Perfect Match
Part One: The Diary
By: Chris Devlin
E-Mail: chris_devlin@hotmail.com
"Togepi. I've alwaysh loved you Togepi." Gibbered Ash as he stared at the small, egg Pokémon. He looked up and over to the nearby bar. "I want another drink!" he proclaimed loudly. "How bout you Mishty?" he asked her. She rolled her eyes at the paralytic Trainer as he stood up to go and buy himself another drink. It was his 21st birthday as well as a Friday and to celebrate Brock and Misty had taken him to one of their favourite bars. It turned out to be a mistake. Ash had acquired a taste for Tequila shots and was taking full advantage of his new found freedom. Misty watched him stagger over to the bar, bumping into several tables as he went. Pikachu sat at the table with them. He'd managed to procure a bottle of Ketchup and was sitting in the corner slowly eating his way through it. He looked over at his drunken master and shook his head. Ash paid his money and headed back to the table. This time he was carrying a whole bottle of Tequila. "Ash, I think you've had enough to drink." Misty said "Yeah Ash, lay off." Ash clumsily fell into his seat. Suddenly he pointed a finger at his two friends. "You leave me alone. Shee, I'm old enough to do what I want now." he said slurring his speech. "Mishty. Shut up! You've always hated me!" he shouted at her. His mood seemed to change slowly. It was moving from angry to a more subdued, sadness. "Even though, I always loved you." he added before he passed out. "Misty, let's get him home." Brock suggested. Misty nodded, not saying anything. His last sentence had gotten to her. She knew that when you were drunk you often talked nonsense, but sometimes you also inadvertently revealed the truth. Was that one of these occasions?
"Ohh. My head." Ash groaned as he slowly awoke to a very noisy, very bright world. "Misty! Brock!" he shouted, then when the pain came wished he hadn't. "I'm here Ash." boomed a voice. Clutching his aching head he sat up to see Misty sitting at the bottom of his bed. "Misty, if you're so close why did you shout.?" he asked before returning to his groaning. "I didn't shout Ash. You've got a hang-over." she said. She was whispering this time. He knew this because it didn't hurt as much to listen. "A hang-over! That's just great." he complained. "Well at least I don't have my show today." he said referring to his Daily Pokémon Tips show on Pewter Radio. Running his hand through his bedraggled hair he looked at Misty. "So what you doing in here anyway?" he asked suddenly realizing that she had never before sat on the end of his bed. "Er, I wanted to make sure you were ok. I remember my first hang-over. I was cranky and annoyed all day." she explained. There was something about the way she said it that made Ash suspicious. "Oh. That'll be why I never noticed it." he said. Misty nodded, then thought about what he had just said. "Hey!" she yelled. "Ooow!" Ash groaned and fell back into his bed. Misty stood up and stormed over to the door. "Well don't expect anymore sympathy from me Ash Ketchum!" she said to him as she walked out, slamming the door behind her.
"Typical!" she complained as she sat at the kitchen table. Brock was making pancakes on the nearby stove. Without turning to her he managed to sense that Ash had done something wrong. "What he do this time?" he asked. "Oh nothing. I just try an offer him some sympathy and he makes fun of me." she told him. "Oh. Is that all?" he asked. She spun to face him. "What d'you mean, Is that All,?" Misty cried in disbelief at the comment. "I mean, he's done worse before and you let him away with it. What's the big deal this time?" he asked. Misty genuinely had to think about this. "I, I, I, I don't know Ok." she said "What's for breakfast?" she enquired, trying to change the subject. "Pancakes. And don't change the subject." Brock replied. He placed the thin foodstuffs on a plate and put it on the table. "Is it because if what he said last night?" he questioned licking Pancake batter off his fingers. Misty looked up at him. "How did you guess?" she told him. "I saw the way you looked at him after he said it. It was a look of hope. A look of longing." Misty nodded confirming everything to him. "How long have you loved him?" he asked. "Years now. Since the day we met probably.". Brock smiled. "I always knew it. I was just waiting for one of you to confirm it." he said. "You knew?" she queried. He leaned back in his chair, "Well it was pretty obvious to everyone but you two apparently ."he replied. "Why didn't..." she stopped as she heard Ash's door creak open and watched as the hung-over Trainer appeared.
Ash walked into the kitchen. Brock and Misty were already there, sitting at the table eating breakfast. Misty turned away from him. "Are you still upset over that stupid joke?" Ash asked groggily as he sat down at the table. " Hmph!" she replied. "I'll take that as a yes," Ash said reaching for the pot of Coffee sitting next to the pancakes. He poured himself a large mug and began to dig into the plate of pancakes. Brock just sat and watched the two of them play their childish mind games. He couldn't understand why neither of them did anything about their feelings for each other. In the eleven years that he'd never once seen one tell the other how they felt. There had been several occasions where they came close. The time they visited Maiden's Peak for instance. He'd watched them dance together and felt sure it had to come out there and then. But it hadn't. Brock began to wonder if it ever would.
"Ash! Ash! Oh where is that boy?" Misty shouted. "Brock, do you know where Ash is?" She asked him. "Nope." he replied blankly, not looking up from his new issue of Pokémon Breeder Monthly. "Well, have you seen my hairdryer then?" she said. "I think he was using it and I don't know where he left it." she added. "Have you tried in his room?" Brock asked. "No. Why didn't I think of that. In his room. Thanks Brock" she replied. She padded down the hall way muttering. "His room. Hmph. I should of thought of that." reaching his door she knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Shrugging, she turned the handle and walked in. Looking around the room she searched for the hairdryer. Her eyes soon located it and she went to get it. As she picked it up she noticed a thin leather bound book underneath. She picked it up as well. Opening the cover she saw the words "The Diary of Ash Ketchum." written in small black lettering on the first page. Placing the hairdryer down, she sat on his bed and started to read.
She read the Diary from start to finish. It only chronicled the past few months but it was enough. It had confirmed what she'd always hoped. He loved her. Apparently he'd been in love with her even longer than she'd been in love with him. Her heart started to skip beats and a warm feeling began to wash over her. Moving over to the table where she'd discovered the book her eye caught a glimpse of something standing in the doorway. Turning round she saw Ash standing there in silence, not moving a muscle. He stared at her, a look of betrayal in his eyes then turned and walked away. "Oh, Ash." she cried realizing what she'd done. She ran towards his door. As she reached it she heard the front door slam shut. Ash had gone.
To Be Continued
Coming Soon. Part Two: The Opportunity