Frames - by Cerulean Leader
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Hasn't been proof-read.
Couple/s: Pokeshipping and a hint of Contestshipping.
Summary: Sort of prequel to She's A Lady. Misty hasn't heard from Ash for a while, and when May is over, the girl convinces her stubborn friend to go visit Ash's mother while they wait for Ash to come home.
Misty Waterflower sat in her office at the Cerulean Gym, reorganising documents which were scattered all over the wooden desk. Her long, red hair was pinned back but a 'wave' design barrette, and her hands skimmed the messy piles of paper.
"Misty!" she heard, looking up as her name was called. She put down the paper she was holding and peeked her head out of the doorway.
"What's up, May?"
Her younger, brunette stumbled over, knees wobbling as she struggled with a few heavy boxes in her arms. May leaned over so the gym leader could see her face. "Can you give me a hand? These things are really heavy and I'm about to—Whoa!"
Misty cringed and shut her eyes tightly, hearing a crash to the floor as May lost her balance and grip on the cardboard cubes as they and herself toppled to the ground. Once Misty opened her eyes, she saw May blow her a piece of hair out of her sapphire eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't hold onto them any longer… What are in those things anyway?"
The gym leader held her hand to the girl and pulled her up before kneeling next to the cardboard and examining the contents. "I haven't seen this stuff in ages…" she murmured, picking up a broken photo frame and turning it around to look at it. Seeing who was in the picture, she dropped it almost immediately.
She gasped before picking up the piece of wood and chucking it in one of the boxes. "I can't believe I kept that. I really shouldn't have."
"Kept what?" May asked, looking inside the box and looking at the photo. She held it in her hands and squinting to recognise the people. "Is that you and Ash?"
The redhead sighed sadly. "Unfortunately. I haven't seen the idiot in ages and it's not like he's going to magically come back to Kanto."
May raised an eyebrow before putting the photo down and twiddling her fingers guiltily. "Actually, Delia called the other day and wanted us to come past. Ash is coming home."
Misty's oceanic eyes widened. "Now that, my friend, is a lie. Ash hasn't been home since Christmas last year, and that was ages ago. It's been six months. I tried to call him but some girl just told me not to call back."
"Maybe he was training. When was the last time you even talked to him or let alone seen him, Misty? He might really want to see you." Her brunette friend protested, grabbing the gym leader's wrist and dragging her upstairs. "C'mon, get packing! We're going to Pallet Town now, and you're going to patch things up with him."
"I don't know, May, I didn't even try to contact him last Christmas and he hasn't tried to get in touch with me at all. The last time I spoke to him was in a letter a couple of years ago. But that was just a thankyou letter for the lure I gave him."
May sighed in response, mentally cursing Ash for his stupidity as she pushed Misty into her room. "Look, just give it a shot. I'm sure him and Mrs Ketchum would be ecstatic to see you."
Misty eventually gave in to her friend's persistence, groaning as she walked inside her room. She then began to shove clothes and essentials into her old, red knapsack.
After a few moments, the two girls headed off towards Pallet Town, trekking their way down the dirt trail while they gripped their bags close to them.
It was nightfall by the time they had reached Pallet Town as they had left Cerulean City in the morning. The two had actually managed to navigate their way through Viridan Forest quickly as May had taken her younger brother's PokeNav before she left to visit Misty.
They slowly trekked through the small town, glancing through the little, wooden houses and wooden fences as families gathered into living rooms to watch television together. Misty sighed at the sight of this; she hadn't done that since she was seven years old as her parents had gotten busy for a year until they died in a plane crash on the way home. "I miss spending time with my family."
May glanced at her friend sympathetically, sapphire eyes shining softly off the stars. "You should come over to my house next time, my parents love you."
The redhead shrugged in response, pulling the younger girl into a hug. "Thanks, May."
Soon they reached the Ketchum household, and as the girls glanced up, the noticed an upstairs light was on. Mrs. Ketchum must have been in her room. Misty rubbed her forearm nervously. "Are you sure we should go in?"
"I'm going to make you go inside and stay there if it's the last thing I do." May answered firmly, steering the protesting tomboy inside before tapping her knuckles against the wooden door.
"Fine, but you and Drew are next."
May huffed and folded her arms, turning away as the white door opened to reveal none other than Mrs. Ketchum's Pokemon, Mimey.
He chanted his name excitedly as he invited the girls in, going upstairs to inform the home-owner who greeted the girls cheerfully as usual. "Misty! May! Hello girls, how are you?"
The dup smiled back but winced when they were pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "W-we're good, Mrs. K..." May choked out, face turning red from lack of breath. Misty's face rivalled hers well.
"Oh, please! Call me Delia!"
Once she had let go, she settled the girls inside the living room after putting their stuff upstairs in the spare room. "So, what brings you girls here?"
May and Misty looked at each other before Misty looked back at her best friends' mother. "...I need to see Ash."
A/N: I started writing this before She's A Lady but I never got around to finishing it until now as I sit here doing nothing. So I thought, what the Mew, why not finish off the one-shot?
I know it's much shorter than the other one-shot but it was supposed to be short anyway. I hope you enjoyed. :)
Word Count: 1029
You guys know the drill. Read & review! :D
~CL