Girls

I gasped, despite myself.

I watched her make her way back to the gym with ease; smiling so naturally that it almost blinded me.

I never thought it would end this way but here I am, seeing the most incredible moment of my life so far...

It's the end.

Can I narrate for a little bit? I'm just going insane here.

Love,

Ash K.

In all my years of Pokemon training, I focused on one thing alone and that is to become the world's first ever Pokemon Master! I competed for gyms, contests and leagues in Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Whirl Islands, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova... I don't know but something tells me that you – yeah, you – already know about this and my so-called journeys, almost like some streaker or something.

I can't exactly tell you how many years it took me to progress this much but I know I'm getting better every time! And I also can't mention what point in my journey I am within right at this moment I'm narrating stuff. I'm still ten years old though, believe it or not but if you think I'm joking let me just assure you that I am "more or less" a 10-er.

ARGHH!

I'm sorry, you see I really am going nuts. I'm starting to hate girls that's why.

Believe it or not, I'm not joking again. In fact, I don't feel like joking at all so I'm sorry if I talk about stuff that you guys aren't suppose to know – or that's what the people behind the animation studio say. It's the stuff that upsets me right now and I'm sorry if you won't pick up anything from what I'm going to say, I just need an outlet.

Basically, I want to rant.

I betcha you know Misty aka Pikachu's Pikachupi, Brock's ear-puller and Togepi's "mother." I betcha you know she has a crush on me since episode 2. I betcha you got no idea that we dated for a while. Gotcha!

How, you may ask? I can't tell you or it might spoil things for you. You'll thank me in the future – or hunt me down since I don't guarantee anything just yet. Besides, SHE is the reason why I'm ranting, not May, not Dawn and definitely not Iris.

Ohhh. I love her. But wait, make that loved.

There will always be that shiny sparkle of her greenish eyes when I see them. Her hair will always be in that unique ponytail-hairstyle, except whenever I mess with her since I take them off. She will always be tall, slender and with a reddish skin that I always used to tease her with. She's very pretty and I never knew that until we met again and we...

I can't spoil things for you. I'm supposed to be angry not dreamy as well.

Anyway, she never became my girlfriend and neither did I became her boyfriend. I'm pretty sure eating together, just the two of us, every friday night count as a date and only depends how romantic it might get. I never knew about romance stuff like that but she told me a lot, about what she likes and what she expects. It was weird but then I'd learnt after every kiss she gave me on the cheek, each cheek to be precise, the true meaning of it all.

We had something special, a connection more like. She told me about the time when she saw me in the Hoenn league on TV. She said she missed me, her feelings never changed and I could've waited a little longer before shouting another attack at Sceptile. Late afternoons were our favorite because we got to ride her new two-seater bike and we would jump on piles of leaves in the Viridian forest, where she first decided to stalk me long before I started traveling. There! The word is stalker, I don't know what a streaker is by the way.

She was still my Misty-bestfriend the whole time we were "mutual." The only thing that changed was her unusual kindness. I was used to her mallet when I joke around but then, she just laughs as she pushes me off a chair, bench, bed, floor, or anything as long as she has arms. And she blushed alot, I wish you could've seen her, it was always priceless. She would blush a faceful. I would laugh right now if I weren't so mad.

I took a long break from training at some point because Professor Oak advised me to do so and mom had to promise cooking all my favorite meals everyday because I wasn't close to agreeing with them nor was I close to giving in to this break; it's like cutting off my oxygen. Eventually I rested my case, because Misty was there. And that was when it all happened.

I can't tell you much. I'll get very bitter after all.

Every night, there would be that message in my gadget – which she gave me as a gift – bidding me goodnight and sweet dreams. We decided not to get mushy all the time because we didn't want to attract embarrassing lines from my mom and her sisters and that I wasn't good at being mushy, really. No one else knew about this "mutual" thing we had going on except for Brock; he deserved to know but we didn't expect him to bawl at the end of the videophone call when we told him. I'm pretty sure one out of a hundred Joys and Jennies will choose him, he shouldn't worry.

Misty and I were both 10, believe it or not. We never had a relationship, of course, we're far too young and it didn't suit us. It didn't suit us in a way that normal couples would suit for it. We are friends with greater appreciation for eachother, where every look, touch and words spoken would always rewind in our heads before sleeping. The reason for sleepless nights too, when you can't help but ask the ceiling, "What's she doing right now?" And that happy feeling in the gut when you hear her say, "I've been thinking about you too."

But after what I just saw a while ago, I'm not sure if I can still call us friends.

Hating girls is becoming quite a hobby for me, even though I just started days ago. They brag so much about their looks and always complain when they get acne. They also complain when no one compliments them. They bring so much stuff then you'll have to carry it for them. They expect you to be "the one" when all you want is to be "one."

Misty wasn't like that though. She's the best; she understands. Argh! Stop it, Ash, it's not helping.

And they teach you more how to really live then they'll leave you to it at some crucial point in your life to deal with it alone.

I give up. Pikachu didn't believe me too when I said I hate Misty already.

I just miss her but she's distancing herself, I noticed. Oh Mew, I haven't even left yet!

I never thought I was emotional. I never realized how, how sadness could mix well with anger. I never would've guessed my bestfriend who was also special to me can do such a thing. And if I were any younger, I couldn't imagine myself narrating stuff like this about a girl, really mushy stuff, agh! And I thought Misty was nice, caring and sensitive. All I can say is... she's mean.

I'm leaving after this training break, which is soon so I'm getting set. That means, I'm leaving her again but this time, it's for real.

And that was why we had this unusual fight.

She wouldn't leave me alone because she's scared of missing me and she can't help it. She wouldn't stop rocking my conscience, and somehow, I managed to stop her with a simple question.

"Don't you care about my dreams?"

She didn't speak right away but she whispered that she really does. And it's true.

We hugged for a long time in front of my house. We did the usual; we pedaled the majestic two-seater bike together with Pikachu on the front basket for the last time.

"Ash, be the best pokemon master there is. No. Be the only pokemon master in history... without me."

It was like lightning how fast she turned away and vanished from my sight that I didn't see her reaction. Actually, I didn't know how to react, especially on the "without me" part...

Which brings us to the part why I'm here at the Cerulean gym garden, pacing like a slowpoke.

She didn't even pretend that she didn't see me.

I'm leaving by ship this afternoon and I want to make things clear.

You know that feeling when you argue with someone, – like a friend – you expect him/her to atleast look sorry or sad, even just a teeny bit?

How about when you used to have something special with this someone and then you see them not get the least bit affected when you are, for example, going away for a long time?

I guess I'm overreacting, wanting Misty to be extremely sad to have lost me – if that's what she really meant by "without me." I'm not so sure. I didn't want to know? But I want to clear things now! Argh.

She just looked at me, smiled in a way that she almost feels sorry for me, not the "I'm-sorry" look, it's totally different. And when she was about to get inside the gym, she waved her hand. And I have this Misty-translator saying that that's all the goodbyes I'm gonna get, one lousy wave just like Drew's.

I guess I'm insane to get angry at Misty and all the girls out there just because I don't understand them.

You can't blame me for feeling this way. I did something people didn't expect me to do; to actually love a girl that way.

I hate her for feeling okay. I hate girls for being mean. After all we've been through...

So yeah, I went back home, setting myself up again for another journey. New Pokemon, new friends and new battles are out there.

And I'm back to the Ash Ketchum you always see; happy as if nothing really happened during the break.

You have no idea how I hate girls so the next time you see me with one, I get less and less sweet. And that's why I resolve to not have to do anything with mushy stuff like romance...

Just how I used to be with Misty.

End.

A/N: Comments, questions and violent reactions? Suggestions? Anything I should change or clarify?

Thank you for your time! xxx