Ash sighed, blinking as he looked around the living room. " Now, where could everyone be?!"

" Pika pi....?"

Ash sighed. " Good point. Mom might be at the shop. Let's g-"

Suddenly two arms wrapped Ash around his neck. Ash spun and hugged the person back.

" You're heeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Misty squealed. " I missed you!"

Ash laughed. " You too, Misty."

Delia, Oak, Mimey, Tracey and Gary stepped out of the closet. " Surprise, Ash!" Delia said cheerfully. 

" We're so glad you're back!" Oak added.

But Ash didn't hear.

Because he was arguing.

And guess who he was arguing with?

" I told you to stay safe!"

" I was safe!" Ash protested, crossing his arms.

" There was a lightning storm in Hoenn the other day, and I KNOW you saved those Pokemon who were trapped in the castle."

" Well what was I supposed to do, huh?"

" Be more careful!"

" I was!"

" Not enough!"

" Was too!"

" Was not!"

" Was!"

" No!"

" Yes!"

" No!"

"Yeeeeeeeeees!"

" Noooooooooooooo!"

Gary groaned, rubbing his temples. "Why do they always argue immediately after seeing each other?"

Tracey shrugged. "It's their love language, apparently."

Delia clapped her hands with a bright smile. "Now, now, let's not interrupt them. This is how they bond!"

"Bond?" Gary repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Pretty sure this is just verbal chaos."

Misty and Ash continued, their argument escalating into exaggerated hand gestures.

"At least I care enough to risk my life for Pokémon!" Ash said, jabbing a finger at Misty.

"And I care enough to yell at you for doing something dumb like that!" Misty shot back, poking him in the chest.

Pikachu sighed loudly, sitting next to Mimey, who was enjoying the scene while sipping tea. "Pika pika..." (They're never gonna stop, are they?)

"Alright, break it up, you two!" Oak said, stepping forward with a fatherly tone. "This is supposed to be a welcome-home party, not a debate competition."

Misty huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at Ash. "Fine. But you're still reckless."

"And you're still bossy," Ash countered, smirking.

They both glared at each other for a moment before suddenly breaking into grins.

"Glad you're back," Misty said softly, giving him a quick hug.

"Glad to be back," Ash replied, patting her head.

Gary groaned again. "That was nauseating."

Delia smiled warmly. "Oh, Gary, it's sweet. Don't you think so, Tracey?"

Tracey nodded with a small laugh. "It's... entertaining, at least."

Just then, Togetic flew into the room, chirping excitedly.

"Togetic!" Misty called, holding her arms out as Togetic floated down to her.

Ash smiled, watching the two reunite. "Hey, Togetic! Miss me too?"

Togetic chirped and flew to Ash, nuzzling him happily.

"See? Even Togetic thinks I'm the favorite," Ash teased.

Misty raised a brow. "Oh, please. Togetic knows who the real favorite is, don't you, sweetie?"

Togetic looked between the two of them, clearly overwhelmed by their competitive energy, and floated over to sit on Pikachu's head instead.

Gary smirked. "Smart choice, Togetic."

Ash grinned. " Hey, Misty, how's the gym?"

Misty's smile vanished. " THE GYM!"

Ash's eyes widened. " Oh no. When did you last talk to them?!"

" Yesterday!" Misty replied, whipping her Pokegear out. 

Ash stood next to her as she called her siblings.

The gym was a mess.

Ash's eyes widened as he watched Misty's face get all red. " Oh no...."

On the Pokegear screen, Misty's three sisters—Daisy, Violet, and Lily—were in complete chaos. Lily was running around in circles, screaming something about Psyduck taking over the pool, while Violet tried (and failed) to stop a crowd of Goldeen from leaping out of their tanks. Daisy, meanwhile, lounged in a beach chair, sipping on a smoothie.

"Like, hey, sis! Glad you called!" Daisy greeted, oblivious to the chaos around her.

Misty clenched her fists. "WHAT is going on there?!"

"Um, nothing much, just, like, a small issue with Psyduck trying to be the star attraction," Daisy said casually.

Lily, still running in the background, yelled, "IT WON'T STOP USING WATER GUN!"

Ash tried to stifle a laugh but failed miserably. "Wow, Misty, looks like they've got everything under control."

Misty shot him a death glare. "This is NOT funny, Ash!"

"Kind of is," Gary mumbled from behind them, earning himself a smack on the arm from Delia.

Misty turned her attention back to her Pokegear. "Daisy, why didn't you CALL ME when things got this bad?!"

Daisy waved her off. "Relax, Misty. It's not, like, that bad. Psyduck's just, like, expressing itself or whatever."

"EXPRESSING ITSELF?!" Misty screamed, her voice echoing through the living room.

Pikachu and Togetic both covered their ears, while Tracey muttered, "Here we go..."

Ash leaned over Misty's shoulder, grinning. "Hey, Psyduck might actually be improving! Maybe it's finally showing some leadership skills."

Misty jabbed him in the ribs. "This is NOT the time for jokes, Ash!"

"I mean, it's your gym. Shouldn't you have, like, a backup plan for this?" Gary quipped, smirking.

Misty's glare snapped to Gary. "One more word, and YOU'RE next, Oak!"

Gary held up his hands in surrender. "Noted."

Ash patted Misty's shoulder. "Alright, let's not overreact. We'll just head to Cerulean and sort it out."

Misty sighed, still fuming but slightly calmer. "Fine. But when we get there, someone is helping me clean up this mess!"

Ash gave her a confident thumbs-up. "You got it, Mist. Let's fix your gym and show Psyduck who's boss."

Misty narrowed her eyes. "Don't call me Mist."

Ash smirked. "Sure thing... Mist."

Delia smiled at the two, then turned to Oak. "It's like they never stop, isn't it?"

Oak chuckled. "Indeed. But that's what makes them such a great team."

With a determined huff, Misty hung up the Pokegear, grabbed her bag, and marched toward the door. "Let's go, Ash. We've got a gym to save."

Ash grinned as he followed. "Right behind you, bossy!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

Their voices echoed as they left the house, bickering all the way.