Disclaimer: If Pokemon were mine, egoshipping would be definite cannon by now. :P
This oneshot was inspired by the song "Calling" by Kaori Oda. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful.
I didn't know what he did to her, but whatever it was, it obviously had not make her happy.
She had stormed down the stairs and sprinted out the back door of the estate, shoving everyone out of her way.
I waited a few moments, but it became obvious that no one was going to run after her. After all, out of the hundred or so guests in the room, there were probably only a handful that were acquainted with her (including me). Out of that small group, there were only two that actually knew her well enough to be considered her friends.
Unfortunately, one of them was the reason for her hasty departure. He stood at the top of the staircase, eyes downcast. The other was too busy flirting with another girl to had even noticed what had happened.
What's my relationship with her, you ask?
Well, let's just say that it's a little… complicated (for lack of a better word).
Sighing, I hurriedly made my way out of the household, ignoring the looks from the other partygoers, and made my way towards the pond by the water Pokemon reserve. I knew it was her favorite spot: she always said it was the best place to think.
I probably looked ridiculous walking in the muddy fields in a suit, but a few minutes later, I found myself standing a few meters away from her. Her eyes were closed, her head turned upwards toward the moon, the light from it illuminating her figure. Her hair was in disarray, the bottom of her gown was ripped and covered in filth, and her make-up was slightly runny from the tears she had shed a few minutes ago. Despite her distressed looking state, she still had a faint smile on her face.
I've seen her in everything from fancy ball gowns to her worn out traveling clothes to her skimpy bikinis.
But that look…
The way she looked at that moment…
I had never seen anyone more beautiful in my life.
doko made mo tsuzuiteru hoshizora miagete utau
kagiri aru bokutachi no eien wo yumemiru merodii
I suddenly felt a rather cold breeze and shivered. If I felt this cold while wearing a full suit, I couldn't imagine how she must've been managing in that strapless blue dress.
"You're going to get sick if you don't go back inside," I said, breaking the silence.
Her eyes fluttered open, but she didn't look at me. Instead, her gaze fixated on the full moon above us. "Why are you here?" she asked, almost inaudibly.
"I saw you run out of the house," I said simply. "You looked pretty upset," I added a few seconds later.
She then looked down at the still water in front of her. "I always wind up making a scene, don't I?" she said, laughing bitterly. She sniffled and wiped the tears away from her eyes.
mune ni afureru itoshisa no mizu wa
mirai no hate de dareka ni todoku darou
shinjite iru yo
I didn't say anything. What exactly are you supposed to say to that anyway? But regardless of the silence, it really wasn't awkward. A little tense maybe, but not awkward.
I thought it was strange, though. If we were here under different circumstances, I would probably be the nervous, blubbering idiot I always am when she's near.
I've always been known for being quick. I could always pick myself up in any situation, and I was always able to keep my cool.
But around her, I'm always tongue-tied. I always take too long to formulate the right words to say.
…And I always feel like a total dork.
Although we were never formally introduced, we've both still acknowledged each other's presence these past seven years. And prior to just last year, we had never exchanged more than a few words to each other. After all, what business did I have talking to my rival's sort-of-but-not-really-girlfriend?
…Even if I was a little… uh… attracted to her.
haruka na toki wo kakenukete
bokutachi no yobigoe wa itsuka ookina uta ni naru
ai wo tsumui de yukeru yo
ima wa mada konna ni chiisana hikari ga kedo
Almost a year ago, Ash Ketchum had returned from his journeys in Hoenn. After coming out victorious in the Battle Frontier he had decided to spend some time at home before going off on his next journey. His decision was due to a number of reasons really, namely:
1. He knew that his mother missed him dearly.
2. He wanted to do more one-on-one training with his Pokemon. "I want to be extra prepared for my next journey," he had said.
3. He had come to the realization that he was in love with his first and former traveling companion: Misty Waterflower.
Of course, the two had become official not long after his return. It was painfully obvious that the red-head had harbored feelings for the aspiring Pokemon Master for some time, after all. It was just that Ash was way too dense to realize it at the time.
In the meantime, I had decided to go back to Pallet Town and work in my Grampa's lab. I knew that I wanted to travel, but the longer I stayed away from home, the more and more I missed it. So my grandfather had offered me a part-time job so that I could work and have time to travel every now and then.
Of course, working in the Oak laboratory did have a few set backs.
One of those obviously being Ash Ketchum himself. Always challenging me to a battle, always trying to best me in a task... I couldn't blame him. I mean, for the majority of our lives, we've been rivals. Even though that rivalry has toned down quite a bit over the last year, we still clashed from time to time.
However, the biggest obstacle I had to face was his girlfriend, Misty Waterflower.
I hadn't seen her in three years (the last time being at the Silver Conference), so I knew that she'd be different.
Gone was the cute but temperamental brat that I would run into on occasion during my training days. Now, she was a fiery and devastatingly beautiful young woman that I was now seeing almost everyday.
That's right. Everyday.
She always made the time to go to Pallet and visit her boyfriend, even if it was just for an hour.
I knew that I had been mildly attracted to her before, but now, that attraction has exponentially increased.
But it isn't just her looks that I'm drawn to. I'm drawn to everything around her, really, but one of the biggest things is definitely her compassion.
Let's take the fact that she had traveled with Ash for four years.
Count it: four.
First of all, the task of putting up with that boy for four years is a feat in itself, but it was obvious that she was sticking around for something. Everyone but Ash had an inkling as to what it was, but that didn't deter her.
Anyway, she always was there for him, and whoever else they met, along their journeys. She worries about everyone and everything. I often wonder how she could think so much of others and yet think so little of herself.
And she is just so… lively. You can't encounter someone like her and not want more. She can always make you feel better, even on your worst days.
This past year had brought me a number of opportunities to spend time with her, and, of course, I took them all. Never in my life had I met anyone who could constantly keep me on my toes. We got along remarkably well: better than I would have ever thought when I was younger.
But… to this day, I still don't know why I keep following her around. After all, for the past year, she has been as happy as she could be with Ash Ketchum (for reasons that only Arceus could know). I've known that my pursuit would be a lost cause, but I just could never bring myself to stay away from her.
I had even tried dating other girls, but it was never the same. None of them were the tiniest bit like her. No matter how many girls I'd meet, none of them would be anything like Misty Waterflower. She was different.
wakari au yorokobi ni karada goto yakareta yoru ni
kagiri aru nukumori no eien wo hajimete inotta
And now, here I was, standing outside on a chilly November evening, watching the strong and vibrant Misty—the one that I have whole-heartedly fallen in love with over the course of the past seven years—break.
I looked closely at her and realized that she was shivering slightly. I shrugged off my jacket and draped it over her bare shoulders, making sure to cover as much of her exposed skin as possible.
She muttered a 'thank you,' to which I only replied with a casual 'whatever,' before I resided my hands in my pockets.
A few minutes passed as I tried to look at anything but her, and I was miserably failing. Her eyes were still fixed upon the water of the pond, but I knew that she knew I was staring. I almost startled when she turned and focused her attention on me.
"He's leaving me," she said quietly.
Now, that sentence probably wouldn't have been such a surprise were it not for the addition of the word 'me.' Something told me that this wasn't just about Ash leaving on another journey.
"He met some girl in Twinleaf during his visit to Professor Rowan last month," she elaborated. Her gaze shifted back to the water. "They've been in contact since, and now they're going to travel together."
It was then that I finally understood what had occurred between the two of them at the party.
What I didn't understand was why anyone in their right mind would leave someone like her.
"He's leaving tomorrow morn—"
"He's stupid," I interrupted.
Misty's head jerked up and she looked at me questioningly.
kimi no tame ni kitto umarete kita to
tada koe no kagiri ni sakebi tsuzuke tai
yobi au koe ga toki wo koeru you ni
"He's stupid… for letting you go," I said.
"Gary…"
"He obviously doesn't deserve you, Misty. I doubt that any man ever will. You're… You're too good."
I took one of her hands in mine and reveled at their seemingly perfect fit before I looked her in the eye again.
"What you're going through right now… No one deserves it. Especially you."
I suddenly found myself getting closer to her, like a magnet was pulling me in. She made no move of moving away. "What..."
"You deserve…," I caressed her cheek with my other hand, "You deserve so much… more," I utter before capturing her lips with mine.
furue te ta te wo toriatte
naku shitaku nai to omotte
bokura no mune ni hakanasa ga itsuka umareteta
To say that I was pleasantly surprised when she kissed me back would have been the understatement of the century.
Her lips were so soft…
So inviting…
So different.
So wonderfully different.
This girl was certainly in a league of her own.
As much as I didn't want the kiss to end, I pulled away when I remembered how vital breathing was.
I would admit that I was a little stupid for taking advantage of her while in such a delicate state, but I would never tell you that I regretted it, because I really didn't.
It was one of the best experiences of my life, second only to when she pulled me back in a few seconds later and kissed me again.
owari ni obiete nai de
owaranai uta wo utatta
mada minai chihei no hou he
kimi to yukeru kara
"Gary," she started after we pulled away for the second time. "I… you…" Her eyes refused to meet mine and I saw her cheeks redden. "I… I'd be lying if I ever said I didn't like you."
Wait a second…
She looked up at me again, her sea-green eyes showing a mix of determination and… something I couldn't pinpoint.
"I've been trying to fight this feeling for the past year," she admitted.
My eyes widened. I definitely hadn't been expecting to hear that.
"I think… I think it's always been there, even when we were kids…" she said, her voice faltering a bit, "but I was too blind… to stupid to realize—"
"You aren't stupid," I said, cutting her off again.
She sighed. "When Ash asked me out, I was absolutely thrilled. I mean, who wouldn't be ecstatic over your childhood crush of over 6 years finally asking you out?
She smiled wistfully.
"And for a while, I really was happy. We did all of those little things that I had imagined us doing, y'know? Like walking along the beach, having a picnic by the pond..." She suddenly frowned. "But then… I realized that that was all we were doing. I probably sound terrible for saying this, but I was bored.
I felt her grip on my hand tighten.
"I was bored until you came along… again."
haruka na toki wo kakenukete
bokutachi no yobigoe wa itsuka ookina uta ni naru
It took everything I had to not take her into my arms and kiss her again right then and there.
"I've had so much fun with you this past year, regardless of whatever we were doing… It was new… Refreshing… and I loved every second of it.
"And Ash… You know what he told me?"
I shook my head even though I knew it was a rhetorical question.
"He told me that he was getting bored… That he needed to start anew again. That this wasn't working out because we were stuck in the past… And I knew he was right. I was just so… so angry and upset because I knew it all along, but I didn't want to believe it. It took almost a year to figure everything out."
A lone tear escaped her eye and I brushed it away.
"He's already moved on, and I now have nothing—"
"You have me," I said, interrupting her for the third time that night. "I may not deserve you, but I swear that I'll do everything I damn well can to keep you happy."
ai wo katatte yukeru yo
ima wa mada konna ni chiisana
hikari dakedo
Her eyes widened. "Gary…"
"I love you, Misty Waterflower." I intertwined my fingers with hers. "I've always loved you."
"Really?" she asked in almost a whisper.
"Really," I said, tilting her chin upwards.
She smiled radiantly, and I realized that I was wrong.
This was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
"I love you, too, Gary Oak," she said before our lips met again.
(haruka na toki wo kakenukete)
hoshizora miagete utau
(ai wo tsumui de yukeru yo)
eien wo yumemite iru
hikari no naka
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Looking up at the endless starry skies as we sing
the melody that mortals like us dream of forever
The waters of love come brimming into our heart.
I believe someone will reach the end of future.
Racing against the far away time
Our cries will become a great song.
Spinning the threads of love as we go
Even though we are just a tiny light now.
In this night when my body burns from the joy of understanding.
I started to pray for the eternity of this limited warmth.
I exist solely for you.
I wish to call out to you endlessly with only this voice.
Let our cries for each other be heard across the time.
Holding these trembling hands
I tell myself I do not wish to lose them.
The fleeting moments that come to exist in our hearts
When it is gone we become fearful and weep.
We sing the song that never ends.
The plains that we cannot see right now
is the destination where you and I can go...
Racing against the far away time
Our cries will become a great song.
Telling the tales of love as we go
Even though we are just a tiny light now.
(Racing against the far away time)
Looking up at the starry skies as we sing
(Spinning the threads of love as we go)
dreaming of eternity
within the light
So… yeah. A fluffy egoshipping fic.
I can't get over this pairing. They're just sooo cute.
This came to mind while I was trying to write Chapter 4 of "Homecoming," which I'm a little stuck on. :/ I have a draft for every chapter for that story but that one. D: I'll try and update it by the end of this week, though!