What Happens In A Hole
for shisha; she asked (made me) for it; she's hilarious;
it's her birthday

Take A Breath

Being the biggest dork ever, I coughed and murmured, "So, uh, come here often?"

Pikachu cocked its head while the red head looked at me stunned.

"Wh…what?" she stammered.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I hit my head against the dirt wall. Repeatedly.

Look Around

"Honey, are you sure you want to go to this… thing," my mother asked me from inside the car.

We were in front of a giant mansion where a Pokémon Gala was being held. I was invited to intend on behalf of my exceptional work as a trainer.

"Yes, Mom," I assured her.

"I've never heard of Tekcor. How do I know you're going to be safe?" she inquired.

"Mom," I said, "you let me go out on my own when I was ten. How did you know I going to be okay, then?"

She hesitated.

I smiled. "I'll be fine. Thanks, Mom."

"Okay." She wasn't completely convinced, but she knew I was capable of taking care of myself. "See you later." She rolled up the window and drove off, leaving Pikachu and me.

"Well, buddy," I said to it, patting its head, "let's see what this Gala—"

"Ow! Psyduck!"

I looked at Pikachu. "Did you say something…?"

It shook its head.

"Then, who—?"

"Psyduck! Cut it out!"

I turned in the direction the faint squeal was coming from. "It sounds like it's coming from the woods."

We made our way into the forest and the squeal continued to, uh, squeal. After a few more yells, I decided the squeal belonged to a girl who was frustrated with a Psyduck.

"Come on, Psyduck!" she squealed. "Just a little further…"

Pikachu and I crouched behind a tree and watched a clearing from which the voice was coming from.

"Don't move, Psyduck!" she commanded, though her voice was tense. "I can almost reach—AH!" Her scream proceeded with a thump.

The girl cried out in frustration. "Psyduck! I told you not to move!"

"Psyyyduck!"

"I'm too heavy?" she shouted angrily. "I'm too heavy? Psyduck, you're too weak! You should easily be able to lift me up!" She continued to ramble on how Psyduck ruined everything.

That's when I decided to step into the clearing. Pikachu followed me, clinging onto my leg. I stepped on a stray branch, making a soft crack.

The girl suddenly stopped ranting.

So much for the quiet approach.

"Hello?" she called.

As I inched closer, I realized, there was a large hole in the center of the clearing. I peered inside to find a red headed girl looking back up at me. It appeared that she was sitting on top of her Psyduck

Her face instantly brightened and she jumped up. "Thank goodness!"

"Psyduck, psy!"

"Be quiet, Psyduck!" she hushed her Pokémon. She fixed her hair and smiled. "Hi, there!"

"Uh…" I started stupidly. Gimme a break, it's not every day you find a girl and her Psyduck in a hole—and an, ahem, attractive girl at that. Her hair may have been a little frazzled, but her shorts were short. "What's up?"

Note to self; bang head against wall when I get home.

"Um, you," she answered.

I rubbed the back of my head extremely awkward.

"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked. It poked its head forward to see the girl in the hole.

"Ooh!" the girl squealed. "Aren't you the cutest Pokémon?"

"Pikaa!"

"Psy-y-y-y!"

She ignored the Psyduck. "You think you can help me out of here?" She inquired cheerfully.

"Um… sure," I said going down on my knees.

Even though I reached down into the hole as far as I could without falling in, there was still a fair amount of space between my hand and the girl's.

"Psyduck! Come here!" she ordered. "Boost me up, 'kay?"

"Psy-y-y-AI!" the little Psyduck began to protest, but its owner was already stepping on it. "Psyduck!"

I pushed myself a little further as the girl's hand came closer. Pikachu held onto my shirt, making sure I didn't fall in. It felt like my arm was going to pop off. My fingers latched onto the tips of hers for the slightest of seconds, and then it was like the world came crashing down…

That might be because I fell into the hole.

In a matter of seconds, I had tumbled head first into the hole in the ground, dragging Pikachu with me. I had also landed on top of the cute girl I had failed to pull out of said hole. We were sprawled on the cold ground.

"Erkk."

"Chuu."

"Uggh."

"Psy-y-y-yyy!"

I picked Pikachu and myself off of the girl and she dusted herself off. Psyduck was flattened like a pancake.

The girl sighed discontentedly.

I looked up. It was pretty high.

I simply mumbled, "I fail."

"Yeah," she agreed, much to my surprise, "you kinda do."

I shot her a dirty look.

"Hey, you were the one who fell in."

I waved my arms about, "Hello, how'd you get down here?"

She shrugged.

"Psyduck-psy!" Psyduck was standing now, with his hands glued to his head. It looked like if he let go, his head would fall off.

Misty sighed and slummed to the floor.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um, sorry," I said, "For, you know… falling on top of you…"

"It's okay." She shrugged again. "You're not that heavy."

Thank goodness the light was dim down here, 'cause my face flushed.

"Misty," she said when I didn't say anything.

"…What?"

"Misty," she repeated. "My"—she pointed to herself—"name's Misty. Get it?"

My ears turned red and I nodded sharply. "I'm Ash."

"So, Ash," she said as if she were trying my name on like it was a piece of clothing, "what's a guy like you doing wandering around in the forest?"

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of guy I was.

I replied, "I could ask you the same thing."

She raised an eyebrow. "I asked first."

"I was invited to a thing," I explained, "and me and Pikachu heard you squealing."

Her other eyebrow joined the first one. "What kind of thing?"

"Uhh, this Gala-thing."

"Tekcor?!" she half-yelled half-asked.

"Yeah, Tekcor. How'd you know?"

"I was going there, too!"

"So how'd you end up in here?"

"I, um, well," she started. Was it just the lack of light or was her face getting red? Her eyes shifted towards her Psyduck and brightened instantly. "My dimwit of a Pokémon decided to wander off!"

"Psyduck!" It sounded like Psyduck was offended.

Misty paid no attention to it. "Yeah, and Psyduck just ran off into the woods! I had to follow it; I couldn't go to a Pokémon Gala without a Pokémon. Even though Staryu's much better than Psyduck," she grumbled under her breath, then in normal volume, "I was chasing Psyduck all around until it fell into this hole and I, uh, kinda stepped in, too…" She looked at the ground.

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow "Kinda?" I questioned.

Her eyes found mine and glared daggers into them. I found that her eyes were a clear tinge of blue. I almost blurted out Your eyes are as blue as the ocean and I'm lost at sea, but I saved myself from embarrassment.

I coughed awkwardly, pulling on the collar of my shirt.

"So, uh"—cough—"come here often?"

Seconds—no, milliseconds—after the words escaped my mouth, I realized what I had just said. What better way not to embarrass myself in front of a girl by, I don't know, doing it anyways?!

Misty's face was one of astonishment as she replied, "…What?"

Pikachu and Psyduck matched her stupefied look.

I cursed myself silently, pounding the back of my head against the dirt wall. You're pathetic, Ketchum, you know that? Puh-tha-tik. Try thinking every once in awhile, that might help you in the future, but you never know since you're so pathetic.

"Did you just say what I think you did?" Misty inquired, a smirk on her face.

I wish my hat could turn into a ski mask, that way she couldn't see my burning cheeks.

A bubbly sound filled the hole and my ears—Misty was giggling. It was the most chipper laugh I had ever heard, unlike mine, which is this awkward ha, ha, haaah…

When she stopped, she looked at me and smiled. "You're pretty funny, Ash… Funny lookin'!" Misty began to laugh all over again.

I looked at her strangely, but her good mood was contagious. We laughed for about four seconds before her expression turned grave. "No, but seriously? If you don't get me out of here, your face really will be looking anything but intact."

My eyes bugged out and I scrambled to my feet—I didn't have a doubt in my mind that she would keep that promise. I bowed hastily. "Ash Ketchum, at your service."

For Now

"Pikachu can beat Psyduck!" I declared as we stepped onto the dirt road.

"Psyduck!"

"You know it's true, Psyduck!" I insisted.

"Psy-y-yduck!"

Ash laughed and patted my Pokémon on its head. "It's okay, Psyduck," he encouraged. "I bet you can win a battle! You can try at the Gala…" he trailed off as we came upon the mansion the Gala was supposed to be held. There were a bunch of police cars surrounding it.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu cocked its head.

"I don't know, Pikachu," Ash said dumbfounded.

"But I'm going to find out!" I dashed to the first officer leaving my companions in the dust.

"Excuse me, officer." I tapped a policeman on the shoulder.

The man in blue looked at us up and down. I didn't realize it until then, but I guess we were some sight—two teens and their Pokémon covered in dirt, leaves, and scratches. Ohmygosh, does my hair look okay?! I resisted the urge to smooth it out.

"Yes, miss?" the officer said.

"What's going on?" I questioned, pointing at the big mansion. "There's supposed to be a gala here. We were invited."

We.

"You two missed it," the officer began, "The 'Tekcor Gala' was actually a scam to get Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon here. A group by the name of 'Team Rocket' set it all up. There wasn't really a celebration; they only wanted Pokémon. Some trainers contacted us when a talking Meowth started to sweep all the Pokémon up with a giant broomstick. You're lucky you weren't there." The man turned back to the task at hand and discussed other details with another officer.

"Us? Lucky?" Ash cried out incredulously. "Man! I wish I'd been there! We could have battled Team Rocket! We missed out on all the action!"

We.

I looked at my friend and smiled. He might not have gotten the battle he was bargaining for, but I was lucky enough to fall in a hole.

\ * / \ * / \ */

a/n: I'm kind of afraid of what people might think of this, since it's my first Pokémon fic and I kind of don't know what I'm doing... cough. But by all means review (not flame, pls); I'd like any critique you're willing to give. [:

(Ohyah, and I own nothing.)