finished
boy of dreams
Ash looked around the campsite as the others slept. Misty was to his left, snoring lightly. May was closer to a boy with snow-white hair. Ash took a closer look and noticed them holding hands. Brock and Max were in a different spot, and all six kids made a sort of triangle around the burned-out fire. It was past midnight according to Misty's Poké Gear, which had glowing numbers telling the time. Ash sighed. Since Misty had come back, he had been a little disappointed. Misty didn't act like her old self, and she mostly hung out with May, sometimes at malls. The raven-haired trainer noticed a pink-colored book that was falling out of Misty's backpack. He picked it up and looked at the cover. It had blue embroidery that said 'Misty's Diary: Keep Out! This means YOU!' Ash looked quickly at the red-haired girl next to him. "Mist won't mind if I took a peek. If it's too personal an entry, then I'll look at another one."
The first entry was written around the time they had first met. It was written the day Ash was fished out of the river.
'Dear Diary: Today my sisters and I had another argument over my skills as a trainer. I told them that I'm leaving Cerulean and won't come back until I'm a better trainer than them. I took the Staryu and Starmie that Mom gave me before she died, along with the Goldeen I caught a week ago.'
'Later: I fished a kid out of the river. He's got black hair and warm, chocolate-brown eyes. He's kinda cute too. His Pikachu was badly hurt, and he took my bike to get to the Pokémon Center nearby. I'm gonna follow him after this storm is over.'
Ash was surprised. "Misty thought I was cute then? Guess Mist can't resist my good looks and charm." He looked at Misty and smiled as he joked."
The next entry Ash looked at was after the whole Chosen One ceremony on Shamouti Island.
'Dear Diary: I'm glad Ash is safe. He almost died today. This girl named Melody tried to sweet-talk Ash into playing a part in this festival. He was supposed to gather the three orbs and place them in shrine. Some guy tried to steal the three Legendary birds and Lugia. If it wasn't for Ash's determination, the whole world would be nothing but ashes (no pun intended). Ash was riding on Lugia's back as he flew to the shrine on Shamouti Island. When Lugia was trapped with rings holding its wings to its body, they fell into the ocean. I went in after Ash. He was unconscious, but he woke up when Tracey and I pulled him onto the beach. The entire area was covered in ice and snow from Articuno. That all melted when the three orbs in the shrine glowed as Melody played on her flute. Melody and I made up after the whole ordeal was over.'
"So Mist was the one who pulled me outta the ocean." Ash flipped to the latest entry. It was dated a few hours earlier.
'Dear Diary: Sorry I haven't written in awhile. Today we've stopped near a peaceful river. It was Ash's idea to camp out here. We've gained a new traveler. His name's Brendan and he's got white hair. I think May's got a crush on him. She wouldn't tell me, but I could tell by the looks she was giving him. They're the same looks that I sometimes give Ash when he's not paying attention. I really like him, but I doubt he sees me as more than a sister or best friend. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to deal with it. ; At least we can be friends, it's better than nothing.'
Ash looked at Misty. "Misty likes me? But I thought…" The raven-haired boy blushed. "I really like you too, Mist. I guess I haven't really shown it lately." Ash placed the diary under his pillow. When he laid down, he began to feel sleepy. The raven-haired boy yawned and rolled onto his side, falling asleep after a minute or so.
When morning came, Misty looked around the campsite. "Hey Brock, have you seen my diary? I swore it was in my backpack."
"I haven't seen it, Misty." The dark-skinned teen looked to May and Brendan. "Did you guys see it?"
"No."
"Uh-uh."
Ash reached under his pillow. "Here it is, Mist." He handed the pink book over to the red-haired girl. "I thought it was yours, but I wasn't sure so I put it under my pillow."
"Thanks Ash." Misty placed the diary in her backpack. Before she closed the knapsack, the red-haired girl noticed that a page of her diary was bent. Misty pulled it out and opened to the bent page. It was the entry written last night. "What the…" She looked at Ash and noticed that he wasn't quite himself. "Ash, did you bend the page?"
"Yeah. I was just curious to see how much you had written in it, kind of an idea for your birthday or something." Ash rubbed the back of his head.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Did you read anything?"
The raven-haired boy nodded. "I only read three entries. I'm sorry."
"Ash! My diary is private, not for anyone's eyes but mine! It has all my thoughts and feelings in there, along with personal matters that are none of your concern!" The red-haired girl frowned. "Why?"
"I was just curious. I'm really sorry, Mist." Ash looked at Misty. "I won't do it again, I promise."
"Of course you won't! I'm hiding my diary in my backpack so you can't get your hands on it!" Misty grabbed her stuff and stomped off to another part of the clearing, muttering.
"Good going, Ash." Brock looked at the younger trainer. "I doubt you'll be able to get Misty to forgive you for this one."
"Not now, Brock." Ash continued to pack his stuff. "Besides, I'm not surprised that Misty's mad at me. I should've expected it."
Brock looked at Ash. He noticed that the raven-haired boy was upset. "Maybe you can try to make it up to her."
"If I try, I'll just mess it up. I always mess up everything." Ash looked at the dark-skinned teen. "And I won't accept any ideas or help. I figure out something on my own."
As the group came into the next town, everyone but Ash became excited. Misty and May were talking about shopping at the mall. Brendan, Brock and Max wanted to go find more supplies and look at new devices to help trainers on their journeys.
"What about you, Ash? What are you gonna do?" Brendan looked at the raven-haired boy.
"I dunno. I'll just look around, I guess. See ya guys later." Ash walked off in a random direction with Pikachu looking back at the others with a sad look on his face.
Misty just looked the other way, ignoring the sad face intended for her. "C'mon, May. Let's go check the mall and see what they've got for clothes."
"Sure, Misty." May frowned. She noticed that the older girl was intentionally ignoring Ash, as she had been doing all day. The two girls took off in the opposite direction of Ash.
"She's still upset. I'd be angry if someone read my personal thoughts too." Brendan looked at the others. "How long do you think this one will last?"
"I dunno. I'd say a week at most." Brock shrugged. "Who knows? Misty's harder to read than most people."
Max nodded. "Why don't we worry about that stuff later? We only have a few hours before all the shops close. And I really want to see what they've got for PokéNavs." The three boys walked towards the center of town.
Ash kicked a pebble as he walked down a street. All along the street were stands filled with everything from trinkets to food to clothing. One stand in particular caught his attention. A necklace hung from a stand. It was on a leather cord and looked like a Mystic Water pendant. "Cool."
"I see this necklace has caught your eye, young man." An elderly woman stood behind the stand. "It's a genuine Mystic Water pendant, all the way from the Whirl Islands. An older gentleman came through and gave me this necklace. He said that he had no more use for it and that some other trainer could have it."
"How much is this pendant?" The raven-haired boy looked at the woman. "A friend of mine wanted to win one in the Whirl Cup but she didn't get far enough. She'd really like this. My friend's into Water Pokémon and loves anything to do with them."
"You can have this pendant for free. I don't mind young people like you who like to get things that really mean something for their friends." The elderly woman smiled. "You're friend must mean a lot to you."
"Yeah, she does. But we got into a fight and she's really mad a me." Ash looked the pendant over. "Are you sure I can just take it?"
"Yes. I'd rather see it go into the hands of someone who is willing to use it properly than steel it and try to sell it for money. Take it." The woman lifted the necklace off of the stand and placed it in Ash's hands. "I'm sure you're friend will appreciate it."
"Thank you, ma'am." Ash smiled as he placed the necklace in his sweater pocket. "Have a nice day."
"You two, young man." The woman smiled as she watched the raven-haired boy walk off.
"I hope this helps Misty forgive me." Ash whistled a tune as he headed for the Pokémon Center.
After the group met at the Pokémon Center, they had split up into two groups, boys and girls, and had gotten a room for each group. They were all lounging in the boy's room, talking about what they had done. Ash sat separate and petted Pikachu absent-mindedly.
"You wouldn't believe the upgrades they have for the PokéNav! I got one so we can use it like a phone. It can store numbers and has an address book too!" Max stood up on the couch and held up his PokéNav. "Brendan got the same upgrade so we can have more than one person calling home at the same time."
"Max, sit down. I know you're excited, but try to refrain from climbing the furniture." May chided her younger brother. The youngest member plopped on the couch.
"Hey Ash, did you do anything while you were exploring the town?" Brendan looked at the raven-haired boy.
"I doubt he could've found anything exciting. He probably did something stupid like usual." Misty refused to look in Ash's direction. "If it isn't one thing, it's another."
"Thanks, Misty." Ash continued to look out the window at the night sky. He stood up, causing Pikachu to fall to the floor and the others to look at him. "I'm going for a walk. See ya guys later." Ash left the room with Pikachu looking at him in sadness.
"Chu…" The yellow mouse jumped on the couch and nuzzled Misty. "Pikachu-pi? Pika pi chu?"
"Well, it's true." Misty scratched Pikachu behind the ears, but he didn't squeal.
Ash crept in the girl's room, holding two envelopes. He tucked each one under their pillows with the ends sticking out. "Sorry for everything, Mist. I'd be better off without you. I hope you enjoy life without me around to pester you." Ash gently kissed Misty on the cheek. "I love you a lot, Misty, but everything I try to do to impress you fails. And you always insult me whenever I do something stupid. Maybe some other guy will be better for you than me."
When morning came, Brock knocked on the girl's room. "Misty, May, you guys awake?"
"Huh? What's wrong?" May rubbed her eyes.
Brock entered the room with a note. "Ash was gone this morning and he left a note saying that he'd be better off traveling with just Pikachu and his other Pokémon."
"Ash wouldn't!" Misty sat straight up and knocked her pillow and the note to the floor. "Huh?"
"I've got one too." Both girls opened their notes up and read them silently. "Mine says that this money is for a new bike for me. He originally saved this for you, Misty, but your bike is already fixed, so he never gave it to you."
Misty frowned as she held the Mystic Water pendant and re-read the note. "He…Ash would never do such a thing." A few tears fell down her face. "He said he left because he doesn't want to fight with me all the time. If he stayed, he was afraid that one of our fights would get physical and that one of us would get hurt badly. And he…no…no way is this coming from the Ash I know."
"What else does his note say?" May looked at the older girl with sympathy and curiosity.
"Here, you read it." Misty got up and put her sneakers on. After placing the necklace in her shorts pocket, she shouldered her bag and started to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Brock looked at the red-haired girl.
"To find Ash. I want to apologize for the fight yesterday and for what I said to him." Misty left the room and exited the Pokémon Center.
Ash looked at the ocean as he stood at the dock, waiting for a ferry to take him back to the Kanto Region. "I know you'd rather have the others around, but I don't want to always fight with Misty. I'm afraid that if we get into a physical fight that I'm gonna hurt her. I don't want that to happen, and if Misty's sisters and my mom find out, it won't be good. They'd kill me for hurting Misty."
"Ash! Ash!" Misty ran towards the docks, waving at Ash. "Ash!"
The raven-haired boy turned to look at the girl coming towards him. "Misty?"
Misty stopped running and was breathing heavily. "Ash, why did you decide to leave?"
"Like I said in the note. Besides, it'd be better if I was on my own. None of you would be in danger whenever I have to pull the whole hero thing, and I don't like fighting with you." Ash looked to the ground. "I don't want to hit you and cause you to be scared of me or get hurt when we fight."
"Ash, you idiot. Why tell me that you love me, give me a present, and then take off? Are you afraid of me?"
"Sorta. I was afraid that if I told you how I felt to your face, you'd laugh at me and make me feel stupid. I know I'm not the brightest person, but I do think some things through." The raven-haired boy looked away, towards the ocean. "And if you feel the same, you would've gotten ahold of me somehow. This way I'm not pressuring you into answering me right off and it won't be uncomfortable to be around each other if you refuse."
"Ash, I'm sorry for the fight yesterday, and for what I said. I don't always think before I speak. And…I…I really like you too. I've had a crush on you for years, but I was afraid you'd brush it off or say that I'm not worth having as a girlfriend. I hate fighting with you too, but I can't always get my feelings across, and they just get all bottled up inside and I explode in anger at times when I should be more sympathetic or concerned." Misty held her crossed arms close to her body. A few tears threatened to fall.
"Misty…" Ash reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out the handkerchief that Misty had given him on their last day together before she became a Gym Leader. "Shh…don't cry, Mist. I don't like seeing you upset." The raven-haired boy gently wiped the tears away.
The red-haired girl looked at him through her fallen bangs. "Are you gonna go, or are you staying?"
"What do you want?" Ash gently lifted Misty's face. "If you want me to stay, I'll stay."
"I want you to stay. If you leave, we may never see each other again." Misty looked to the ground. "But don't let what I want keep you from leaving, if that's what you want."
"Mist, not every decision that I make concerns me. Remember the few times we did things that you ended up liking? That's because I wanted you to have fun and be happy. And all those times I protected you, I did it so you'd be safe. I didn't care what happpened to me, as long as you were safe, that was all that mattered to me."
Misty looked at Ash and sniffed. "You did those things for me?" The raven-haired boy nodded. "Thanks Ash." The red-haired girl threw her arms around Ash's neck and hugged him.
"Am I forgiven for reading your diary?" Ash asked as Misty pulled away.
"Yes." Misty pulled out the pendant from her pocket and held it out. "Where did you get this?"
"An old lady let me have the necklace. I told her I'd pay for it, but she wouldn't have any of it and pretty much forced it into my hands." Ash took the necklace and walked to stand behind Misty. He untied the leather string and put the necklace on the red-haired girl. "There you go."
Misty fingered the necklace. "Thanks Ash."
The raven-haired boy wrapped his arms around Misty's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy early birthday, Mist."
The red-haired girl blushed. "Ash, what are we gonna tell the others?"
"We'll let them figure it out; see how long it takes before they notice." Ash grinned.
"Why not? It'll just make them even more confused about the two of us." Misty turned around. "We'll have to pretend to be innocent, though."
"Sure. C'mon Mist, let's get back to the Pokémon Center." The two teens walked, hand in hand, towards the red and white building in the center of town. Neither noticed the elderly lady who gave Ash the necklace transform into Mew and fly away.
When Ash and Misty reached the Pokémon Center, they acted as if they had only made up and were now best friends again. Brock, May and Brendan looked surprised to see Ash again. Since Max hadn't woken up before Misty left to find Ash, he didn't know what was going on.
"Why are you back? I thought you would've been on the ferry by now." Brock looked at the younger teens.
"We made up, okay? And I/Misty convinced him/me to stay with the group." Ash and Misty replied at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.
Brock raised an eyebrow. "So no one's leaving for awhile?"
"Nope." Again, another double answer.
May smiled, then nudged Brock. "What about the things Ash said in that letter of yours, Misty. He did confess to liking you."
"Maybe we're a couple, maybe we're not." Misty blushed. "It's really none of your business what we said while we were out."
The brunette grinned slyly. "So, should we leave you guys alone? Or are we mistaken?"
Ash and Misty looked at each other, surprised. Both of them were speechless. Ash took the red-haired girl's hand and smiled. "Yes, Misty and I are officially together, and we won't forget that you guys exist. We may want to be alone every now and then, but we're not gonna ignore ya."
Misty nodded as she gently squeezed the raven-haired boy's hand. "It's not like everything's gonna change now. It will be different, but only until we get used to being together."
Max just looked at everyone as if they were aliens. "What's going on?"
"Ash was gonna go solo. He repaid May for her bike, and Misty's his girlfriend now." Brendan chuckled as he saw the youngest of the group gag.
"I don't wanna see you guys kissing! That's gross!"
"Max, someday it'll be your turn to have a girlfriend. Once you're older, you'll understand." May chided her younger brother.
Brock turned his attention to Ash and Misty. "The three of us are gonna have a talk about what is and isn't allowed."
"Brock!" Both teens protested.
"Or would you rather have Mrs. Ketchum handle this? You guys know how she'll react."
Ash and Misty looked at each other and nodded. "Fine."