Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. This is just for fun.
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Girlfriends
Part 1
by Vickie211
"Waaaaahh!" Ash awoke, much as usual, to one of Pikachu's thunder shocks. This one had thrown him out of his sleeping bag. He rolled over onto his back and groaned. "Uh, thanks Pikachu."
"Pika," Pikachu acknowledged before scampering back to the picnic table where Brock was having breakfast with Togepi.
Ash arose slowly and looked around the campsite, his eyes searching, as always, for Misty. She was his first thought in the morning and his last thought at night. They had been traveling together for almost six years now, and they had officially been a couple for about a year. Ash didn't know what he would do without her. He was certain, however, that he wouldn't have made it this far on his Pokemon journey without Misty's 'unique' method of support. That method involved frequent and rather humbling reality checks regarding the competition in the Pokemon League, Ash's rivalry with Gary Oak, and the effort he put into training his Pokemon.
"Morning, Brock. Where's Misty?" Ash sat down at the picnic table across from the former Pewter City gym leader. He had known Brock almost as long as he had known Misty. Brock had accompanied them for the first two years of their journey and had rejoined them a few weeks ago. Ash was glad to have his friend traveling with him again. Especially since Brock was such a good cook.
"Good morning, Ash," Brock replied. He was still surprised every time he looked at the young man. Ash was now nearly six feet tall, with a well-toned, muscular form and a lithe grace that seemed at odds with the kid Brock remembered. But the hair and eyes hadn't changed, and they gave Brock a glimpse of the boy who had declared he would be the 'greatest Pokemon master ever'.
"Misty went down to the lake to get some water. She should be back any minute." Brock watched Togepi finish the last bite of the Pokemon chow. "Okay, Togepi, you can go play now." Togepi hopped down off the table. "Pikachu, make sure Togepi doesn't get in any trouble."
"Chu ..." Pikachu agreed reluctantly as he watched the egg Pokemon scoot past him. Togepi still hadn't evolved, and had become somewhat willful and mischievous. Not unpleasant, just needing constant attention like any small child. Misty spent a lot of time training it, thinking this would help teach it obedience. Pikachu didn't think it was working. "Pi! Pi! Pi! Chuu!!" He dashed after Togepi who was headed toward the woods.
"Ash, here's your breakfast." Brock placed a plate with a large stack of pancakes in front of Ash.
"Thanks, Brock." Ash inhaled the pancakes at a speed typical for a teenage boy and handed the empty plate back to Brock. "Great breakfast!"
Brock looked sideways at him. "You're slowing down. That took almost a whole minute."
"Togi! Togi Priii!"
"Pikaaa!! Chu! Pi! Pi! Pi!" Ash turned around to see Pikachu taking a paring knife away from Togepi. Pikachu placed the knife on the picnic table and steered Togepi in the other direction. Ash grinned and shook his head. Yes, this was definitely 'one of those days'.
Ash got dressed, rolled up his sleeping bag, and gathered all his things together. He turned at the sound of rustling leaves and saw Misty trudging into camp, carrying a pail of water. She walked over to the picnic table where Brock was stacking up the breakfast dishes, and set the pail on the table beside him.
Ash watched as she talked quietly with Brock. She tucked her orange hair behind her ears. He was glad she had let it grow long. It now hung below her shoulders. She rarely put it up in a ponytail anymore, because she knew he liked it down. Today, she had abandoned her trademark tank top, shorts, and suspenders in favor of a short denim skirt and white sleeveless blouse. She still wore her sneakers, though, probably because of the long walk ahead of them.
Ash walked over to stand behind Misty. He put his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear. "Good morning, gorgeous."
She leaned wearily against him and put her hands on his. "Morning," she replied with a sigh.
Ash gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Are you feeling alright?" She had been sick with a really nasty flu bug a couple of weeks before, and he was concerned that she might not have her strength back yet.
Misty smiled faintly and turned her head to give him a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Sometimes she was amazed at how thoughtful and kind Ash could be, especially considering how the two of them used to argue over the least little thing. They still did, sometimes, but now it was mostly just teasing. Misty realized how lucky she was to have Ash in her life. He meant everything to her. But right now her emotions were threatening to overwhelm her, and she couldn't relax in his arms, much as she might wish to.
She moved away from Ash before he could realize how jittery she was, and began rolling up her sleeping bag. If only she had someone to talk with about this. She couldn't talk to Ash, at least not yet, and certainly not Brock. A girl to talk to, that's what she needed. Not her sisters, though. She'd never been able to talk to them about anything important. They tended to brush her off with comments such as "Like, don't bother us now, Misty" and "You're, like, sooo immature, Misty."
She'd had a few close friends when she was younger and still living at the Cerulean City gym. She remembered the slumber parties, the giggles and whispers behind cupped hands, the endless conversations about everything from clothes to toys to Pokemon, and, of course, everybody's favorite topic, boys. Misty could sure use a couple of those friends right now. But, they weren't here. And Misty and her traveling companions were too far away from Cerulean City to take a quick side trip to visit them. Well, it would just have to be Nurse Joy, as soon as they ...
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
Ash closed his eyes and moaned. "Not this early." He sat down, put his elbow on the picnic table and rested his chin in his hand. Brock glanced up, then calmly continued packing away the cooking utensils. Misty stood and turned around to see Jessie and James standing back to back on the other side of the clearing. Even after all these years, Team Rocket still showed up once in a while to try to steal Pikachu.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
Misty didn't think she could deal with this right now. Her heart was already pounding so fiercely she was sure everyone could hear it. She didn't need a Pokemon battle to make it worse. She wished Pikachu would just hurry up and thunder shock them.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
Misty saw Pikachu laying on the picnic table and drumming his little paws on the wood. Obviously, he and Ash were in no hurry to handle the situation. Well, Misty would just take care of them herself. She reached for a pokeball. Staryu could make short work of Team Rocket just as well as Pikachu.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
Hey! Wait a minute! Misty replaced the pokeball. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. She had just been wishing for a girlfriend to talk to. Jessie may not be a friend, but at least she was a girl. The only other girl for miles around. And she had actually been helpful a few times in the past. True, those times were mostly when it had been in Jessie's best interest, but still ...
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! Dat's right!" Just as the cat Pokemon jumped in front of Jessie and James, Ash looked at Pikachu and motioned casually toward the posing threesome. Jessie and James each threw a pokeball, and Arbok and Weezing appeared in front of them.
Misty figured the battle wouldn't last long. It usually didn't, and she knew it would most likely end with Team Rocket 'blasting off again'. This time she couldn't let that happen. As she realized Pikachu was gearing up for thunder shock and Jessie was preparing to order Arbok to attack, she rushed across the campsite and positioned herself between Pikachu and Team Rocket's Pokemon.
"Stop it right now!!" Misty shouted and held up a hand in each direction to show she meant business.
"Huh??" Ash's eyes widened in shock and Brock's mouth fell open. Team Rocket fell to the ground in a heap. "Piiika??" Pikachu blinked and quickly stifled the sparks flying from his cheeks. "Misty, what are you doing?!" Ash demanded as he jumped to his feet.
"Ash, please, just wait a minute!" Misty put her hands down and turned to face Jessie who was whacking James with a paper fan for having fallen on top of her. "Jessie, could I talk to you for a few minutes? ... In private?"
Jessie stopped whacking James and spun back toward Misty in surprise. "Me??" she said incredulously. She glanced at James to see the same expression of disbelief on his face. What was going on here? She faced Misty again with the beginnings of a look of suspicion. Maybe this was just a ploy to distract them from Pikachu.
Meowth took a step forward. "Hey, what is dis, some sorta trick?!"
"Please?" Misty begged.
Jessie noticed the tears welling up in Misty's eyes. Mmm, okay, so maybe it wasn't a ploy. "I guess so," she finally responded. Jessie turned back to James and handed Arbok's pokeball to him. "Call back Arbok and Weezing, and don't do anything until I get back."
"Okay, Jess. If you're sure?" James looked puzzled. He wasn't the only one. Ash and Brock, and even Meowth and Pikachu, were looking rather bewildered.
Jessie took another look at Misty's face. "I'm sure."
Misty walked over to Ash and placed her hand on his chest. "I won't be long. Keep an eye on Togepi, would you?"
Ash nodded mutely as he saw the tears. He put his hand on her arm as she started to turn away. "Misty?" He sounded worried.
"I'm okay, Ash." Misty gave him a slight smile and headed for the path to the lake, with Jessie close behind.
No one spoke as they watched the two girls disappear into the trees. Then, James ordered Arbok and Weezing to return. He looked toward Ash, Brock and Pikachu, glanced down at Meowth, and then turned back to Ash. "Well, what do we do now?"
Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Wanna play poker?"
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Author's Note: I appreciate any reviews and helpful comments.