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!"

Tracey leaned over to Gary, whispering, "How long do you think this one's gonna last?"

Gary smirked. "With these two? Probably longer than we have patience for."

Delia clapped her hands to get their attention. "Ash! Misty! Enough! This is supposed to be a happy moment, not an argument."

Ash and Misty froze mid-bicker, looking sheepishly at Delia.

"Sorry, Mom," Ash mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty added, her voice soft.

Delia sighed, her warm smile returning. "Now, come on! I made all of Ash's favorite dishes, and we've got plenty to celebrate."

"Like what?" Ash asked, perking up immediately at the mention of food.

"You coming home in one piece, for starters," Gary said, crossing his arms. "Though, to be honest, that's always a miracle."

"Hey!" Ash shot Gary a glare.

"He's not wrong," Misty said, smirking as she crossed her arms. "I mean, lightning storms, collapsing castles—seriously, Ash. One day you're gonna give your mom a heart attack."

"At least I do something useful!" Ash shot back.

"Useful?! You mean reckless!"

"Here we go again," Tracey muttered, sitting on the couch and motioning for Mimey to pass him a snack.

As Ash and Misty's voices escalated, Delia sighed, shaking her head. "Professor, perhaps we should have set up a referee for these two."

Oak chuckled. "They wouldn't listen to one anyway. Let's just enjoy the show."

Eventually, Pikachu and Togetic decided to step in. Pikachu let out a loud "Pikaaaaa!" while Togetic added a chirpy "Toge-toge!"

Ash and Misty froze, looking down at their Pokémon.

"Okay, okay," Ash said, holding up his hands. "We'll stop."

Misty huffed but nodded. "Fine. But you owe me for making me worry so much."

Ash sighed dramatically. "What do I owe you now?"

"A nice dinner, and you're doing the dishes," Misty replied with a victorious smirk.

"Fine," Ash grumbled, though the small smile tugging at his lips betrayed his annoyance.

Delia smiled warmly as she ushered everyone toward the dining table. "Now, enough arguing, you two. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

As the group settled around the table, Ash caught Misty's eye and whispered, "You really missed me, huh?"

Misty blushed, looking away. "Don't push your luck, Ketchum."

Gary snorted into his drink. "This is gonna be a long night."

Delia sighed as the sound of raised voices filled the room once more. She leaned her head on her hand and muttered, "Why did I think we'd get a peaceful evening?"

Gary chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Told you. They can't go more than ten minutes without a fight."

Tracey nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I'm impressed they lasted that long."

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Ash and Misty were locked in yet another heated debate.

"I said I wanted ketchup for my fries!" Ash exclaimed, waving a fry in the air.

"You have enough ketchup on your plate to drown a Snorlax, Ash!" Misty shot back, pointing accusingly at his plate.

"It's not enough!"

"You're impossible!"

"And you're bossy!"

"BOSSY?!" Misty slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring down at Ash.

Ash stood up too, refusing to back down. "Yeah, bossy! You act like you're the queen of the world or something!"

"Well, someone has to keep you in line, Mr. Reckless Pokémon Master!"

The Pokémon watched the scene unfold in varying states of exasperation. Pikachu sighed and buried its face in its paws. Togetic shook its head, while Mimey busied itself clearing the table, pretending not to notice.

Delia finally stood up and clapped her hands loudly. "Ash! Misty! Enough! Sit down and eat like civilized people, or I'm taking your plates away."

Ash and Misty froze, blinking at her like scolded children.

"Sorry, Mom," Ash mumbled, sitting down quickly.

"Sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty added, lowering herself back into her seat.

Gary smirked. "So... five minutes until the next round?"

Tracey laughed. "You're being generous. I give it three."

Delia sighed as she sat back down. "I don't know whether to be worried or relieved that this is normal for them."

Professor Oak chuckled. "Young love is... spirited, to say the least."

"Spirited?" Tracey whispered to Gary, stifling a laugh. "That's putting it mildly."

And true to form, two minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, Ash and Misty were at it again—this time over who got the last piece of pie.

Ash stood in his room, stretching his arms over his head, the fabric of his Pikachu-print pajamas bunching at his shoulders. Misty sat at the desk in the corner, brushing her hair with quick, sharp strokes.

"You could at least try to be less reckless," Misty muttered, breaking the silence.

Ash frowned, dropping his arms. "Not this again. I told you, I was fine!"

"You call almost getting struck by lightning 'fine'?" Misty shot back, her voice rising.

"I saved those Pokémon, didn't I?" Ash argued, crossing his arms.

"And what if you hadn't? What if something had happened to you?" Misty snapped, slamming the brush onto the desk.

"Well, it didn't! I can handle myself, Misty!"

"Clearly, you can't!"

Ash's face turned red, and he pointed at her. "You're always acting like you're my boss or something! Maybe I don't need you nagging me all the time!"

Misty stood up abruptly, her hairbrush clattering to the floor. "Nagging? I'm trying to make sure you stay alive, you blockhead!"

"Maybe you should stop treating me like a kid!"

"Maybe you should stop acting like one!"

And then it escalated.

Ash and Misty started yelling over each other, their voices so loud they drowned out everything else. Ash flailed his arms as he tried to make his point, while Misty jabbed a finger into his chest with each word.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door, and Delia burst in, followed closely by Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary.

"What on earth is going on in here?!" Delia demanded, her eyes wide.

"They started yelling, obviously," Gary muttered, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk.

"Stay out of this, Gary!" Ash and Misty yelled in unison, momentarily pausing their argument to glare at him.

Professor Oak stepped between the two of them, holding up his hands. "Enough, you two! This isn't how adults handle disagreements."

Tracey nodded, trying to defuse the tension. "You guys are gonna wake up the entire house at this rate."

Delia sighed, crossing her arms. "Ash, Misty, sit down. Now."

Grumbling, the two of them flopped onto Ash's bed, arms crossed and glaring at opposite walls.

"Do you two ever stop arguing?" Gary asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ash and Misty exchanged glances before muttering, "No."

Professor Oak chuckled softly. "Well, at least they're consistent."

Delia shook her head. "You two need to learn how to communicate without shouting."

"Maybe tomorrow," Ash muttered.

"Yeah," Misty agreed, stifling a yawn.

Delia sighed again. "Fine. But if I hear one more fight tonight, you're both sleeping outside."

As the group left the room, Gary smirked. "Five bucks says they're bickering again before morning."

Tracey snorted. "I'm not taking that bet. It's a guarantee."

Under the pale light of the moon, Ash and Misty stood outside in their pajamas, glaring at each other. The faint chirping of Kricketots filled the air, but it was soon drowned out by their voices.

"I can't believe you blamed me for this!" Misty hissed, her arms crossed.

"You're the one who kept yelling about me being reckless!" Ash shot back, throwing his hands in the air.

"Because you ARE reckless!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

The door to the house creaked open, and Delia stepped out, a blanket draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were half-closed, but the irritation on her face was crystal clear. Behind her, Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary followed, all looking equally sleep-deprived.

"What are you two doing out here?!" Delia demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut through their argument.

Ash gestured wildly. "She woke me up to keep arguing!"

Misty stomped her foot. "Because you're impossible to deal with!"

Gary smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Called it. They couldn't even make it till morning."

Oak rubbed his temples. "This is getting out of hand, you two."

Tracey yawned. "It's two in the morning. Can't this wait?"

Ash and Misty turned to him simultaneously. "No!"

Delia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright, enough. Ash, Misty, you're both going to bed. Separate rooms. No more arguing tonight, or so help me Arceus, you'll both be grounded."

"But Mom—" Ash started.

"No buts! Inside. Now."

Grumbling, the two shuffled back into the house, glaring at each other the entire way.

As the door closed behind them, Gary smirked. "I'm upping the bet. Three bucks says they're fighting again by breakfast."

Oak sighed, shaking his head. "That's not a bet, Gary. That's a certainty."

The next morning, the kitchen was alive with the smell of pancakes and the sound of sizzling bacon. It would have been a peaceful start to the day—if not for Ash and Misty bickering at the table like it was 1997 all over again.

"I'm just saying, you could've at least waited for me before grabbing the syrup!" Misty snapped, crossing her arms.

Ash rolled his eyes, shoving another forkful of pancake into his mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Etiquette. Didn't realize syrup had to be a team decision."

"You're unbelievable!" Misty shot back, leaning forward. "Do you ever think about anyone but yourself?"

"I think about Pikachu!" Ash retorted, gesturing to the Pokémon sitting on the table with a small stack of pancakes.

"Yeah, well, Pikachu doesn't need syrup, does he?" Misty argued, slamming her fist on the table.

"Pika..." Pikachu muttered nervously, eyeing the tension like it was a thundercloud.

Gary sipped his coffee, smirking. "Well, looks like I was right."

Professor Oak sighed. "You could've at least bet something reasonable, Gary..."

Delia placed a plate of fresh pancakes on the table and glared at the duo. "Ash, Misty, that's enough! You're not kids anymore. Can't you eat one meal without fighting?"

"But Mom—" Ash started.

"No buts!" Delia cut him off, hands on her hips. "If you two can't behave, you're going to sit at separate tables like preschoolers."

"Fine by me!" Misty huffed, grabbing her plate and stomping to the far end of the room.

"Fine!" Ash shouted back, dragging his chair to the opposite side.

Tracey sighed, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "You know, I don't think they've changed at all."

Gary chuckled. "Yeah, but admit it—this is way more entertaining than TV."

As the two continued to throw barbs across the room, Pikachu sighed and grabbed his plate, hopping over to sit with Delia. "Pika pika," he muttered, shaking his head as if to say, Here we go again.