Ash got home the day after. His parents hated when he's staying with them and spending nights outside without telling them anything, but what could they do? He was twenty-four, and he knew what was best for him, and can tell the wrong from the right. At least they hoped he did.

"We kept calling you all night but you weren't answering." His mother Delia told him, busy picking up the empty coffee cups from the table.

"I didn't check the calls until I got here—where is dad?"

"Chloe took him for a morning walk."

"She should leave him alone." Ash chuckled and reached for his leather jacket on the hood. Delia came out of the kitchen. "You're going out?"

"Yes."

"You already had breakfast then?"

"Yes."

"Where did you spend the night, Ash?" Delia stood against the kitchen's door frame and shook her head slowly.

"Yes," told her Ash with a slight chuckle and right before he was about to step out, his mother slid her hand under the leather jacket and grabbed him gently by the side of his neck.

"You're not going away with it this time. You'll have to tell me."

"Yes..." Ash nodded slowly. He was clearly being sarcastic.

"If you came here to spend summer, you have to at least spend some time with us. Don't you think?"

Ash didn't respond. Delia pulled her hand away. "If you're not spending nights here and not even getting home to eat with us, then just go back to your house in Viridian."

The raven haired took a little moment to answer. He placed his hand over his mother's shoulder and said, "I promise I'll be home for dinner tonight then."

"That's the best you can give?"

"I'm busy today."

Ash kissed her on the cheek and left the house. Delia watched him from behind. She slightly brought the hand that touched Ash in the side of his neck up to her nose and sniffed it.

She instantly smiled. "Yes, I was right. It's a woman."

-

"You're kidding me!"

"Yep."

"I was right. She's a psycho."

Gary shook his head to himself and laughed. He and Ash were at a table in the porch of their usual coffee shop in Pallet. The two were having a cup of coffee.

"Then she just left?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't follow her?"

"Nope. It was fine. I've embarrassed her enough."

Gary smirked. "Are you looking for trouble? She's weird, man."

"I have nothing worth doing during this summer anyway." Ash shrugged and sipped his coffee. "And I like her—and she's a nurse, and that's hot."

"Are you sure hot is the right word?"

"Okay, fine. She's far away from being hot, but she's cute and clumsy—she's just an idiot—a cute idiot that is."

"I don't know about you but if a girl ever eats my food, it would turn me completely off. That's not very sexy."

"It wasn't a turn off; it was funny."

"She's fat, man."

"That's her problem, not mine."

"That makes sense, somehow."

"See? You just have to help that little brain of yours work sometimes, Gary."

"Yeah yeah right. Fine, you win."

Ash chuckled to himself. He gazed away as Gary asked him, "Did you call her today?"

"I tried the phone number on her card, but she isn't answering."

"You shouldn't have given her yours. Now she knows it, and she isn't answering. Great job, Mr. I-love-clumsy-girls."

"I thought she'd call..." Ash sighed. He placed his head on his palm and thought deeply about his next step. Where would be a young men-hater nurse at on a sunny, lovely and warm Sunday?

Well, he didn't know.

-

Today was a failure. Ash didn't find Misty. He went to all places she could be at, but vain. She wasn't even at her house, and like usual, she isn't answering her phone. He's even tried to call her after he hid his phone number, but the redhead wasn't having it (or maybe she just didn't have her phone on her).

Ash left her a bouquet of roses at her door, but he was sure she was going to ignore it, step on it—torture it that is, curse, and the just get inside her house.

That's why the raven haired was home for dinner as he promised his mother. When he was pulling over his parents' house, he noticed his brother-in-law's car parked, as well as Chloe's.

"No one said Stella and Eric are back to Kanto..."

Ash got out of the car and locked it. He was wondering why no one told him anything. So what if he didn't spend few nights at home? His mother was just silly at times. She overreacts.

The raven haired rushed to the main door and opened it with his keys. Once he got in and closed the door after him, he noticed how Stella and Chloe were giving him dirty looks, and they looked as if they were behind the door just waiting for him to show up.

His father and Eric weren't around. There was no backup. This didn't look too reassuring.

"Uhm, hi?" Ash said with a slight smile. "No one told me you were getting home, Stella."

"It was a surprise, Ash." Stella pushed her side bangs to the back and smiled back. Ash was taken back at how Chloe tried to jump up at him. Stella stopped her.

"Don't be stupid! You'll mix up your fragrance with his!"

"What?" Ash's mouth opened.

"I'm sorry, little brother. We have to make sure of something."

"What the hell is going on?"

"Give the jacket."

"But Stella, mom said she smelled it under-"

"He probably went to see her now! It's going to be stuck in his jacket too."

Ash opened his eyes wide. What?

"Give me the jacket, Ash."

"What—why?"

"Jacket, Ash."

"Why?"

"If you don't give us the jacket, we're going to pin you to the door and take it ourselves."

Stella held out her hand and gave him a stern look. Ash shrugged and took off his jacket.

The Ketchum's oldest held it from the bottom. "Gotta not touch the neck area."

"Okay. Can I at least know why I'm getting undressed?" Ash pulled slightly away when Chloe leaned forward and sniffed his neck and chest. "Hey, stop sniffing me—what's going on?"

"Well, I don't smell anything." Chloe blinked and turned toward her big sister, who was trying hard to catch the fragrance in the jacket. Stella did it very carefully.

She sniffed around Ash's neck too. It was starting to give him the creeps. "Stella, get off."

"Hummmm..."

"Girls. Stop sniffing me. This is scary."

Stella pulled away with an annoyed look on the face. "False alarm. Mom probably mistook her own fragrance for Ash's."

"I don't get explanations?"

"No, you don't. Now I'm mad. I thought you were going out with someone."

Ash raised his eyebrows and snatched his jacket away from Stella's hands. If he wasn't mistaken, his mother has caught some fragrance scent in him this morning... and it seems like it's Misty's, since he hasn't had much contact with other girls these days.

Good thing he didn't see Misty today. The scent was gone.

It's not like he was worried about Chloe and Stella finding out about Misty. He didn't even care, but he wasn't ready to answer questions, and he didn't have Misty in the basket yet. He only knew the girl for a couple of days, and she was always refusing him and turning his offers down without hesitating much. It wasn't making Ash feel very proud.

"That was creepy."

"It was Stella's idea," Chloe confessed and tugged at her long straight black hair.

"Yes, it was mine. So what?"

"And why do you care if I see someone or not?"

"I just want a juicy topic."

"Me too."

"Chloe, you don't even..."

"What?" Chloe looked between the two. Ash and Stella exchanged looks. "Stop it! This could give me the... middle-child syndrome or something!"

"That's the smartest thing you've said today. Congrats, little sis." Stella's voice was dripped in sarcasm. "But I don't mind you. Jacob leaves you alone for months."

"You two are just jealous." Chloe stuck her tongue out and started walking her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, who wouldn't want a fiancé who leaves for months, hum?" Stella said and started laughing. "A construction manager they said. What's his work about anyway?"

Stella regained herself and her laughing ceased when she noticed the glare Ash was giving her. "Don't give me that look. You know I was just joking. That loser loves her."

"That's not it. Next time, mind your own business. I date who I want and see who I want and put any fragrance I want." Ash shoved his sister slightly out of his way and headed upstairs.

"Hey! What did I say about shoving your big sister out of your way?" Stella shouted out and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not allowed! That's what!"

"And you can't wear women's fragrances! You have to wear men's!"

She cocked her head and grinned. "Okay then. That means you're really hiding something, hum?"

-

After the dinner (Stella was giving Ash weird looks all the time), Ash went out to get his car in the garage. He then soon headed upstairs and opened the door of his old bedroom.

Except that it didn't open.

"Oh they just did not... Oh God. Stella, open the door!"

On the other side of the bedroom:

"Oh my God he's here!" Chloe whispered to her big sister. Stella was looking through Ash's phone right now, because they couldn't figure out the password to his iPad nor to open the laptop. The phone was more important anyway.

"So?"

"It's Misty, I'm sure! Her name is Misty." Stella scrolled down and up. "He doesn't text her. He only calls. Oh my. She never answered his calls!"

Chloe giggled loudly. "You serious? This is so pathetic!"

"He called her today and yesterday—it's new. This is new. He didn't know her for too long."

"Stella! GET OUT!"

"What about Anabel? It's not Anabel?"

"No—no. No recent texts. Nope. Not her—he didn't answer her texts either! She's totally not the girl. Pass!"

"Check WhatsApp and iMessage!"

"I'm checking!"

"Stella, come on. Open the door." Ash was starting to sound tired and defeated now.

"What about Melody?"

"Melo—oh—he called her... three weeks ago. No, it's not her. That girl stands no chance. Three weeks are too much. Pass!"

"So it's this Misty?"

"As it seems. I'll look through the bag again." Stella put the phone aside and reached for her brother's bag. Ash was starting to bang on the door.

"STELLA! I SAID GET OUT!"

"Oh—oh—oh my god! That's it—I'm a genius!" Stella squealed when she found the dreaded business card. Chloe snatched it out of her hands.

"She's a nurse!"

"Oh my God. She works in Cerulean! If she's from there, Eric will know her for sure. We're so lucky, sis! Let me take a picture."

"GET OUT NOW!"

"Ash isn't giving up..." Chloe looked toward the door and giggled. Stella took a picture of the business card and put everything back inside the bag.

"What about the iPad?"

"We have enough info. Let's get out of here."

"What if there are pictures of this Misty in that iPad?"

"That thing is probably just full of his accounting crap! I don't understand it! Let's go!"

Chloe rolled her eyes and the two walked toward the door in a rush. Stella unlocked it and opened the door wide. Ash was just glaring at them, arms crossed over his chest.

"Did you look through my stuff very well?"

Stella grinned. Chloe was hugging her arm and giggling silently. "Goodnight."

"Get out of my face." Ash spoke up in a lower voice as he glared harshly at them. They were soon out of sight.

Well, he figured out they knew everything now. So what? It wasn't going to change anything. He still had to get Misty, and he will.

And most importantly, he had to change all his passwords. He didn't need his whole family knowing about his romantic failing plans.

To be continued.

This was supposed to make two chapters, but then, it wouldn't really make any sense... so yeah, this one is a bit long. This is for abbert21 who doesn't like doing the math: Stella is thirty years old and Chloe is twenty-six years old.

I'm currently working on a Contestshipping story based on a novel, and if I finish it, I will publish it this summer too c:  wish me luck!