Setting the Example
"Imitation is suicide. But to mock? Well, that's a whole other story…"
~the author of this story
Chapter 1
The sky had darkened immensely by now and the moon was beginning to climb the skies, dragging the lazy pools of stars with it. A gym match had never lasted this long before… But it was finally over with. Ash hummed proudly and marched out of the gym examining his new Marx badge.
"Another day, another badge." He said with a proud grin.
"At this rate, the gym leaders should be cowering in fear by now, Ash." Brock complimented.
Misty elbowed Brock side, "What do you think you're doing?" She whispered, "Give him another ego boost and he might explode!"
"Don't worry, there's plenty enough room in his head." Brock chuckled.
"Stop talking about me!" Ash sweatdropped, but didn't look around, "I'm not deaf, y'know." At this, he pinned the badge inside his jacket with the others, and stopped shortly at the entrance of the Poke'Center. "Let's just get a room for tonight. I'm too tired to argue, much less continue."
"Pi…" Pikachu agreed tiredly from upon Ash's shoulder.
"It's about time we find the Poke'Center." Misty said as they filed into the building one by one.
The warm lights and the cheery Nurse Joy welcomed the weary travelers as always. "Hi Ash." She said, recalling his face from an earlier checkup on his pokemon, she began to slide open the drawer with the keys... "You want those rooms, right?"
"That'd be great, Nurse Joy!" He smiled.
Her smile faded a little… she sighed, "But I'm afraid we only have one room left… And it's-um-a bit small… A few other trainers came in about an hour ago and they really needed that room since the poor girl wasn't feeling well." She chuckled, "A feisty little red-head, though, despite her feverish migraines."
"Ah… how small is this other room?" Brock asked.
"Well, it only has one bed." Nurse Joy said uneasily and glanced at Misty, "I'm not too sure if I'm even comfortable with that."
Misty blushed and avoided her looks by staring at an old picture on the wall that she had no interest in.
"Well…" Ash looked over to the blushing Misty, "Okay, I guess Misty could take that one. Me and Brock will sleep on the couches out here, if that's alright with you, Nurse Joy."
Misty immediately looked over to Ash, her blush faded by now, "Are you sure, Ash?"
"Sure." He nodded.
Pikachu looked from Ash to Misty to Ash to Misty, hopped off Ash's shoulder and joined Misty's.
"Traitor." Ash mumbled, balling up his fists. Misty giggled and scratched the rodent pokemon behind the ears.
"Well, let's go, Pikachu." Misty said cheerfully, "Oh, Nurse Joy…"
Recognizing the worried tone in her voice, Joy nodded in assurance, "Togepi's doing just fine. He'll be completely healthy by tomorrow morning."
Misty smiled weakly, but headed down the hall as she parted from Brock and Ash, whom headed to the couches.
"G'night, Ash." Misty said quietly, shutting her door.
"Goodnight, Misty." He smiled.
Brock watched Ash grin stupidly at her shut door down the hall as Joy disappeared, unnoticed, into a door behind the counter with a yawn.
"Mm-hm…" He hummed with a forefinger and thumb to his chin, "G'night, Ash." He said a little loudly, elbowing his side.
"What?" He asked, slightly irritated.
Brock chuckled, "Well, now that she's gone and there's nobody else to gaze at, shall we head off to sleep?"
"I wasn't gazing at anyone!" Ash blushed.
"True. But you did end up gazing at Misty's door."
His blush increased, and he stuttered. "W-would you j-j-just go on?!"
Brock stifled a laugh, "Whatever you say, Casanova."
"I'm not--!!"
Pikachu rolled across Misty's bed with a happy squeal, realizing how soft and luxurious it felt, and how blissful sleeping on it would feel. Misty, on the other hand, sat across from him, hugging a pillow to her chest and staring into nothing. Pikachu noticed her worried expression and crawled over to her. "Pi-pi-pi?"
"Nothing's wrong, Pikachu…" She muttered in a dead-like tone.
"Pika-pi, pi-pi?"
"No, it's not about Ash…" She smiled a little and blushed, "For once.."
"Pika!" It urged, resting it's chin on her knee.
"It's Togepi. He's been injured for an entire day, pretty badly, too." She said, burying her face in the pillow. Pikachu crawled onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "Pi-ii-ka.."
"She's just probably thankful for the room, Brock."
"Sure, sure, whatever you say…" Brock said while Ash shot him an angry glare as he tried his best to get comfortable on the old couch. "Goodnight, Casanova."
Ash frowned and sighed tiredly, "Goodnight, Brock."
The moonlight spilled into the building with its curtain of soft light. A few of its rays splayed across Ash's still awaken face and he stared at the ceiling, every once and a while, looking over at Brock, who was now sound asleep. The gentle rumble of thunder growled in the skies and he sighed inwardly as a few raindrops splattered against the large windows. The Poke'Center grew cold and silent as the night lurked deeper and, still, Ash's mind reeled through the still nothingness of the night like a knowledge-hungry cheetah. He wondered about his latest battles –win some, lose none- , he thought about his gym matches, he even thought about the last encounter with Gary… but it all did a u-turn back to Misty. So, feeling mentally helpless, he gave in to the bragging a persuading of his own mind and thought about Misty.
This nightly serenade ends up with the same outcome every single night for the past eight weeks for Ash. Thinking about battles, matches, and badges, only led him to think about Misty, somehow. Sometimes, even when battling, he couldn't concentrate on a good battle plan because Project: MISTY would always pollute his battle strategies.
For example:
[ flashback ]
"A geodude, huh?" Ash smirked at his opponent. He eagerly reached for a pokeball when everything went blank…
Misty noticed the sudden washed out expression on his face and stepped in, "What's wrong, Ash?"
He cringed inwardly at the chime of her voice next to him and slowly his hand left his belt. Ash could almost feel the ocean of emptiness wash away each of the simplest of strategies and he sighed when it beached the warm glow of Misty.
"Ash?" She asked louder.
"Pikachu, go!"
"Pikachu? Ash, what are you doing??" Brock asked, confused.
Suddenly, he'd realize his mistake...
[ end flashback ]
The first few weeks these sort of things would happen, he found himself overly confused about this and almost unable to battle, but sooner or later, thinking of Misty became a battle strategy itself… and he would win constantly because of it. Is it his problem that his affection towards her is somehow leaking out of his daily lifestyle? Well, considering how many times he's gaped at her, thought about her continuously, and spoken to her, not to mention the constant nagging… he was amazed at how well he'd been able to hold the affection in for so long.
A tiny squeak in the floorboards interrupted his train of thought and he looked over to the cause of it. There was a boy, about his age, with spiky black hair, knee-torn jeans, and no shirt. Aware of Ash's movement, he glanced at him nervously and motioned towards the door. With a quickened pace, he rushed out the door. Ash raised an eyebrow at this, a tad confused, but stood up, for once feeling how tired his body really was. He slowly walked outside as well, careful not to trip over anything.
The shirtless boy leaned against the brick wall of the Poke'Center and sighed wearily, crossing his arms across his chest. He gasped a little, hearing the door open and another boy follow him outside. "Hey, I'm Ash." He greeted with a tired smile.
The boy held out his hand and smiled back, "Adrian. Sorry if I woke you up."
"No, no, I can't get to sleep…"
"Neither can I. I… can't stop thinking about…erm.. a certain someone."
Ash eyed Adrian's pink blush as he stared at the soggy grass, getting soggier as the rain water trickled from the ceiling a few feet ahead. "A friend of mine…" He explained.
"That's weird."
"Why?"
"I… *ahem* seem to have the.. same problem." Ash fidgeted uncomfortably.
Adrian chuckled. "How old are you?"
"Thirteen… why?"
Adrian grinned nervously, spotted a cement bench nearby and sat down. He propped his head in between two palms and leaned them against his knees, sighing tiredly. "So am I… Do you think it's…too early to start thinking about… y'know, girls?"
"I don't know, but," Ash began, leaning against the brick wall, "You're not the only one if it is."
They stayed silent for a little while, letting their minds race, sinking into the same empty pit, both thinking about their friends. Adrian broke the rainy silence…
"We've been traveling together for a little over three years, and… we've been the best of friends for a while… but ever since I saw her, I always hoped that we'd be more than friends."
Ash gasped, "That's just like me and M--err… m-my friend."
Adrian smirked at him, "What's her name? Is it pretty?"
"Uh… It's…-uh, Misty."
Adrian's smirk slowly faded into a frown. "Is that so?" He abruptly stood, nearly knocking Ash off of the wall and grabbed his shirt around his neck. Despite the gruff look on his face and that killer scowl and deathly glare, Adrian felt as if he was about to collapse from the lack of sleep. "Misty, is it?!" He smacked Ash against the wall, making him grimace.
"Adrian?! What---"
"What kind of sick prank are you tryin' to pull, kid?" Ash could have sworn he spotted a fiery look in his eyes.
This time, it was Ash's turn to glare. "I don't know what your talking about!"
"You've got some nerve, boy!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"What's going on here?" The two boys looked to Joy standing in the doorway of the Poke'Center with her arms crossed across her chest and a stern look on her face, "It is way too late; you two should get to sleep!"
With a last distressed sigh, Joy cleared her throat and entered the 'Center. Adrian scoffed and shook Ash away from his grip, tossing him to the ground. Ash fell with a pained grunt.
"I don't have time for wimps like you. Neither does Misty."
Ash angrily stood to his feet. "I'm not a wimp!"
"Adrian? What's going on…"
The sweet voice dripped from the 'Center's entrance and they both looked to the door. A girl stood, propped up against the side with her arms crossed. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Why aren't you asleep?" Adrian asked.
"Misty…? What are you wearing??" Ash gaped.
She looked confused, and she turned her attention to him, raising an eyebrow, "Do I know you?"
"You… what are you, sleep walking or something?"
"Misty… let's go to bed." Adrian said, walking to the door.
"You weren't beating on this poor boy, were you?" Ash heard her say as they fell invisible, taken in by the 'Center's still darkness.
A few seconds later, Misty was awakened by the sound of quiet knocking at her door. She looked over to her alarm clock and noticed that it was… way too early for someone to be up and knocking on her door and waking her up. She tiredly made her way across the cold room and felt for the doorknob. Despite the lack of light in the building, she knew who it was.
"Ash? What are you doing awake?"
He replied by making his way into her room, softly closing the door behind him. "How do you know Adrian?"
"Adrian? Who are you talking about?"
"Adri… you just woke up, didn't you?" Ash observed.
She nodded slowly. "Mm-hm…"
She was still wearing her shorts and tank, he noticed, which was definitely different from that… outfit…
"Oh. Sorry…"
They stood deathly still for a while, exactly two feet apart, feeling the night's cold scamper down their spines… Soon, Misty found that she was holding her breath…
"S-sorry…" Ash apologized once more and left urgently.
Misty stared at the spot where he used to be, taking a few seconds for her sleepy mind to come to the fact that he had actually left, and slowly shut the door. She already forgot half of the conversation right before she practically fell unto the bed in deep slumber.
"No, these are my doughnuts. Go buy your own."
Misty growled at Adrian and attempted to snatch the bag of sweets from his hand. He lifted them away from her, smirking at how high he could hold the bag from her reach. She crossed her arms and pouted. "Aw, c'mon!" she whined.
"Not until you say it." He teased.
"No!"
"Say it…"
Misty growled angrily and stamped her foot. "That's so unfair!!"
Adrian laughed, "It's not like you're going to ruin your reputation or anything!"
"Fine…" She mumbled, "Adrian is…," She blushed and her face tensed, "Adrian… is…"
Adrian leaned against the front counter, grabbing another sugary doughnut.
"Adrian… is the most selfish bastard I've ever met!"
Adrian jumped. "That's not what you were supposed to say!"
She stuck her tongue out at him.
…12 seconds earlier:::
Still fast asleep, a small, crooked smile crept onto Ash's face as dream-Misty ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his neck. She leaned in close- closer, and closer, slowly…- but suddenly, a tingling feeling in his hand caused it to move involuntarily around to her back, creeping downwards very slowly until it reached the brim of her shorts. He let out a shocked gasp when his own hand nudged itself further… Misty screeched and smacked him hard in the cheek shouting, "selfish bastard!!"
..He slowly opened his eyes as he realized that he was laying on the hard floor in front of the couch and his cheek hurt miserably from the fall. In his mind, the words 'selfish bastard' echoed over and over until he found out that he had a headache that was quickly evolving into a migraine. He sat up, tenderly rubbing the side of his face and looked around. The sun had long ago risen and Brock was nowhere in sight. He groggily walked to Misty's room, without really knowing the reason why... Maybe just a talk, maybe. As he walked, he noticed that he couldn't keep a straight line, bumping into both sides of the hall. The door looked a teeny bit blurry in his sight and he reached for the doorknob and pulled it open.
The sound of her door opening caused Misty to jump and she quickly began to hide the tears that had been trickling down her cheek, and tossed the journal beneath the bed, watching it slide across the floor and beneath the sheets. As she looked to the hoping it to be Nurse Joy with good news about Togepi, Ash stumbled in, almost slamming the door behind him. His eyes drooped heavily and he looked longingly at Misty's bed…
"Ash, what do you want?" she said, feeling slightly disappointed.
He didn't answer, but walked to her in a sloppy line and collapsed beside her on the bed, fast asleep. Misty sighed.