Driving Me Crazy Chapter 1: By LavenderEspeon

I know I'm in the middle of Alicia, Alicia but I'm at a standstill for that story right now. I can't decide what will happen next. not to mention FF.Net is in read-only mode anyway :( so this is just my making-sure-I- don't-have-writer's-block fic.

Disclaimer: Let's see if you can figure this one out.

Summary: Five years after Ash becomes a Pokemon Master and has completed his journey, he is reunited with his female traveling companion, Misty, and the two of them, under order of Prof. Oak, are forced to take a road trip across Kanto together. (It'll make more sense after I do flashbacks and stuff)

I have never seen this idea done before, and when I thought of it I thought it was a pretty good one. R&R please and tell me what you think! (Even if it sucks! I love reading flames. they make me laugh.)

******* "Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call, phone call!"

20-year-old Ash Ketchum, still asleep at the time of the 7 am phone call, groaned and let the machine get it.

"Hi," he heard his own voice say from his position on the bed. "You've reached Ash, but I'm not here right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you. oh right, if this is important, you can page me. See ya."

A few seconds later, the Professor's voice broke the early morning silence of Ash's convieniently placed Viridian City home. "Ash? This is Prof. Oak. I apologize for the early wake-up call, but I need to ask you a favor. Once you've woken up, could you swing by the Lab? It's a matter of some urgency, so sometime today would be great if you could manage it. Thanks!"

Ash nodded at the Professor's words, still half asleep, and rubbing his eyes, got up to begin another day. Hearing his footsteps, the yellow rodent who had graced Ash with its presence for the past ten years awoke with a cheerful "Pika!"

"Hey, buddy," smiled Ash. "Did you sleep okay?" Pikachu gave a content nod.

"Okay, well, would you fix some breakfast for us? I'm gonna go take a shower, then I might as well swing by the Lab. I don't think I have anything to do today." Pikachu nodded and began his Pika-sized steps into the kitchen. ***

"No, Jack, like, don't kiss her! She's, like, Amethyst, Danielle's evil twin and you, like."

"Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call, phone call."

Daisy sighed from her soap-opera-watching position on the aqua-colored couch and yelled, "Misty!! Get the phone!"

Misty looked up from the piece she had been writing and walked over to the videophone.

"Hello?" she said into the reciever.

"Misty?" the voice answered. "This is Prof. Oak."

"Oh," said Misty cheerfully, "hi Professor! What's going on?"

"Well, Misty, I would actually like to ask you a favor."

"Sure," Misty replied, "what do you need?"

"Well," began the Prof., "I need a couple strong Pokemon trainers to go to Lavender Town for me. there's been a disturbance, the people can't sense it, but the ghost Pokemon are going nuts! Just in case it's something bad, we need strong trainers." Misty sighed.

"I'm sorry, Professor. but I haven't battled since the day A-the Pokemon Master. became the Pokemon Master. I'm a journalist now."

Prof. Oak looked at her through the vidphone. "Misty, you could have been an elite."

"Professor."

He cut her off. "You and that Pokemon Master made a great team, and you know it-"

"Professor, all I wanted was my- my- all I wanted was something he stole from me."

"Your bike," he said smugly. "Is what you were going to say, but didn't. Because he stole something else from you, didn't he Misty." the Professor's voice got softer progressively.

"All I ever wanted was my bike."

"He stole your heart. You know he did."

Misty closed her eyes briefly, looked at the Professor and said, "This isn't relevant!" and would have said more if she hadn't seen a shadow of a guilty look pass over the old Professor's face.

"Professor, is there something you're not telling me- wait," said Misty suspiciously, "did you say a COUPLE people have to go?"

".well.yeah.." murmured the Prof.

"Are you telling me you got A-"

"I have to go, Misty, I have a visitor. I would appreciate it if you could come to the Lab soon. Bye!"

"PROFESSOR PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T." But her efforts were futile- he had hung up.

*** (late morning- the Lab in Pallet)

As soon as Samuel Oak heard a Pidgeot squawk, around 10 a.m., he knew his visitor had arrived. "Ash," he thought calmly, hanging the phone up and walking out into the front to greet the young Pokemon master.

"Ash!" he addressed the young man cheerfully. "How have you been? It seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself."

Ash smiled and nodded, and the Prof. noted how much he had grown up since winning in the League. His hair was still always messy, but it fit his face well, and he had turned out rather handsomely. The Professor knew for a fact he had quite a legion of female admirers, however, he was still single, even though he had the admiration of people like Alison Jennings, a very famous Kanto model, although, granted, Samuel understood that Ash wouldn't date someone based solely on how pretty they were.

Answering the Prof.'s earlier question and statement, Ash replied, "I'm great, Professor. My life is going really well, what with all the promotion I'm getting and all of that." The Professor nodded.

"It sounds perfect."

"Well," murmured Ash thoughtfully, "I really wouldn't say perfect. Anyway, I got your message. What was it you needed me to do?"

"I need you and a. friend of mine. to drive to Lavender Town to investigate a mystery that has to do with the ghost Pokemon." Ash gave a low whistle.

"That's pretty far away, Professor. Couldn't we use our bird Pokemon to just fly there? I mean, using Pidgeot I could get there in a couple of hours. driving it would take around 3 days."

"I know, Ash, but the thing is, part of the disturbance is that- well, I don't want to scare you, but. you know that not very many planes fly over Lavender Town, right?"

"Yeah."

"Since this started two weeks ago, only three planes have crossed over it. But all three planes that have. have crashed before reaching their destination fully. I can only imagine what would happen to a bird Pokemon."

"Oh," said Ash, "I see your point."

Prof. Oak was now nervously pacing the room. He knew Ash would be up for the Lavender Town challenge.

The challenge of his investigative partner was another story, and that was the next thing the Professor had to break to him.

"Professor, why are you so nervous all of the sudden?" asked Ash, noticing the sudden furrowing of the old Professor's brow.

"Um, Ash. you remember when I said a friend of mine would be joining you?"

"Yes, Professor, but if you're worried I won't like them, I promise to work with them even if I don't, because obviously you chose them for a reason."

"On the contrary, Mr. Ketchum, it's not that you'll hate her that worries me," muttered Prof. Oak under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Ash shrugged. "So, anyway, what's his name?"

"Her," corrected the Professor, "and you will meet her later. She'll be coming over shortly."

"Okay," replied Ash.

"That is, I hope she will," murmured Oak, turning his back on Ash and asking, "Would you like some tea, Ash?"

"No thanks, Professor, tea isn't really my cup of. er, I mean."

"Tea isn't really your cup of tea?" grinned the Professor, amused.

"Something to that extent." Ash replied sheepishly. "But if it's not too much trouble, Pikachu would like some ketchup, I think." That statement was confirmed with a loud and enthusiastic "Pika!"

"Coming right up!" replied the Prof.

(AN: This is something I would have liked to have happen whenever someone was at the door in Pokemon. it never did ()

"Ding dong ding, ding dong ding, doorbell, doorbell!" chimed the door. (Hey, if the phone can do it. ^-^) Professor Oak tossed the ketchup bottle to Ash on his way to the door.

***

Misty rang the doorbell and waited, looking around the front yard for some sign of that Pokemon Master, and sighing in obvious relief when she saw no car in the driveway.

As the door swung open, the Professor took in the young woman who was Misty Waterflower, who had replaced the scrawny tomboy with a temper fitting for her hair color. Who was no longer graced the runt by her sisters, but almost shunned by them, for she had committed a crime worse than any they could have imagined-

She had become more beautiful than them, in more ways than one.

"Hello, Misty," he said with a warm smile, which she returned. When she was a pre-teen, she had wondered how this nice man could be mean Gary's grandfather. As she grew up and as Ash won the League title, Gary's hostility grew less and less and somehow, Misty saw more of Samuel Oak in Gary every time she saw him. He was friends with Ash, and had become good friends with Misty, and maybe even had a little crush on her, though they both knew it would never be anything more. In any case, she talked to him often, and she had hoped maybe the other person, the capable trainer, would be Gary. She wouldn't mind going with him.

Damn Ash. She would love to be on a mission with him. That's why she hated him so much. She loved him so much that she hated him.

"Misty.?" said the Professor, bringing her back to earth.

"Oh. sorry, hello Professor," she replied, "I was kind of off in dreamland."

"It's all right," he replied. "Let's talk out here, in the fresh air, shall we?" His immensely relieved expression when she agreed didn't go unnoticed by the water Pokemon trainer. "I'm just about off the hook."

"Is there something you're not telling me, Professor?" she inquired, looking at him deeply. He didn't plan to dodge the question. He opened his mouth to answer-

And Ash opened the screen door. "Professor, where did you go off to all of a-"

Misty looked at him. The Professor looked guiltily at his feet.

Barely breathing, Ash finished his sentence. "-sudden?"

"Ash," whispered Misty meekly.

He looked deep into her eyes.

***

Hehehe- that's all you're getting until next chapter! This is going to be my first really long chapter fic. I hope you like it. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I'm not sure how this is gonna turn out when it's finished- it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea. (Although it took me 3 days to write..)

But it doesn't even matter cuz FF.net is down!! (

*sinks into a chair and sobs* Anyways. I have decided I won't continue until I get at least 10 reviews. Even if you want to flame me, review! But please note that once you flame me, I can choose to do whatever I want with them. I think I'll compile them and write my retaliations. :P

I'll make you a deal- you review for me, and if it's a signed review (or if you're just an author too lazy to sign in.) I'll go do a review for you. Deal? Okay.

So, buh bye for now!! I'm glad I have no writer's block ^-^

*lavenderespeon*