Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

Summary: This is the second series of one-shots in retrospect to the holiday song "12 Days of Christmas." Ash gets love from 12 lucky ladies. The elements are decided by the poll in my profile.

Chapter Shipping: Baseballshipper

12 Elements of AshMas, Volume 2

One-shot 1:Home Run to Pallet Town

Ash, Misty and Brock and their Pokémon friends had arrived at what tears people to go separate ways: the dubious fork in the road. It had been a long journey among this group of rag-tag trainers through Johto. Ever since her bike was amazingly repaired by Nurse Joy, Misty would forgive Ash for what happened on the very first day of Ash's career in Pokémon training when Ash took it to get Pikachu help. A thunderstorm roared where Pikachu totaled the bike while fending off a flock of Spearow. Misty gave Ash an earful at how careless he was with Pikachu and her bike and stayed with Ash through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto so that Ash could pay for a new ride. Brock only joined after his father, Flint returned back in Pewter City to pursue his dream of being a breeder. He only broke momentarily to be with Prof. Ivy... "That name..." he murmured. What? Was it something someone said? And why was he hunkered by a tree? Ash and Misty were familiar with Brock's awkward disposition.

"One of these days, he'll tell us what happened between him and Prof. Ivy," Misty mulled. Ash slightly adjusted his cap to try and hide his disgust at Brock's overreaction to a name.

"Come on, Brock!" he tried to get his friend moving again. "Your brothers and sisters don't wanna see you like that." After a minute on the grass, Brock rose back up.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You're right. I can't look like a disgrace." Ash and Misty sighed in relief and chuckled softly, trying not to further humiliate their breeder. "Well, I guess this...is it."

"Yeah," Misty sighed, saddened to be breaking from the two friends who she befriended over the extent. Ash, a wannabe Pokémon Master who showed a grit from someone who showed more care for Pokémon than she anticipated. "To think, we went through everything together and now we're separating for good..." She didn't want to leave Ash's side. Her whole purpose of being with him was to make him pay for a new bike but now that her bike's in perfect shape, she felt that she nagged him for apparently borrowing the bike if only for Pikachu's health. Ash realized something Misty had overlooked.

"Like I said before," he reminded. "We were meant to be friends. It wasn't just a big coincidence that the three of us just decided to travel together, right Brock?"

"Absolutely," the breeder snapped a fine reply. "Same goes with Pikachu, Togepi and all of the other Pokémon we've come across." Pikachu and Togepi squeaked, acknowledging Brock's and Ash's statements.

"I guess," Misty shuttered with a smile. "I'm sorry. I just feel like we just got to know each other..." The boys felt the same way. That's when Brock brought out a tiny white case along with a fork and knife.

"Here, Ash. A little lunch for you on your way back." It was very thoughtful. Ash was beside himself. A farewell gift...from a close friend.

"Brock..." he gulped, starting to show fear in losing a comrade. "Thanks...a lot!" Now it was Misty's turn.

"Hold on," she interrupted as she snagged the lunch and utensils. She wrapped the lunch in a plaid-pattern handkerchief and knotted the fork and knife on top. "Something to keep your mouth clean." Ash was speechless. First, Brock with this lunch and now Misty with the handkerchief. Ash began to tear up. He didn't want to break up with these two now. Yet, he knew that Misty was going back to Cerulean City and Brock back to Pewter.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, you two!" he choked a farewell. "You two...take care of yourselves." Misty and Brock were willing to do the same.

"Yeah, you too," Brock praised. "See ya." The three and the Pokémon gave their farewells, even Togepi. They traveled down the three separating paths. Brock headed north to Pewter, Misty and Togepi biked east to Cerulean and Ash and Pikachu scooted south for Pallet Town. Along the way, Ash and Pikachu sat by a stream and proceeded to eat Brock's lunch. Ash kept looking back at the path behind them, wondering if maybe breaking the band was such a good idea.

("You miss them already, huh?") Pikachu asked. Ash understood where Pikachu was starting from. It hadn't been half a day but already felt as if he didn't like the idea of breaking with Misty and Brock.

"Maybe there's a chance that we'll journey together again," he wished. "Where, I'm not sure. I'll need to talk to Prof. Oak about any regions that are available." A positive thought. That's when something shot out of nowhere: a miniature baseball glove attached to a string which snagged a piece of shrimp. "What the-!" The glove reeled back up to a tree where a violet-haired girl reeled in the catch of the day. She wore a white cap with a lightning bolt for an emblem and a yellow button down shirt.

"Now that's what I call a line drive catch!" she sneered before snacking on it.

"Casey?" Leaping down, Casey joined Ash and Pikachu for Brock's lunch. "What are you doing here?" Casey let off a little scoff.

"Well, the Electabuzz are planning on taking an overseas trip in the Hoenn Region and are ready for Inter-Region play." Okay but that didn't explain- "And since I heard from Misty that you hated to be in one place for an extended time. Besides, you did finish in the Top Eight and I think a trip to the Hoenn Region would satisfy you." So that's why. Casey thought a new region would be fitting for Ash and with her baseball club traveling to compete in a few crossover games, she was pretty much asking Ash to go with her to Hoenn.

"The Hoenn Region, huh? That sounds like a great idea. I'll go and see if Prof. Oak will approve." Casey bobbed a couple nods as they finished Brock's lunch. They got up and headed toward Pallet Town. Watching the confidence he strolled, Casey wondered about that loss which he ended up in the Top Eight.

"So, that battle with Harrison.." To recall the Quarterfinal battle, Ash huffed.

"He got the better of me, that's all." Casey shrugged her shoulders, disbelieving how easily satisfied Ash acted.

"Goodness, Ash! You let this easygoing attitude go to your head, you'll suffer a loss more embarrassing than the one I suffered when we first met." No one wants to suffer a downfall. Speaking of downfall... a pit opened beneath their feet. Ash, Casey and Pikachu fell in but Ash reacted fast with the steel fork and knife, jabbed into the pit's wall. Casey snagged onto Ash and Ash was mustering all the strength to keep them from diving deeper than normal.

"You okay?" Pikachu chirped to know he's still around. Suddenly, laughter from above. It couldn't be...

"Prepare for trouble, you're without a friend," Jessie incorrectly teased.

"Make it double, protecting Pikachu is at an end!" James added to the idiocy. Ash, Casey and Pikachu looked up, noting the red "R" emblems.

"Team Rocket!" they shouted in unison. Hearing the two distinct voices, Team Rocket realized their miscalculation.

"Hold on," Jessie stuttered. "Didn't the twerp break away from the water twerp and breeder twerp?" They're starting to get on track.

"Meowth did witness their divorce so maybe they did it as a diversion to throw us off track," James theorized. Now they're way off. Casey was starting to lose her grip around Ash's waist. Her arms were beginning to tire.

"Ah...Ash?" she shouted. Ash had to do something. Casey was about to drop and all he could do was hang onto the steel utensils...or did he?

"Ready to dive, Pikachu?" he whispered. With one silent squeak, Ash planted his feet on the dirt wall. He took breaths to get a feel for the right timing. Now! He released the utensils, jumped from the wall and spun around to grab Casey and Pikachu. They fell beyond the sight of Team Rocket, much to their surprise.

"The twerp went willfully into the hole!" Meowth, who just now appeared from another tree, gasped in fright. It was a deep pit, almost twice as deep as recommended.

"If I had either Victreebel on hand, this would've been the perfect opportunity to use its Vine Whip and fish Pikachu out!" James growled.

"Relax," Jessie eased down with a plan. "Arbok can still do that for us." James and Meowth cheered in glee. Unfortunately, that glee was about to be short-lived.

"Thanks but we can get ourselves outta here," Ash grinned as a few green vines shot from the pit. Team Rocket watched on in awe at how far that vine reached, much less how long it was. They realized that they were in a bit of a pickle and the sour taste would get more bitter. Popping out of the pit, Bayleef and her evolved form Meganium emerged with Ash cradling Casey in his arms on top of the bigger Herb Pokémon. "Bayleef, Body Slam!" Bayleef released her grip and descended onto Meowth who was easily flattened. Alley Cat-cake, anyone?

"Elekid, let's go!" Casey shouted as she tossed Elekid's Pokéball, releasing the pre-evolved form of her baseball team's name. "Elekid, use Thunderbolt!" Elekid spun its arms in a rapid circular motion before firing the bolts at the bad thieves heavily.

"Pikachu, wrap this up with Thunder!" Pikachu squeezed his cheeks and shot out a giant stream of lightning before... KABOOM! That couldn't have gone any better if these two saw the oversight of Casey.

"Well, I didn't expect the Ra-Ra girl to help back the twerp's return to his hometown," Jessie gawked as she tried to figure out how it all went so wrong. Everything they tried went so wrong.

"I'm actually more shocked that he'd risk his twerpy health to pull that stunt he did to escape us, even using our own dug pit," James reviewed.

"Speaking of pits, I believe we dug our own graves as soon as da boss hears dis," Meowth shivered. It was time for their signature send-off as they sailed over the trees.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled together as they disappeared. For Ash, Casey and the Pokémon, it was a job well done as they cheered in celebration.

"Now that's what I call teamwork!" he smiled. That's when he felt his hands getting heavy. He nearly forgot about Casey but she was preoccupied with the fact that Ash was holding onto her and it wasn't her hand. Her cheeks burned rosy red. "Is it all right if I put you down? My hands are starting to give way." Casey snapped out and turned to Ash. She wrapped her arms around Ash's head and coddled her head onto Ash's shoulder.

"Lemme stay like this for a little longer," she murmured with a smile. "...My MVP." Ash surrendered as the Pokémon began the rest of the trip back to Pallet. "By the way, great teamwork on that triple play." Ash could shrug his shoulders if they weren't being used. He had no clue about baseball. Well, almost no clue.

"Nah, Team Rocket made that dubious error for us to get it." Casey chuckled, thinking Ash made a baseball joke about the jokes who pitted them. That's when she made a "swing" for Ash as she holstered herself up and softly kissed him on the lips. Ash was surprised with this. Quickly parting, Casey smiled as if it was no big deal. Ash was nearly at a loss for words. "You stole my base~!" Another funny giggle from Casey was a soft reminder that Ash was more than a tough trainer. He was a comedian.

"Just wait until we get to Home Plate." Whoa! Casey was ready to swing for the fences and Ash couldn't get himself to come out of the dugout to argue. At least there's one word to describe the rest of the way to Pallet: SAFE!

End of ELECTRICITY

(Yes I've started early. I'm giving 3 Worlds and Resident Evil a rest until I complete all 12 chaps of this. Keep those votes coming as DRAGON, STEEL & BUG are in a three-way tie. Who gets to claim the second chapter?)