This is the only chapter I have for this story right now. Will work on it after I finish my contestshipping stories, but I wanted to upload this teaser for now. Enjoy!~

Chapter 1

"Happy Birthday again, sweetie!" Misty hugs her raven haired daughter, Ariel.

When Ariel looks up at her mother's matching cerulean blue eyes, the 9 year old grins. "Thanks, mom! You should come in and celebrate with us!" However, Ariel already knows the answer to this because it's the same one every year.

Per the usual birthday, Ariel spends the morning with Misty in a Pallet Town hotel before getting dropped off at her grandmother's home where she celebrates it with her grandma, her dad, her dad's girlfriend, and the Oaks. While Delia Ketchum is always outside to welcome Misty and Ariel, Ariel's parents haven't seen each other since their final divorce hearing five years ago, which makes Ariel very sad. All she wants is for her family to be back together again, but her parents can't even stand knowing the other exists.

With a tight smile on her face, Misty gives her daughter an apologetic look. "Ariel, it's best if I don't."

"What if I want you to?" pleads the girl, making Misty sigh.

"I won't, and you know that." Kissing the girl's forehead, Misty says, "I'll pick you up Sunday at 7PM, okay?"

Frowning, Ariel replies, "Okay." She usually spends the weekends in Pallet Town with her father, but since it's her birthday, and it falls on a Thursday, Misty allowed her to miss school today and tomorrow. While Ariel is with Ash, Misty stays in a Pallet Town hotel room to work on her gym paperwork. When Sunday 7PM arrives, she picks up Ariel from Delia, and the mother/daughter duo make the long drive back to Cerulean City.

After Misty passes off Ariel to Delia at the front of the gate, Delia asks, "Are you sure you don't want to join us, Misty?"

Giving the older woman a warm smile, Misty politely declines. Even though Misty despises Ash, she still sees Delia as a mother figure who she loves. Misty appreciates how Delia is always the middle person between her and her ex-husband whenever they have to communicate, which is usually about Ariel and rarely occurs.

Once Misty drives off, Delia looks down at her frowning granddaughter and fights to keep her own smile on. The older woman hasn't figured out what could've caused her son's and Misty's divorce because neither parent wishes to even think about the other's existence. Fortunately, Misty and Ash's hatred towards each other doesn't cause too much strife with their daughter. Both parents are following the visitation rights established from their divorce hearings, and Delia appreciates how neither one is trying to take Ariel away from the other. "Smile, sweetie! We're going to see all your Pallet Town friends!"

Looking up at her grandmother, Ariel grins widely. It's her birthday, so she shouldn't be sad. Plus, she loves spending time with the Oak siblings! "Let's go, grandma!" she grabs Delia's hand to enthusiastically drag the woman inside the house.

When the front door opens, Ariel and Delia are greeted by a "SURPRISE!" from the people inside.

Ash quickly envelopes his daughter in a tight hug while lifting her off the ground. "Happy birthday, champ!" He kisses her cheeks repeatedly, which makes her swat his face away.

"Stop it, dad!" giggles the girl, and Ash ruffles her hair as Pikachu jumps on her shoulder. "Thanks, Pikachu!" Ariel smiles at the pokemon nuzzling her face.

"Happy birthday, Ariel!" Leaf Oak smiles while hugging the girl.

"You're 9 already? Mew!" Gary laughs as he hugs her too.

"Happy birthday, Ariel!" Melody, Ash's girlfriend of 3 years, hugs Ariel. Ariel doesn't like Melody at all because the woman is very fake. She's only nice to Ariel when around the adults, but the Oak siblings and Ariel know that Melody doesn't care for Ariel. Ariel suspects that Melody is only with her father because he's the Kanto Champion; however, when Ariel first raised her concerns to her father, Ash had asked Ariel to see if they could get along. Realizing that her father is happy with Melody, Ariel has tried her best to just ignore the woman.

"Happy birthday, Arie!" 6 year old Lauren Oak tackles her friend in a hug.

Smirking, 9 year old Jace Oak pats Ariel on the back. "Happy birthday, Ketchum!" Rolling her eyes, Ariel hugs him. Ever since they were 7, Jace has thought he's too cool for hugs, so Ariel hugs him whenever she can just to annoy him. "Fine!" Huffs the boy. "I'm only letting you hug me because it's your birthday."

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Lauren giggles beside them, which makes them blush. Jace has auburn hair and green eyes while Lauren has brown hair and dark viridian eyes.

"Mom! Lauren is bothering me!" Jace shouts, which makes Leaf sweatdrop.

"Just ignore them." Gary suggests to his wife who nods.

"I always do." she knowingly whispers back to him. Jace and Lauren like to pick on each other, so Leaf has learned to let the siblings figure out their drama on their own. She and Gary only intervene if any physical fighting occurs, or if someone says something they shouldn't say.

Soon, the candles are lit and Ariel blows them out. As the group is talking and eating, Ash sits next to his daughter. "What do you wanna do for your birthday, champ?"

Looking into his warm chocolate eyes, Ariel grins. Her parents are always so loving towards her and others, so she doesn't understand why they hate each other so much. She was only 4 when they got divorced, but she does remember the many arguments they'd have for years before the divorce. "I want you, me, and mom to have a birthday dinner!"

Sighing, Ash sets his plate down on the table. Of course, Ariel knows the usual words he's going to say. "Ariel, it's better if your mother and I stay apart."

"Why?" Even though the girl knows the answer to this question, she still asks it in hopes of a different response.

"It's your birthday, Ariel. Let's not talk about this stuff."

"So then when are you gonna tell me, dad? I'm not a kid anymore!"

Seeing Ash in trouble, Melody calls over, "Babe, can you help me with this?"

Ash quickly glances over to his girlfriend and smiles. "On my way!" Giving Ariel an apologetic look, he hurries off to Melody, which makes Ariel frown. Usually, Ash prioritizes Ariel over everyone and everything, but whenever talks about her mother come up, Ash is always looking for ways to escape the dreaded conversations.

The young Ketchum angrily storms over to join her friends in a corner of the room. However, Lauren doesn't sense Ariel's drop in mood, so she asks Ariel, "What'd you wish for?"

"You're not supposed to ask people that, Lauren!" Jace scolds his sister, especially since he sees Ariel is upset, and he notices Ash is with Melody again.

Smiling sadly down at her piece of cake, Ariel replies, "I wished for my parents to get back together." After her short conversation with her dad, it made her realize she really wants her parents back together. While neither parent ever speaks about the other or the divorce, Ariel hopes their love for her will fix their family. They're both awesome parents, and with it being 5 years since the divorce, maybe they'll get along again?

Throwing his hands up in defeat, Jace exclaims, "You're not supposed to tell anyone, Ariel!"

"Well, I know it won't come true. That's why I told you guys." She gives them a weak smile, which makes Lauren frown and Jace sigh.

Putting an arm around his friend, Jace says, "It won't come true with that mindset." When Ariel looks at him with confusion, Jace determinedly explains, "My parents always tell me to never think I can't do something because I can do anything I set my mind to!"

Nodding enthusiastically, Lauren tells Ariel, "Yeah! You can do anything! So never say never!"

Ariel smiles at her friend. While she loves her mother, Cerulean City doesn't have much to offer Ariel because her friends are in Pallet Town. The only reason Ariel lives in Cerulean City is because her father's work schedule is too inconsistent for him to stay in one place. With Misty being the Cerulean City Gym Leader, Ariel has a consistent place to go to everyday; although, Ariel doesn't consider anywhere home. "Thanks, guys."

Jace shakes his head at her. The Ariel Delia Ketchum he knows is always overly positive and annoying. She's not this sad quiet birthday girl. "What do you want, Ariel?"

Giving the Oak siblings a weak chuckle, Ariel responds, "For my parents to be together again...or at least for them to see me off for my Pokemon journey together."

"Okay! Then that's what we're gonna do!" Jace says with enthusiasm, which makes the girls look at him with confusion. "What?" He asks them.

"Sometimes, I don't know who you are." Lauren tells her brother, causing him to sweatdrop.

"Hey. I'm just trying to help!" Jace defensively says.

"Actually, I think Jace is right." Ariel grins, making him give his sister a victorious smile.

"Of course I'm right." Jace proudly proclaims, but then he raises an eyebrow at Ariel. "What am I right about?"

After rolling her eyes at the boy, Ariel determinedly replies, "I'm gonna get my parents back together! They're gonna see me off when I go on my Pokemon journey next year!"

Grinning at her friend, Lauren eagerly nods. "I wanna help!"

"Count me in too, Ketchum!" Jace puts his hand in the middle, and groans when the girls give him questioning looks again. "C'mon! We're a team on a mission, so we have to put our hands on top of each other and break!"

"Ohhhh." Both girls nod in understanding as they place their hands on top of the boy's.

"Operation: Family Reunion!" Ariel happily exclaims.

"Operation: Family Reunion!" The Oaks shout while all three friends break apart.