Moments Alone, Chapter One: The Argument

By Ellie, 2001, Revised 2007

The sun was setting behind the mountains and Ash could already feel a chill forming in the air. Misty and Brock were gone: Misty to the river to gather water for dinner, and Brock to the hills to exercise with their Pokemon. He was alone, except for Pikachu, and was starting to get cold. Remembering some brief wilderness training from Professor Oak, Ash built a small fire pit and attempted to ignite the brush by rubbing two sticks together. Frustration set in as time and again, sparks failed to fly. Ash was getting angry.

Misty, now returning with the pail of water and completely oblivious to Ash's frustration, merely giggled at his failure. She approached him and decided to seize the opportunity to make fun of him.

"You can't do anything right, can you, Ash?" she said, hands on her tiny hips, smirking at him.

She could almost see the fire in his eyes as he lifted his head. He was furious. Her smirk suddenly turned to a frown as she realized it might not have been such a good idea to make fun of him. "You know what, Misty?"

She shook her head in fear.

Ash stood up slowly. "I am downright sick and tired of you. All you ever do is put me down and make fun of me for the stupidest things. I have had enough! I don't see you doing anything to help out! At least I'm trying!"

That struck a nerve for Misty. Her fear quickly turned to rage. "Excuse me? Who caught the fish for dinner last night? Who washed your clothes this morning? Who cleaned off the breakfast dishes? Who gathered that wood you're trying to make into a fire?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"It wasn't you, was it?" He shook his head. "And it wasn't Brock, was it?" He shook his head again. "Who does that leave, now, Ash Ketchum?" she almost shrieked.

"You, I guess," he mumbled, turning his back towards her to face his failed attempt at a fire.

"THAT'S RIGHT! It was me! I do my fair share around here, so don't you ever say that again!" she warned.

A pause set in and Ash did his best to re-collect himself. When he finally did, whipped around and said, "That doesn't change the fact that I'm sick of you making fun of me!"

"Okay, so? You've done your fair share of making fun of me!" she retorted.

"That's in defense!"

"Don't even! The number of times you've been rude to me with out me starting anything is ridiculous!" she yelled, pointing her finger at him.

"That's not true! You make fun of me more than I make fun of you! You're just mean, Misty!" She could feel his argument wavering, and his uncertainty was plainly visible in his expression.

"I am not! You're just a little wimp, Ash! I can't help but make fun of you." She stated plainly, taking one step closer to him.

"I AM NOT A WIMP!" Ash took a step closer to her, as well.

"What's the matter Ash, afraid to be picked on by a girl?" she teased, leaning in.

"No, I'm NOT!" he shouted. Misty jumped back in surprise. He sounded hurt, but this only frustrated her more. "If you're supposed to be my friend, you shouldn't be acting like this at all!"

"Who ever said we were friends?!" She shouted back, throwing her hands in the air and taking a few steps back from the situation. Were they really fighting like this? A deadening silence set in between them, the air felt heavy and thick. Misty breathed heavily, her heart was pounding, back turned towards him. She heard a soft crumpling of leaves behind her. Ash was approaching her slowly.

"Then why do you keep following me around?" he asked, his voice an angry whisper.

Misty whipped around, her face bright red with anger and frustration. "Because you broke my bike, you moron!!"

The statement sounded strange to them both. The power of her voice echoed through the hills around them. As her own anger reverberated in her ears, Misty regretted her outburst immediately.

Ash glared at her. "That's one dumb reason, Misty. I can't believe you're still saying that after all this time."

"Well, it's true! Do you know how much a bike costs?" She covered, her tone significantly less forceful, and her face now flushed with embarrassment.

"Fine, Misty! Since it's only about the bike, why don't you just go home?!" Misty looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head slightly. His anger only escalated as he barked, "I'll send you your money for the damn thing soon enough! JUST GO HOME!"

Misty stiffened as her body flooded with sickening emotion. She couldn't tell which emotion it was: pain, fear, sadness, or regret. She shook her head as she fought back the tears. Taking a deep breath, she looked up. "Fine." She picked up her bag. "Goodbye, Ash," she said coldly.

And with that, she walked away, with Togepi in her arms.

That was the last time he saw her.