateful for it.

Brock and Misty had been hard at work. They had accomplished more while Ash was busy changing thanks to one of Ernest's hand-workers. Rick assisted them in most of the heavy lifting and gave them a break from all the hammering. He even gave them a few tips on building and was agreeable to work with. Overall, it was amazing to see how far they had come in mere hours, and now it looked like they were near completion.

Though they soon halted their advancement by the casting of a shadow over their heads. From there, the two kids immediately looked up to find Ash standing before them again, who was letting his arm out for Pikachu to run up to his shoulder. He appeared to be in a better mood.

"Hey, glad to see you've cleaned up. How are you feeling?" asked his dark-complexioned friend.

"I've been better," grumbled Ash still feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole thing.

"We worked a little more on the paddock while you were gone," Misty informed, gesturing towards their finished work.

Ash's eyes widened in awe at the sight of how far they had gone in the project. "Wow! You guys did a lot!"

Misty nodded glad to see that he was pleased with the progress they had made. "Your Grandpa had Rick give us a hand."

"He's a fast worker," praised Brock.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Y-yeah he is! Thanks you guys! ..." Then came the apology. "I um- I'm sorry about earlier-"

But Misty cut him off. "There's nothing to apologize for. It was an accident."

"Yeah, Ash," Brock reassured. "No need to harp on it."

That's not what he meant. Ash came to apologize for something much bigger.

The trainer released a sigh and looked down at the ground. "It's not just that... I... I want to apologize for being so- I dunno, difficult? I didn't mean to make this project so horrible. It's just I've been so behind on training I kinda panicked... and well," he laughed uncomfortably, "Gary didn't help much either. But you were right, Misty," Ash admitted as he flashed his gaze up at her. "My Tauros need me right now. Prof. Oak needs me. So I guess my training will have to wait."

Walking through the field to his working friends gave the boy some time to reflect and really think about what he wanted to say. He knew he had been a pain, that was clear, but what Ash wished to make even more straightforward was that he accepted the task at hand and was willing to put aside his own selfish needs. Without him knowing, coming to terms with his emotions and correcting the mistakes, actually made him a better trainer.

Misty was impressed to see such a mature side of Ash, and was quite satisfied with his words. She could tell they were from the heart and was proud he took a big step for she knew he wasn't one who cared to admit he was in the wrong.

She smiled at his acknowledgement. "Glad to know you've seen the light."

Ash thought he was going to get a smack over the head or a mocking 'I told you so'. It was refreshing to hear otherwise. "Really?" he peeped, looking above the brim of his cap.

"Really. Now can we please drop the subject of anything that wouldn't be discussed at the dinner table?" she requested, not wanting to rehash the bitter fall Ash had taken. "The smell out here is bad enough."

The boy couldn't agree more. "Sure, Mist."

Not long after they wrapped up the apologies did Prof. Oak enter in with a small sack, carrying the fifteen pokeballs. Was it already getting that close towards completion?

Brock's smile widened as he watched the older man travel towards them, giving a small wave in his direction. "Looks like, Prof. Oak is here!" he announced.

As it dawned on the other two trainers, they spun around and spotted the professor as well. "Yeah, he came right on the dot," Misty commented.

Ash broke out in fits of waves, coaxing Prof. Oak to come forth. He too was delighted to see the man and wanted to show off all the hours they had put into the project. "Hey Professor! Over here!"

"Ah, Ash!" he replied, approaching the youngster with an equally as large grin. The man was surely impressed with their diligent work as he examined the paddock with his eyes. "I can see you've all made great progress."

Suddenly, before anyone could respond, a thundering noise boomed across the distance, seeming to approach the hard working laborers. Everyone stopped as the ground began to tremble and the seismic activity increased as if something we getting closer to them.

"Huh? What's that sound?" questioned Ash.

"The Earth, it's vibrating!" Brock exclaimed as he watched the ground rumble beneath his feet.

Just as startled by the event, Ernest and his workers came running towards the kids and the professor hurriedly. He then looked around not being able to pinpoint the cause of the quake. "What in Mew's name is going on?" he hollered, just as befuddled.

Ash dreaded who was causing this disruption. "Don't tell me it's-"

The trees from the adjacent forest fell down in great thuds. Out of the wreckage, there appeared a giant machine on equally large wheels. It was metallic and had various hoses jutting out from all sides which sucked up bits of vegetation. Then, three figures popped out from the top of the monstrosity with maniacal laughs. It was the old familiar villains that always tried to steal Ash's precious Pikachu. None other than...

"Team Rocket!" cried the trio in unison.

The big R stamped on the front of the machine was a dead giveaway.

The farmer was flabbergasted. "Team Rocket?! Keith," he ordered, directing to one of the men, "head back to the house and call the authorities-"

"Not so fast! No one is going anywhere!" Abruptly between Keith's feet shifting, James blocked the handy man's access to the house and the phone with one swing of a robotic arm."We've got unfinished business to take care of!" boomed the blue-haired man over the intercom built in their machine.

"Why can't you clowns just leave us alone?!" yelled the red-headed girl.

Looking at Ash in disbelief, Ernest asked perplexed, "Huh? Ya mean they've done this to you kids before?"

The boy rolled his eyes and replied, "Like everyday!" Then Ash looked at the trio of criminals and cried, "Arrgh, I don't have time to blast you guys off right now! Can't you see we're in the middle of something?!"

Ernest was well aware of who Team Rocket was. He had seen various photos of the members of this notorious gang on local television late at night. Like every other normal citizen, the thought of such an organization stomping their way into their town or city, would be terrifying. Though with the many reports of burglary and destruction on every news channel, Team Rocket's intrusion was likely to happen at any given moment. However, never did Ernest think his grandson would get mixed up with these criminals. Then again, Ash was a trainer, which meant he 'caught' what they wished to steal.

"Haven't you learned that we don't care?" Jessie retorted with slit eyes.

"And that we're known for crashing parties?" added the blue-haired man effervescently.

His magenta-haired companion simmered down in her enthusiasm with a snide remark. "Though I'd say this party is one of the least lively we've ever attended! Wouldn't you agree James?"

Her partner agreed with her, but was able to look at the positive aspects of their mission. "Definitely, Jessie. Luckily though, your precious livestock makes up for it!"

Livestock? So they weren't there just to steal Pikachu? It was only predictable Team Rocket would look out all their prey and select them through value and power and sadly, Ernest had both of tho

"What?" questioned Ash, just as confused as ever.

Then the talking cat managed to squeeze in a couple of words, harping, "I think it's time for an introduction!"

With that, the villains commenced into the motto which the twerp trio had heard, and will hear, over, and over, and over again.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

The hand-workers were certainly stunned by Team Rocket's little act, though Ernest shrugged off their overly rehearsed performance, cutting to the chase. He wanted to see the unwelcome gone as soon as possible.

"I've heard of you fellers!" the farmer declared, then cocked a smirk. "Though you're not as threatening nor intimidating as I thought ya'll would be!"

Their motto wasn't exactly what one would be expecting from an infamous and menacing gang like a Team Rocket. To put it lightly, it was a rare treat to see such a criminal organization devise a silly motto before springing with an attack.

Insulted by his blow, Jessie growled between her teeth and clenched her hands to form sweaty fists. "Arrgh! We'll show you how nasty we can be old man! James, start the suction!"

"Right!"

Jumping back in the machine, the lid closed and soon James sat in the head chair and began pressing various buttons spread across the control panel. He was turning on the gigantic coiled hoses, which released a powerful force of suction, dragging the humans and the Pokémon across the field.

They all mustered as much as strength as they could to cling to the paddock, trying to avoid their doom. Ash and Misty kept Pikachu and Togepi tightly in their grasp, while Ernest frantically called for his Joleton to take down the machine with their sparks.

"Rex, Fly, stop those thieves!"

"Jolt!" they responded, charging through the violent gusts of wind.

"How kind of you to hand over two other electrifying additions!" James exclaimed, maneuvering the hoses closer to the Pokémon.

Sadly, their speed was no match for the force of the suction for Rex ended up being lifted in the air.

"Rex!" Ernest cried, reaching towards the sky.

The Jolteon's legs kicked wildly as he struggled to escape the viscous pull, and instinctually, Fly's mouth clenched on his fur, pulling him back down to the ground. She dug her claws in the ground as she desperately protected her mate, though her strength was not enough. The female Jolteon produced a long and ear aching cry as she watched Rex glide up the tube.

And she wasn't the only one who was distraught. Ernest immediately launched himself on Fly before she got swept away, and slowly crawled and walked to the safety area of the sturdy paddock.

James was stunned by the old man's endurance and strength, panicking over losing one of the mutts. "Jessie, the other got away!"

"And we'll still need Pikachu too!" Meowth reminded, jumping around crazily.

"Relax!" she snapped at the two. "We still can capture the other Pokémon! James, position the hoses closer towards the paddocks!"

Then, everything got worse. With the overpowering winds swishing around everyone's grip's loosened, Prof. Oak lost his hold on the small sack, sending the pokeballs spiraling in the air and traveling up the hoses. Then, Team Rocket's clever machine unlocked a distant paddock, sucking up all of Ernest's Tauros, then his Rapidash, and then his Ponyta...They were all vanishing up those hoses right before his eyes.

It was horrifying to hear Jessie's voice over the machine intercom, hearing her mutter so manically, "Say bye bye, to your precious livestock!"

The thought of saying goodbye was painstaking, and because of that pain and shock, the farmer could hardly sputter anything out. Thankfully though, his grandson was filled with enough rage to speak."Give me back my Tauros!"

"And hand over my Jolteon you hoodlums!" Ernest finally yelled, equally as displeased.

It was then Team Rocket shut off the machine, and spoke over the machine's intercom with a nasty rebuttal.

"Hoodlums?" Jessie's voice repeated loudly across the field. "He thinks we're hoodlums? My, my, you are certainly wrong! We're far worse than hoodlums!" looking over at her partner, she gave one final command. A command to take away the last Jolteon and of course, the prized electric mouse. "James, heighten the turbo suction!"

"Right-o!" pressing down on the large red button, the winds grew rapidly, ten times stronger than they were before. No one could hold on for much longer and Ernest knew that for sure.

Fighting off the wind, the farmer swiveled his head at Ash, screaming for the boy to hear. "Ash, we gotta team up! If we get Fly and Pikachu to short-circuit the machine, it should reverse and hopefully spit the pokeballs and Pokémon back out!"

The trainer nodded in return, and looked down at his Pokemon huddled close to his chest. "Okay! Let's get'em, Pikachu!"

"You too, Fly!" Ernest commanded. "Help, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"Jolt!"

It was their last shot, and though there was the slim chance they'd get all the Pokemon back, they had to take it. There was no other way. So swiftly, Pikachu clung onto Fly's back and accepted the forceful winds to glide them along to their destination.

Jessie cackled at their pathetic efforts, for they were practically handing their Pokemon over. "Don't think you can win so easily! Pikachu and Jolteon are coming with us!"

"No they're not!" Ash shouted, then directed his attention to the Pokemon. The moment was here. "Now, Pikachu, Fly! Use thunderbolt on those hoses!"

"What?!" the goons screamed in unison.

Luckily, the electric Pokémon glided on the right wave of wind, crashing on one of the hoses and discharged their amazingly strikes of bolts.

"Pi... ka... CHU!"

"JOLT!"

The immense amount of electricity traveled up the tubes and seeped through the machines itself, the wires inside popping and crackling wildly. Team Rocket had forgotten one little detail, and now they were going to pay for it. Through jolts.

"You didn't get an electric proof machine?!" James screeched as the electricity surged through their bodies, the lights flashing madly inside the contraption.

Moewth's fur stood up in every which way, the shocks hurting his small body. "And I thought you said you were the brains of the operation?!" he hissed, between surges of waves.

"Well you two could have thought of it!" was all Jessie could sputter.

Then, the torture ended. The thunderbolt attacks ceased and in the process, the hoses miraculously reversed their suction and out came all the captured Pokémon and pokeballs. The heroes grinned uncontrollably by the victory and hurriedly, Jolteon and Piakchu joined in on the cheers for they knew it wouldn't be long before the villains were blown of the property.

Inside the machine, Team Rocket could smell the stench of smoke as well as watched the smog travel through walls and panels, clouding the small area. It was time for take off.

"Are we..." Jessie started with a gulp.

"About to..." James continued.

And as usual, Meowth finished. "Looks like it."

In one fell swoop, Team Rocket's contraption exploded in the air and the trio was ejected from their seats, flying away in the distance with the broken fragments.

Broken like their plans.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

And with a ding, they were catapulted out of Pallet once and for all.

"Good riddance!" Ernest suddenly hollered towards the clear sky. Then he cheered with his hand-workers and Prof. Oak, relieved to see them gone, not even angry over the messy field.

Brock and Ash shared a look of accomplishment as well, while Pikachu was busy dancing about with the hyped up Jolteon.

Misty settled Togepi down to for it to play with the other Pokemon and from there, she cuffed her hands around her mouth. "Smell ya never, Team Rocket!" the girl yelled, happy to see them far off in the vast distance. However, she could feel strange looks cast upon her, and soon she released a couple blinks, followed by a small giggle. "What? They deserve to receive a Gary Oak remark!"

Indeed they did, Misty. Indeed they did.

"Here goes the last nail. Phew! We're all done!"

Done at last. Once Team Rocket was blasted off into the stratosphere the group put all Ernest's Pokemon back in their proper pens and went to work once more with the assurance that the Rocket recruits were far, far, away from foiling anymore of their plans.

As the sky turned to a different hue and the sun called in for a night, Ash was on his last post and hammered in the final piece with such confidence and pride, he had forgotten all about their earlier troubles. Taking a step back and wiping his brow, Ash and his companions admired the hard work they put forth in that gigantic pen and couldn't have been more pleased with results.

Ernest gave his grandson a firm pat on the shoulder, the force startling the boy, though he soon relaxed as his grandfather smiled proudly at him. "Looks mighty fine, Ash. He then swiveled his head to face Prof. Oak, prompting him to proceed. "I think we can release the Tauros now, Samuel."

Sam nodded. "It would be my pleasure."

Everyone took part in throwing the fifteen pokeballs towards the paddock, unleashing the restless bulls from their containers. As the 'balls popped open, the flashes of light emerged from inside and soon the creatures beamed around aimlessly. Surprisingly, tame.

Ash leaned over the rail excitedly, beaming at his Tauros and watching their tails twitch back and forth. "How do you guys like it? Is it pretty cozy?"

In unison they released cries of delight, kicking at the dirty and roaming around. Their body posture was not tense and their heads were not bucking madly in the air either. They just seemed, at peace. Content with their new little piece of home, and that's all Ash wanted to see.

"Haha! Glad you guys approve!" he then glanced over his shoulder with a radiant smile, letting his toes cling onto the panels and his heels dangled freely. "Thanks for everything Grandpa."

Ernest formed a faint grin. "Don't mention it. Ya know your grandma and I would do anything for you."

Ash could say he was more fortunate than most kids. Not only did he have a herd of spirited Tauros to train, but he had a pair of grandparents who'd set their own daily needs aside to assist him when he cried for help. He was no longer carrying on about his frustration with not being able to train for the day. Ash was starting to see the gray more so than the black and white.

There were plenty of hours ahead for perfecting battling techniques. He'd be battling soon anyway at the Indigo Plateau and want a break right after the competition finished. But building something with his grandpa, seeing the farm and saying hello to all the Pokemon he left behind months ago, and eating his mom and grandma's food were experiences he'd never get tired of. Those were the things that kept him motivated, because his family cared about his dreams and ambitions. Because they did everything and anything in their power to help him along the way.

As they always had.

"Kids, dinner's ready!"

The announcement of a meal drew Ash's attention away from Ernest, spotting his grandma and mother on the front porch waving. The woman had cooked up a storm even in the heat, and were kind enough to set a place on for Ernest's hand-workers though they declined the offer considering they had their own families to get on home too. Leah and Delia's hearts were so large they'd cook up a meal for just about anyone. Well, anyone but Team Rocket.

"And Mr. Mime baked apple pie!" Delia added, making their stomachs rumble all the more.

"Mr. Mime!" the Pokémon cheered, peeping behind the two woman with a big grin.

Ernest cringed at the clown's voice as well as the sight of its fingers pressing firmly against the crust of the pie. It was showing that baked good off like it won the annual pie contest at Pallet's own fair.

Like that would ever happen.

Ever since that thing followed Ash home, it wouldn't leave the Ketchum corridors and soon, Delia became accustomed to its presence. Ernest however, was quite irritated with the creature and though it did do housework and was friendly with all the neighbors, he still would have preferred for her to have one of her old Pokémon reside in the house. Not a Mr. Mime.

It was harmless, harmlessly annoying. Though Ernest couldn't adore the happy-go-lucky Pokémon as everyone else did. Was he truly the only one who had such a sincere dislike for the Pokémon? He may have thought so, but some felt the same. They just kept it on the down-low.

The farmer crinkled his nose as he stomped over to his wife and daughter, hollering back with disgust. "I don't wanna eat some pie made by the hands of a clown! Probably has eggs shells in it!

Delia gave him the look she had always given him even as a child. The same frown, the same narrowing of the eyes that he easily shrugged off. Her face and posture was the least bit intimidating. "Oh Daddy, stop! There aren't any egg shells! Mimey did a wonderful job..."

As their mild confrontation continued, Brock patted his friend's shoulder gently with an upbeat grin. "You did good today, Ash."

Ash's eyes widened by the pat, then relaxed as he beamed up at the older boy. "Thanks, Brock. And thanks for sticking this out with me," he went on, now gazing at both his comrades, even Pikachu who sat comfortably on his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

Misty chuckled, as she kept Togepi close in her grasp. "I don't know what you'd do either."

Ash let the girl's remark slide, for he honestly couldn't imagine life without them. Not now. Not after traveling on the road for nearly a year, collecting all those badges, getting mixed up in everyday adventures. This was just another story to add to their many other eventful ones. But something about this one in particular topped Ash's favorites list. Maybe because it all happened at home.

Breaking their silent moment of happiness, Leah directed the trainers and Ernest in for the meal, ready to dig in. "Let's head in inside!" she ordered joyfully, stepping back in through the entrance of the house. "I've got roast on the table!"

They were all starved after all the laborious work they put in for the day, and could go for a slice of roast and kick their feet up being hitting the sack.

Starting to walk towards the house, Misty's mouth began to water. "That not only sounds delicious, but it smells good too!"

Brock nodded in agreement, then, a chuckle followed. "Unlike the smell out here!"

That was going to be his last joke of the day.

Suddenly, the girl removed one of her arms from Togepi and shoved him away playfully. "Uggh, Brock!"

"I'm only joking!" he said, between a few more chortles.

Ash just grinned and shook his head. He was going to let Brock take the hit for that one.

Shockingly though, he wasn't as driven as his companions were to get to the table. More often then not, whenever food was brought up, Ash was the first to exclaim his happiness of the meal and race to the table without bothering to wash his hands. This time however, he was quiet. Pondering over a terrifying reality that fell upon his now uneasy mind. And his gurgling stomach.

"Roast? It isn't Stanley, right?"

THE END

Author's Note:

This story sure was a fun one to write, and a nice break from all my serious work. LOL. So what did you guys think? Was it a surprise to see Gary thrown into the mix? I'd love to hear your reviews on the ending, and please be on the look out for more silly adventures in the town of Pallet! Our favorite trio has gotta make more than one stop in this town, right? Especially for the holidays (hint, hint)!

Thank you all for reading! :)

P.S. If any of you are fans of the anime Dinosaur King, please check out my sister's (DaughterofPavlov) new fanfic, When Words Run Dry. It's an amazing alternate take on Rex's parents and their relationship with Seth. It certainly has twists and turns. Also, if you're a fan of Veronica Taylor's voice acting work you might want to check it out, because she voiced three of the characters from that show. One of the characters in the fanfic, is featured.

Practically, the whole Pokémon cast stars in that anime!

Please check it out! It's well written and needs love! :)