Chanel Misty
By Arina Ketchum
Misty, Ash, Brock, and Snap were walking down the main drag of Greytown, a small town that was on the way to Cinnabar Island. Pikachu was the lookout, perched on Ash's hat.
They walked past a brick building without noticing the signs posted on the first floor windows; except Misty, who was holding a sleeping Togepi. She stopped and looked at them, then gasped in delight.
"Hey guys!" she called them back excitedly. "Look at this!"
"What's the matter, Misty?" Ash asked as they walked back to her.
"Nothing," Misty pointed at the plate glass window. "Today's the 22nd, right? They're having a fashion show here in forty-five minutes!"
The boys groaned. Even Pikachu looked downcast at the news.
"But that kind of thing is for girls," Ash almost whined, then, when he saw Misty's expression, he added, "um, no offense, Misty."
"None taken," Misty closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sky. "I just thought Brock might want to want to see the *beautiful* girls modeling the clothes.
"Beautiful...girls?" Brock murmured.
"And I was certain Snap would love to see the different kinds of cameras all in one place. I'm sure a few of the photographers are bound to have that 'Photosnap 300x with Tripod' to take pictures of those models."
That clinched the deal. Brock grabbed Ash by one arm, and Snap grabbed the other arm and dragged him into the building. Misty opened her eyes and smiled. She loved it when things went her way.
*
The auditorium was almost filled to capacity when the troupe took their seats. Misty sat on the aisle seat, and immediately stood up again after rummaging successfully through her backpack to find change. "I'm going on a soda run. Anyone else want anything to drink?"
The boys and Pikachu shook their heads, so Misty, after putting a still sleeping Togepi in her backpack, set off in search of a soda machine.
Twenty minutes later, she was no better off than when she'd started. She was completely lost in the maze of carpeted hallways. Finally, she knocked on a door the same color as the whitewashed walls, marked "Retourner La Rose", hoping it was an office of some personnel. The door opened a crack, and a man with an isosceles triangle-shaped nose, brown hair, and blue eyes poked his head out. When he saw Misty, he flung the door open fully, revealing himself as a tall thin man, dressed up in black slacks, a white long sleeved shirt, and a tailored black vest, with a measuring tape hanging around his neck.
"Where have you been?!" he almost squealed in an effeminate voice, and Misty wondered if this was James from Team Rocket in disguise, noticing he sounded exasperated. Before she had a chance to ask what he meant, he grabbed her by the crook of the arm, and dragged her into the room. "We're sorry to call on you with such short notice, but we didn't have a choice," the man said as he pulled Misty through a zoo of beautiful, long-legged women, some half dressed (!), vanities, and clothes racks.
"That's ok, I guess." Misty said as she tried to get a glimpse of a tall blonde who walked past them.
"Twenty minutes!" a woman's voice yelled above the din of noisy chatter.
"Oh dear," the man sighed, "that doesn't give me much time to dress you," he muttered as he stopped in front of a rack.
*Dress me*?! Misty wondered, wide-eyed.
"What size are you, dear?" he asked her.
"Uh, size 10; why?"
The man looked through the rack they'd stopped at and pulled out a long red satin gown. "Here you go, sweetie. There's a screen right there -" he pointed behind Misty, "hurry so we can get your makeup on."
Misty didn't argue. She'd finally realized what was going on: she was a stand-in model for the show! She didn't mind; she hadn't been planning on doing anything else today. . . and this would give her the chance she needed to show the world that the fourth Cerulean Gym Leader could be as sensational as her sisters.
*
"Where's Misty?" Ash wondered out aloud. "The show's going to start any minute." Snap had gone down into the photographers pit to set up his camera, meet some other like-minded enthusiasts; and mainly to find out if anyone had the new "Photosnap 300x".
"I wouldn't worry, Ash; if I know Misty she's probably trying to get herself *into* the show. She wouldn't have much trouble doing that either." Brock said. Ash wondered what Brock meant. Misty was about as pretty as a brick wall in a field of flowers on a sunny day.
The lights dimmed, and then brightened, signaling the beginning of the show. Loud music came over the sound system and the cameras began clicking away as the first of the models came out. Brock whipped out a pair of binoculars and went into his "Gotta drool over 'em all" mode, while Ash snuggled into his chair for a nap. Events like these were of no use to the Pokemon trainer. He was interested in girls, yes, but not stick thin models showing off a bunch of flashy clothes no one could afford.
Togepi, Misty's little egg Pokemon, suddenly popped its head out of Misty's backpack and began to wail. Ash sighed and picked Togepi up and put it on his lap. Once in a while, he looked up at the stage then back at the Pokemon. The fourth time he looked up, he started, nearly dropping Togepi. A girl, no, a beautiful woman was gracefully gliding down the lighted runway, her red hair down in a french twist, her red gown swirling all around her.
"Brock!" Ash yelled at the Pokemon breeder, snapping him out of his reverie. "You weren't kidding! Misty really did get herself into the show!"
As Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi watched the show, Misty modeled several more outfits; the last being a white wedding dress, complete with veil, bouquet, and a *huge* diamond ring on her left ring finger. At first, a man in a tailored tuxedo walked down the runway, then Misty came, all satin and lace, her hair flowing down past her shoulders loose, for a change; she looked every bit the blushing bride. She met the man at the end of the runway, twirled once to show off the dress, then faced her partner. He lifted the veil away from her face, leaned down and kissed her on the lips. For some reason, Ash felt extremely upset upon seeing this display, which he couldn't understand because:
a) he didn't like Misty,
b) this was a fashion show, not real life.
The kiss lasted for all of thirty seconds (Ash counted!), then Misty threw her bouquet to the crowd. Cheers and applause sounded across the entire spread of the auditorium as Misty and her companion walked off. Three minutes later, the designer led out the group of models in two lines behind him as the crowd went wild. Misty brought up the rear, again in the red satin gown, but the rest of them motioned her up front. The designer reached for her hand and all the models and he started clapping for *her*!
"Thank you for saving my show." he whispered into her ear and he pecked her on the cheek.
Misty beamed with happiness. "Thank you for this opportunity." she whispered back.
*
"Please tell me I wasn't seeing things!" Snap cried as he met up with Brock and Ash later. Ash was carrying Misty's backpack, Togepi tucked safely away. "That was Misty up there...wasn't it?"
"I'm pretty sure it was." Ash nodded. "Misty wasn't with us throughout the entire show."
"Wasn't she beautiful?" Brock murmured. "She looked just like a princess in those outfits."
"Earth to Brock!" Ash cried in exasperation, "This is *Misty* we're talking about!"
"Hey! Stop being cruel, Ash." Snap cried. "Even *you* have to admit she looked good!"
Ash just shoved his hat further down his head, sulking. "Well. . ." he muttered, deciding to change the subject. "So did you see the new 'Photosnap 300x'?"
Snap nodded, although he looked a little downhearted. "That camera sounds better than it performs. Some of the crews using them had a terrible time today," he patted his own camera, hanging around his neck by the yellow strap. "I think I'll stick with my old one for awhile."
"Excuse me," a stout woman with brown hair and an awkward pair of glasses resting on her face, maybe in her forties, came up to the trio. "Do any of you know Ash Ketchum?"
"I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash turned to the woman. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," the woman smiled warmly, "Miss Waterflower would like to see you in the dressing room."
*
Misty was back in the dressing room, in her street clothes, putting her hair back into its original side ponytail. Midway through the process of fixing her hair for the third time in a row, a knock sounded at the door. Misty let go of her hair, letting it fall down past her shoulders. "It's open," she called.
Brock, Ash, Togepi, Pikachu, and Snap walked in. Togepi jumped into his mother's arms and squealed happily.
Misty smiled at all of them. "Hi guys, enjoy the show?"
All of them nodded as Snap began jumping around the room, taking pictures of Misty at various angles. "You looked beautiful, Misty. I mean that." Brock said firmly.
"This wasn't part of the idea, was it?" Snap asked as he continued taking photos. "I mean, you being in the fashion show, and all."
Misty shook her head as she explained what happened.
"Well, at any rate," Brock said when she finished, "you were fantastic, Misty. Maybe you should become a model instead of a Pokemon Trainer. Misty smiled and gave a quick glance to Ash. Secretly, she wished Ash would say something nice about her, but he remained silent, gazing about the room, seemingly ignoring her.
"I'm sorry I dragged you all to this, especially you, Ash. I know you're trying hard to be the greatest Pokemon Master, and my interference doesn't help you at all."
Ash looked at her in surprise. "No...Misty, what we did today was fine. Sometimes, I'm so obsessed with training, I forget to have fun. You were -"
A knock interrupted Ash's audible thoughts and without waiting for an answer to come in, the person entered. It was no one else but Jade, the fashion designer that had hosted the show. The kids and Pokemon (minus Misty) were all in awe as they recognized him. In one hand, he carried several papers with him.
"You must be Misty's friends," he said, "I'm glad you're here to listen to my announcement." He turned to Misty. "Misty, you were wonderful today for such short notice and little experience. I want to offer you a full time position as a model with a contract of five years, and a starting salary of one million dollars."
Everyone face-faulted. Misty gasped in shock and happiness.
"Unfortunately, I need your answer right away. We're already packing up to head to Celadon City, our next stop." Jade handed Misty the papers he was holding, "these are the forms you need to sign. We leave in three hours." Jade turned and walked out the door. The troupe seemed to recover from its shock. Misty put the forms down on the dresser without a word.
"Wow, Misty, what a great opportunity." Snap finally said after a very long pause.
"Maybe," Misty murmured.
"Think of all the beautiful girls you could introduce me to," Brock said, dreaming the impossible.
Misty would have whipped out her Brock-o-mallet and whacked the breeder by this time, but all she said was, "I suppose."
Ash hesitated to put in his two cents. Misty never acted this calm after Brock mentioned something ridiculous. "You'd be world famous."
"I guess." Misty looked at Pikachu and Togepi sitting on the floor, listening attentively. She stood up and grabbed the forms from the dresser. "I have to talk to Jade. I'll meet you all at the ice cream shop down the street in ten minutes and I'll tell you what my decision is then."
*
A half-hour later, Misty still hadn't shown up. Ash was making a straw snake for Pikachu, (if only to keep his mind off of what Misty's decision might be), Brock was finishing a milkshake, and Snap was trying to get a picture of Togepi asleep on the table.
"I guess Misty decided to stay with Jade and become famous." Brock said. Ash looked up at Brock, then around the room. No Misty in site.
"That means Togepi's mine!" Ash cried, standing on his seat, (accidentally stepping on Pikachu's tail at the same time) and picked up Togepi. Togepi immediately began screaming because Ash woke it, Snap yelled at Ash for ruining the picture, Pikachu yelled because Ash was standing on him (and promptly gave him a thunderbolt as well), Ash screamed at the bolt of electricity and Brock screamed because, well, everyone else was screaming.
When the chaos died down, Ash collapsed back into the booth, Togepi thumped back down to the table once more, and a female voice spoke up from behind Ash, "Ash, don't you know better than to steal Pokemon? Or have you decided to join Team Rocket?"
Ash and Pikachu turned around. There stood a female in a red evening dress, her long red hair pinned back with the pearl-studded barrettes.
Ash, Snap, and Brock all went into "drool" mode. "Is that -" Brock started.
"Misty?" Snap finished.
Ash didn't need to ask, he already knew. Quickly, he scooted over to give up his seat for her.
"Thank you." Misty said as Togepi tottered over to her.
"So what's going on? Have you made your decision?" Snap asked.
"I have." Misty looked solemn. "You know that you're all my friends and we've all been together for a very long time. Now I've come to a fork in the road and I've chosen my path for the rest of the journey."
Ash's heart thudded against his chest. Hard. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Here it comes, he thought, time to say goodbye...Maybe I'd better tell her now...."Misty, I -"
"I've chosen to stay on the road with you guys."
Snap and Brock whooped with joy, while Ash opened his eyes, looking relieved.
"Besides, Mr. Ketchum, you still owe me a bike!"
Ash groaned and let his head hit the table.
"So, then, what's with the fancy clothes, Misty?" Brock asked.
"Jade gave me this dress as a thank-you present. There are two more outfits in my backpack."
"How generous!" Snap cried. "Here, I want to take a picture of you, Misty!"
"Alright, but just a couple, then I have to change back into my street clothes." Misty stood up and twirled around a few times while Snap took pictures. "I plan on catching a Polywag before dinner." She turned to Ash. "Did you want to say something to me earlier, Ash?"
"Uh, no, nothing." Ash stuttered.
Misty looked a little disappointed. "I guess I'll go change then." she walked off.
Ash turned to Brock, not noticing he'd inflicted deep hurt upon Misty. "Hey Brock, every time you mentioned a possible scenario today, it's happened. Like thinking Misty could be in the fashion show, and then she was, and then saying Misty should get a job as a model, then she did!"
"I know, I can't explain it." the breeder answered.
"Maybe you can see into the future." Snap remarked.
"Maybe." Brock mused.
Ash suddenly closed his eyes tightly and balled his fists. "Say it Brock!" he yelled.
Snap and Brock looked at him in confusion. "Say what, Ash?"
"Say I'm going to be the #1 Pokemon Master! So far you've predicted the future by merely saying some off-hand comment . . ."
"Ash-"
"Please Brock?!" Ash pleaded.
Brock crossed his arms in front of him. "Don't you have any faith in your Pokemon and yourself?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then why are you even asking me if you already know the answer?"
Ash was silent, brooding over this.
"But I'll tell you what I do know. I see a beautiful woman with waist-length hair coming toward you -"
"Where?! Where?!" Ash looked around.
"Ash, you just ruined my concentration!" Brock cried.
Ash sighed. "Sorry Brock." He rested his chin on his knuckles, his elbows resting on the table.
"What did the woman look like, Brock?" Snap asked.
"Not sure, her face was covered by a veil."
"Your wedding?" Snap queried Ash.
"But I don't wanna get married!" Ash wailed.
"You say that now..." Brock murmured. "You wait till you're sixteen years old and I guarantee you'll have changed your mind."
Ash crossed his arms in front of him and shook his head. "It's not going to happen. There's only one girl I like and that's the way it's going to stay."
Snap and Brock both raised their brows. Carefully, Brock asked, "Who?"
"Gary's sister, May."
Both Snap and Brock face-faulted, then fell over.
"If you married May, then Gary would be your brother-in-law!" Snap pointed out.
Ash practically screamed at the realization. Pikachu fell over in a hysterical fit of laughter.
"And you've already mentioned Ash getting married..." Snap added.
Ash screamed again, then put his gloved hands together and began praying as he looked at the ceiling. "Please don't make me Gary's in-law! I only wanted to marry the prettiest girl on Earth!"
"You did?!" Misty cried from behind Ash. "Then I accept!"
Ash felt like fainting. "I don't feel well," he grumbled.
"Oh, Ash, I'm only kidding," Misty sighed as she sat down next to Pikachu.
"Well Ash, you've always said it was your destiny to become a Pokemon Master; maybe marrying May is also your destiny."
"It's not fair!" Ash wailed. "I don't want to be a part of the Oak family tree!"
"Oh well, Ash. You'll always have May. Maybe Gary won't drop by so often."
"Well, while you all are planning Ash's wedding," Misty said, trying very hard to hide her disappointment in the turn of the conversation, "I'm going to catch that Polywag I saw earlier."
Ash's head snapped up. "No way, I saw that Polywag first! I just pointed it out to you."
"Uh-uh! I let you believe you saw it first and point it out to me."
This would've gotten ugly had Brock not smacked his fist down on the table. "By the time you guys stop arguing, Gary will have caught that Polywag."
"Gary?!" Ash jumped up, threw some money on the table and raced towards the door.
"You're not gonna win that easily, Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled and dashed after him.
"And thus, the cycle of madness continues." Brock sighed. "It's too bad that Ash won't ever get his wish about Gary dropping dead and marrying May."
"Why's that?" Snap asked as they walked out.
"Did I forget to mention that Ash's bride is a redhead?" Brock smiled knowingly.
Snap looked at him, mystified. "You mean...those two?"
"Come on, guys!" Ash called back to them. "Misty's got a head start!"
And so, we leave our heroes in pursuit of peace, love, and Pokemon.
Jesse: "Hey! Team Rocket wasn't in this fanfic!"
James: "Well, I, for one, am grateful. We got this whole episode off to relax!"
Jesse: "Traitor! How dare you go along with the author's plans! *Smacks James and sends him flying*
Meowth: *shrugs* "Looks like Team Rocket's being written off again!"
The End