Ash lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was well after 1 'o clock in the morning, and for some odd reason he couldn't sleep.
With an irritated sigh, he threw the covers off and sat up. After a quick search with his feet, the boy found his sneakers and pulled them on. He then left his hut, hoping a walk around the forest would help him sleep.
Wandering around aimlessly, the teen soon found himself at the power ring pool. And to his surprise, he wasn't the only one out enjoying the night air.
Misty sat on a log under a tree, in front of the ring pool, looking up at the moon. She didn't see him standing there, and when he slid onto the log next to her, she jumped up, startled.
"Oh, Ash. It's you. You scared me." she said, slowly sitting back down.
"Sorry." he said simply. "What're doing out this late?"
"I couldn't sleep. So I came out here to think. What about you?"
"Same here." they sat for awhile looking up at the stars, and listening to the crickets chirp. Neither saying anything.
After a time, Misty decided to break the sielence. "Ash," she started.
"Yeah, Mist?" he answered absently.
"Do you think we'll ever beat Giovanni?" she asked.
Ash stared at her for a moment. He was not expecting that question. "Of course we will! What makes you think we won't?"
"It's just we've been fighting him for so long. Sometimes I wonder if we're not just wasting our time. No matter what we throw at him, he just keeps coming back stronger." the water trainer now held her head in her hands, despair written all over her face.
Ash put an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. "We'll beat'em Mist. With my speed and your smarts, ole Team Rocket doesn't stand a chance!"
Misty took a deep breath, feeling better. "Thanks Ash."
"No problem, Mist." he said, giving her a little squeeze.
The two stayed like that for long time, finding peace in each other's compeny.
The End