Delia stepped back as the two ten year old boys turned their bodies to admire the new nightsuits Delia had given them.

" There's!" She exclaimed as she stepped back. " Now you two looks like twins."

Ash and Alternative Ash looked at each other before letting out a laugh. Delia grinned and took the camera. " Smile!"

The two Ash's hugged one another while doing their victory poses, their Pikachu's on their shoulders.

Delia smiled as she looked at the photo. " This one's a keeper."

She looked up. " You two look so alike it's gonna be hard to tell you two apart!"

She headed to the phone. " I'd better call the professor!"

" Wait, mom, don't!* Ash exclaimed as a genius plan began to form in his mind. " Just tell him one of us is going to be there."

He turned to the Alternative Ash. " Hey, wanna play a prank?*

Alternative Ash's eyes widened. " A prank?" He repeated. " Isn't that considered rude?"

Ash shook his head. " Nah, it's all good fun."

Alt. Ash nodded slowly. " Okay..... Yeah, that sounds fun! Let's go!*

Ash waved. " Bye, mom! Bye Pikachu! We'll be back soon!"

" Ash!* Delia called. " Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ash looked down at his clothes. " Oops."

He turned to the Alt. Ash. " You may not believe it, but when I got Pikachu, I-"

" Overslept and ran to the professor's lab!* They both said at the same time.

" Wow. We really are twins." Ash commented.

Alt. Ash nodded. " We are."

Alt. Ash took a deep breath. " Ready?*

Ash nodded. " Remember the plan. You do Professor Oak. I do Gary. And remember, we have to lead them to the living room and as soon as we see one another we have to excuse ourselves."

Alt. Ash nodded, his heart thumping. " I sure hope it works!"

" It will!* Ash said brightly. " Now, go through the front. I'll go through the back. That's where Gary usually is."

They nodded, and separated ways.

Ash took a deep breath and opened the gate, closing it behind him and walking to his animals.

" Hi, guys!" He called

Gary looked up from his computer. " Hi, Ash! Long time no see!"

Ash nodded. " Uh huh! It's been a while!"

" Where's Pikachu?" Gary asked, looking around.

" Pikachu wanted to stay home. You know how mom is with him."

They both laughed.

" Hey, Gary? What adventures have you gone on?"

" Too many to count. What about you?"

" Well.... There's a lot. Too many to name."

Gary nodded. " Wanna help with the food?*

Ash nodded eagerly. " Let's do it!"

Meanwhile, Alt. Ash had walked into the Observatory and took a deep breath, then called faintly, " professor Oak?"

When no one answered, he tried again, louder this time. " Professor Oak? Where are you?"

" Ash?* A muffled voice called. " Is that you?*

" Professor Oak? Where are you?"

" In the Pokemon Research room."

" Right .... Uh....." Ash let out a shaky breath.

" Professor?"

" Yes?"

Alt. Ash hesitated. " I... Might have forgotten where that room is."

There was silence, then the sound of footsteps approached. Professor Oak came out of one of the many doors.

" Good evening, Ash."

" Pleased to make your acquaintance, Professor Oak."

Then he cringed.  Ash didn't speak like that!

Hopefully the professor didn't notice?

But he did.

The professor raised a brow. " Are you okay?*

Ash nodded and bowed slightly. " Yes, sir."

Then he let out a sharp breath. What was he doing?!

Oak raised a brow but didn't say anything. Instead, he walked to a door and opened it. " Come, Ash. I would like to show you something."

Ash nodded and followed the old man into a room with all sorts of Pokemon.

" Woah, this is all so cool!" Ash breathed

Oak raised a brow again. " This... This is all your Pokemon, Ash."

Ash froze. " Oh. Whoops."

He scratched his head. " A lot has been going on. I can't think straight."

Oak nodded slightly. " You should say hi to Gary. I'll go get him."

Ash panicked slightly. " No!"

Oak turned. " Pardon?"

Ash scrambled to make an excuse. " Uh, what I mean is... I already told him! Yeah! But he was in a... Uh.... Grumpy mood!"

Oak nodded slightly again. " Sounds like my grandson. Where is he?"

" In the.... Uh.... Backyard!"

" Oh."

Ash nodded quickly. " Hey, uh.... Wanna go to the living room?"

Oak blinked. " What?*

Ash sighed. This was a disaster.

Ash wiped his brow as he filled the last brown of food. " Dig in." He called, and all the Pokemon rushed over.

Gary leaned slightly on the shed wall. " We should go in now. It's getting late." He said as he looked at the sun.

Ash nodded quickly. " Yeah! To the... Uh.... Living room!"

Gary raised a brow. " Since when did you like the living room?*

" Since forever!"

Gary shrugged. " Eh. Your choice."

They quickly wrapped things up and walked inside.

Then, Ash spotted Alt. Ash, and Alt. Ash the same. " Hey, Gary?" Ash said quickly. " I just remembered. My mom needs me home right now. So, uh... Bye!"

" Bye, Ash!*

Ash nodded and ran out the back door.

A few seconds later, Alt. Ash ran out of the front door. " Let's go!" He exclaimed, and they both took off running back home.

When they got home, Delia was in the sitting area. Both boys burst in, and ash said, " hey, mom, it worked!"

" That's nice, dear."

" Yeah! We-" Ash opened his eyes, and stared.

There, sitting in the seats in front of them, was Gary and Oak

" Uh..... Hi guys!" Ash waved. " Uh, I have to go.... Up! Yeah! Pikachu!"

Alt. Ash nodded. " Yeah! I'm his long list twin, and I just came home!"

And with that, Alt. Ash grabbed Ash's hand and they ran to Ash's room, slamming the door shut behind them.

As Ash and Alternative Ash slammed the door shut behind them, they leaned against it, their hearts racing.

"What do we do?" Ash exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. "They saw both of us! They’re going to figure it out!"

Alternative Ash paced the room, wringing his hands. "I don't know! But we need to think of something fast!" He looked around, as if inspiration would strike from the walls. "Wait! I need to get a new name!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, still trying to catch his breath. "A new name? Why?"

Alternative Ash crossed his arms, clearly excited about his idea. "How about Pineapple? It’s unique and fun!"

Ash blinked in disbelief. "What?! Pineapple? That’s ridiculous!"

Suddenly, there was a firm knock on the door. "Hey, Ash? Are you in there?" Gary's voice came through, sounding curious.

"Uh, yeah! I’m busy with twin stuff!" Ash shouted back, trying to sound casual.

"Really? Twin stuff?" Gary’s voice was laced with skepticism. "Is that what you call it now?"

Ash shot a glare at Alternative Ash, who was stifling laughter. "You have to be different than me!" Ash hissed, clenching his fists.

"I am you!" Alternative Ash insisted, mirroring Ash's frustration. "You wanted to prank them! This is part of the plan!"

"Just… make up random stuff!" Ash replied, his voice rising in desperation.

Alternative Ash grinned mischievously. "Okay, okay. How about... I love lip gloss?"

Ash’s eyes widened in shock. "What the…?! Lip gloss? Are you serious?!"

"Yeah!" Alternative Ash said with a laugh. "I love putting it on before I go out! It makes my lips shine!"

Ash clutched his head in disbelief. "You can’t say that! Gary will never believe that!"

Another knock on the door interrupted them. "Come on, Ash! What’s so busy that you can’t let me in?"

"Uh… me and Pineapple are busy!" Ash shouted, trying to sound composed.

Alternative Ash burst out laughing, and Ash shot him a glare. "Stop it!" he hissed. "This is serious!"

Gary continued to press. "Busy with what? Can’t you at least tell me if it’s something cool?"

Ash looked at Alternative Ash, who was now pretending to apply lip gloss in front of the mirror, complete with exaggerated facial expressions. "Yeah, um… we’re—uh—practicing our battle poses!" Ash called out, trying to salvage the situation.

"Battle poses? Really?" Gary sounded incredulous. "That sounds… interesting."

Alternative Ash tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t help but snicker. "Totally epic!" he chimed in, striking a pose that made Ash roll his eyes.

"Ugh," Ash muttered under his breath. "Why did I let you convince me to do this?"

Suddenly, they heard Professor Oak’s voice from outside the door. "Gary, let’s give them some space. I’m sure they’re just having fun."

"Yeah, fun," Ash echoed sarcastically, collapsing onto his bed. "This was a terrible idea."

Alternative Ash plopped down next to him, still giggling. "Come on, it’s not that bad! We’ll just keep pretending until they leave."

Ash sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But what if they catch us? I can't let Gary or Professor Oak find out I’m not the only one here!"

"We just have to be smart about it," Alternative Ash replied, his expression turning serious. "We’ll just keep making up stories and stick to our plan."

"Fine," Ash grumbled. "But you better come up with a better name than Pineapple if we’re going to keep this up!"

Alternative Ash smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. "Alright then, how about… Kiwi? It’s green and weird, just like me!"

Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. "You’re impossible!"

Just then, the knock on the door returned, more insistent this time. "Ash! Let me in!"

Ash’s eyes widened, panic flooding back in. "Okay, quick! Let’s think of something!"

"We could pretend to be battling with Pokémon!" Alternative Ash suggested.

"Great idea!" Ash said, grabbing a random Poké Ball from his desk. "On three!"

"One… two… three!" they shouted in unison.

They both sprang up, flinging the door open to reveal a surprised Gary and Professor Oak standing there. "Surprise! We were just—uh—practicing our battle skills!" Ash exclaimed, doing his best to sound convincing.

Gary raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Battle skills, huh? What were you doing in there?"

Alternative Ash quickly jumped in, throwing an arm around Ash's shoulder. "Oh, you know, just some classic twin training! We were really getting into it!"

The two exchanged a nervous glance, silently hoping their ruse would hold.

Professor Oak smiled, though he looked a little doubtful. "Well, just remember to keep it down. I’d hate to have the Pokémon think you’re in danger."

Ash nodded vigorously. "Of course, Professor! We’ll be quiet!"

As the door shut, Ash turned to Alternative Ash, his heart still racing. "That was too close!"

Alternative Ash grinned. "But we pulled it off! Teamwork makes the dream work!"

"Yeah, but let’s keep the lip gloss talk to a minimum, alright?" Ash said, trying to catch his breath.

Suddenly, Delia stepped into a room. " They're leaving, and they want to see you two before they leave."

She looked at Alt. Ash. " Though we might need to change your look...."

Ash grinned. " Don't worry! We've got this!"

He shut the door and turned to Pineapple.

“We need to change your look!” Ash said, grabbing a pile of clothes from his closet. “Quick! Put these on!”

Alternative Ash looked at the clothes skeptically. “This is ridiculous!”

“Just put it on! We don’t have time!” Ash urged, tossing the clothes at him.

As Alternative Ash changed into the ridiculous outfit—brightly colored shorts and a mismatched shirt—Ash rummaged through his room for face paint. He quickly smeared some on his friend's face, creating wild designs and even adding a fake nose piercing with a small sticker.

“There! Now you look completely different!” Ash said, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

Alternative Ash stared at himself in horror. “I look ridiculous! There’s no way they’ll buy this!”

“Trust me, it’s our only shot!” Ash insisted.

Another knock on the door, followed by Gary’s voice. “Are you two coming out or what?”

Ash shot Alternative Ash a nervous look. “We need to get out of here before they come in!”

With that, they hurried to the window, and Ash swung it open, glancing back at the door one last time. “On the count of three, we jump!”

“Okay, Pineapple!” Alternative Ash replied, rolling his eyes but grinning despite the craziness of the situation.

“One... two... three!” They both jumped out the window, landing with a soft thud on the grass below, laughter bubbling up as they sprinted away from the house, leaving Gary and Professor Oak behind, oblivious to the chaos.

As they ran, Ash couldn’t help but feel exhilarated. “This is going to be the best sleepover ever!”

Alternative Ash couldn’t help but chuckle. “If we don’t get caught first!”

Dinner was a lively affair at the Ketchum household, with the aroma of Delia's famous homemade pasta filling the air. The rich scent of marinara sauce simmering on the stove mingled with the garlic bread toasting in the oven, creating an atmosphere of warmth and comfort. Ash and Alternative Ash sat at the dining table, their plates piled high with food, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Wow, Mom! This is amazing!" Ash exclaimed, taking a hearty bite of spaghetti. The noodles twirled perfectly around his fork, and the sauce clung to each strand just the way he liked it. He couldn't help but let out a satisfied "Mmm!" as the flavors danced on his taste buds.

Alternative Ash, equally enthusiastic, nodded in agreement as he savored his first bite. "Yeah, mom! This is the best pasta I’ve ever had!" He dug into his meal with gusto, his cheeks stuffed as he chewed. It was hard to believe how similar they looked—both boys with their spiky black hair and vibrant expressions of pure joy. The only thing setting them apart was the silly face paint still smeared across Alternative Ash's face, which only added to the humor of the evening.

Delia beamed at the boys, her heart swelling with pride as she watched them enjoy her cooking. “I’m so glad you two like it!” she said, her voice warm and encouraging. She reached for her camera, a small device that had become a staple in their home, ready to capture this moment. “Now, give me a big smile!”

Both Ash and Alternative Ash paused mid-bite, cheeks bulging with pasta, and turned toward her with grinning faces. They raised their forks in unison, cheese-covered noodles dangling precariously, their laughter filling the room. Delia couldn’t help but chuckle as she snapped the photo, the flash briefly illuminating their mirthful expressions.

“Just look at you two! Twins for sure!” Delia said, her eyes twinkling with delight as she reviewed the image. It was perfect—capturing the essence of their playful spirit. She placed the camera down, shaking her head fondly. “You remind me so much of your father and his friends at that age. Always up to something!”

“Uh-oh! What kind of trouble?” Alternative Ash asked, leaning forward, eyes wide with intrigue. His voice was a perfect blend of curiosity and mischief.

“Oh, nothing too serious,” Delia replied, waving her hand dismissively. “Just some harmless pranks and adventures. But let’s not talk about that now; I want to hear about your favorite Pokemon!”

Ash, eager to change the topic, chimed in, “I’ve been training my Charizard, and he’s getting really strong! I think he’s almost ready for the League!” His excitement was infectious, and he animatedly gestured with his fork, almost sending a piece of garlic bread flying across the table.

Alternative Ash nodded vigorously, matching his enthusiasm. “And I’ve been working with a new team! My Gengar is learning some awesome new moves! He’s going to surprise everyone!”

Delia listened intently, enjoying their chatter. She filled their plates again, ensuring they had more than enough to eat. “I can’t wait to see how you both do at the competitions! Just remember, it’s not all about winning—it's about having fun with your Pokemon!”

“Of course, Mom!” Ash said, rolling his eyes playfully. “But winning would be nice too!”

“Yeah, it’s always fun to win!” Alternative Ash added with a grin, and they both erupted into laughter again, imagining themselves standing on stage, trophies in hand.

As the meal continued, Delia couldn’t help but marvel at how similar the two boys were, not just in appearance but also in spirit. Their voices blended together as they animatedly debated the best strategies for upcoming battles, their eyes sparkling with determination.

Eventually, as the dinner plates began to clear, Delia asked, “Are you both excited for the upcoming festival in town? I hear there’s going to be a Pokemon show!”

“Totally!” Ash exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see the contest! Maybe we can even enter!”

“Yeah! That would be so cool!” Alternative Ash added, his enthusiasm matching Ash’s.

Delia smiled at their excitement. “Just make sure to practice before then! I’d love to see both of you shine.”

After finishing the last of their pasta, the boys leaned back in their chairs, satisfied and full. Delia gathered the empty plates, and they all helped clear the table, chatting and laughing as they moved about the kitchen.

“Thanks for dinner, Mom!” Ash called as he headed to the sink, grateful for the delicious meal and the time spent together.

“Yeah, it was awesome!” Alternative Ash echoed, already plotting their next adventure as he dried his hands on a towel.

Delia looked at them both, a soft smile on her face, feeling grateful for these simple moments that brought so much joy. “You’re welcome, boys! I love having you here.”

After a lively evening filled with laughter and delicious food, Ash and Alternative Ash headed to Ash’s room, their hearts still buzzing with excitement from the day’s adventures. The room was dimly lit by a small lamp on the desk, casting a warm glow that made the space feel cozy and inviting.

As they climbed onto Ash's loft bed, the mattress cradled them in a soft embrace. Ash fluffed up the pillows and glanced over at his alternative counterpart, who was grinning from ear to ear. “Good night... brother,” Ash said, the words flowing naturally as he felt a bond forming with this version of himself.

Alternative Ash’s smile widened at the title. “Night, brother!” he replied, his voice filled with warmth. He leaned over and pulled Ash into a hug, the familiarity of the gesture surprising them both. It felt good, like being wrapped in a favorite blanket on a cold night.

They settled into their respective spaces, the loft bed creaking slightly as they shifted to find comfort. Ash looked up at the ceiling, thinking about how surreal the day had been—filled with pranks, Pokemon, and bonding moments. His heart swelled with happiness knowing he had someone who understood him so well.

“Hey,” Alternative Ash said softly, breaking the comfortable silence. “I’m really glad we met. It’s kind of cool to have a twin, even if it’s just for a little while.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ash agreed, turning onto his side to face him. “It’s like having a partner in crime. I can’t wait to see what other trouble we can get into tomorrow.”

Alternative Ash chuckled, the sound brightening the atmosphere. “Just wait until you see my idea for a prank! It’s going to be epic!”

“I can’t wait!” Ash replied, his excitement bubbling back to the surface. “Just remember, we have to keep it a secret from Gary and Professor Oak!”

“Deal!” Alt. Ash said, giving a mock salute.

With a contented sigh, Ash turned off the lamp, leaving only the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window. The room was quiet now, filled with the peaceful sounds of nighttime.

“Good night, Ash,” Alt. Ash whispered again, settling into his pillow.

“Good night,” Ash murmured back, feeling a sense of warmth and camaraderie settle over him like a soft blanket.