The Gifts Time Brings
By TJ Scyther
Chapter 1 - Parting Ways
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of it's characters. Please don't sue me. I'm poor.
(Author's Note: I really, really hope I'm not rusty writing Pokémon... It's been a long time since I wrote for Pokémon and never a straight romance like this, so you'll forgive me if something here seems out of character. This story uses an overused plot device, I admit that, but I hope when you read it, it will be used in a way you might not have seen before. It's also Ash and Misty from beginning to end, but again I hope to do them in a way you probably haven't seen. This is fully in character with the show, so there's no swearing or adult activities, fun for all. Ash is 16 and Misty is 17 here, so Brock is 19. Now with that squared away, please read, review, and enjoy!)
It's funny how everyone seems to hold something dear to them just because it feels right. For Ash Ketchum, his Pikachu, and his friends Misty and Brock, their tightly knit group was it. It had been so long since the three had met and since then their group changed a lot. Brock leaving and being replaced by Tracey was just the first. Misty had left leaving Brock and Ash to travel with a girl named May and her brother Max. For a while Richie traveled with Ash and Misty. Many old friends like Tracey and May would return, only to leave and someone else joining in, always with Ash at the helm. Even Gary had a turn at it, but no matter how many changes they went though, it always came back to them. Ash, Misty, and Brock. It was hard to explain, it just felt right. To them, this was home. No matter where they were or who they met, the three of them were always at home together.
On this particular sunny day the three were traveling through the Hoenn region. Ash had long since finished his travels though the area, but they always seemed to find a new excuse to continue traveling, in this case they were visiting old friends in the region. A week earlier they were in Mauville City and were now on Route 110 on their way to Littleroot Town to see May. At least that was the current plan, it wasn't uncommon for them to suddenly decide differently. Today would prove no different.
"Let's see..." Ash muttered, looking at the screen of the PokéNavi in his hand. The boy had grown into a fit young adult, by no means muscular but the constant traveling obviously kept him in shape. He no longer wore any kind of cap, leaving his usual short, messy black hair out. His fashion sense never really changed, he still wore jeans and sneakers, but over his white under shirt was now an unbuttoned blue one with black trim and a Pokéball patch stitched into each of the short sleeves. He still wore green finger-cut gloves, though now decorated with the same Pokéball symbol on the top of both that decorate his shirt sleeves.
"We're almost halfway to Staleport City now... So if it took a week to get here from Mauville, that means we can be in Littleroot in..." Ash scratched the side of his head with his free hand, a look of confusion on his face. He had been trying to figure out how long it would take to get to Littleroot for the last fifteen minutes but his math seemed to be failing him. For Misty, who had been just behind him during his failed attempt at calculating, it was getting irritating. She had grown as well, now a beautiful young girl, grown out of her tomboy appearances. Her fiery orange hair was no longer in a messy side ponytail, rather a long one at the back of her head going down to her shoulders, though her bangs still laid loosely in front. Misty still wore yellow, now in a short sleeve t-shirt with light blue trim, a little tight and cut to show her belly. Her shorts followed suit, yellow with blue trim, cut short. Physically she didn't grow as fast as Ash, and now was at the same height as him, able to look him in the eyes without bending her neck down a bit.
"It's four weeks, Ash!" Misty finally said, not quite shouting but obviously annoyed. She had been hoping he'd remember on his own, but she could only take it for so long. "We've taken this path plenty of times before, I thought you'd remember by now!" Ash mentally kicked himself, mainly for forgetting a route he should know, and also because he knew Misty would snap eventually.
"Misty, I can't remember every single path we take, let alone how long each one is." Ash replied, trying not to snap back at Misty. "You make it sound like I can't remember anything!" Pikachu, who was riding on Ash's right shoulder, took the moment to fold his ears down and put his hands over them, knowing full well what was coming. Brock, who was a few steps ahead of the two, could hear it coming, as well.
"Well there must be something wrong with your memory!" Misty said, her voice a little more heated. "This is my second time on this path and I remember how long it takes from here. This is your third and you can't even do the math right!" Now Ash couldn't hold back, Misty always managed to push his buttons like this.
"It's not my fault if I can't remember one little route out of hundreds!" Ash retorted, now not holding back. Brock sighed to himself as he walked ahead as the argument had officially begun. After so long he thought he would be used to it, but something never change. He looked on ahead at the route, taking note of a branch in the road ahead heading west. He had been with Ash all three times he traveled this route and knew which towns both lead to. He knew the split in the path was coming since leaving Mauville and had been in thought for the last week, now the choice was in front of him. Brock stopped when he came to the branch, looking back at Ash and Misty.
"Guys, stop it." Brock said sternly, catching both Ash and Misty's attention. It was rare Brock was that harsh when he had to stop their arguing, usually he just let them wear themselves out.
"What's the matter, Brock?" Ash asked. "We're going to Littleroot Town, that's the path heading west." Ash looked back at Misty and smirked a bit. "See? I remember the path fine!" Misty shot him a slight glare of annoyance, but it turned to puzzlement when she looked at Brock, who was still stopped and turned to them, not taking the west path.
"Guys, I'm not going with you to Littleroot." Brock stated, surprising Misty, Ash, and Pikachu. "I'm going to keep south and head to Staleport City. I want to catch a boat back to Kanto and Pewter City." This came as a surprise to everyone, it was the first Brock mentioned that he even had plans of returning home. It also wasn't like him, last time he parted ways with them he gave them plenty of warning.
"But why so suddenly, Brock?" Misty asked. "We're not even at Littleroot yet, I thought you'd want to visit May first if you had any plans of leaving." Ash couldn't make any more sense of it than Misty could, now just waiting for Brock's response.
"It's just been something I've been thinking of since we left Mauville." Brock explained. "I've missed my brothers and sisters lately and I'm sure my dad could use a break from the gym. I would like to see May, but then I'd have to travel alone for over a month to get back here. It's just easier this way." Both Ash and Misty were a little disheartened, they didn't like it when their group broke up so suddenly, especially if Brock knew for a week he might be leaving.
"So that's it?" Ash said, obviously saddened. "You're leaving this quickly?" Brock suddenly wished he had told them sooner, seeing how upset they looked made him remember last time he left so suddenly, they were just as upset. Ash did remind him of one last thing, though, something to soften the blow.
"Well it's not quite it." Brock said with a smile. He took hold of one strap of his camping pack, shrugging his shoulder to push it off. He swung the rest of the backpack around and let it fall to the ground in front of him, kneeling down to it. "I did pick up something in Mauville for you two, sort of a going away present." With that Brock unzipped the large compartment of his backpack, looking into it and digging through the contents. Ash and Misty walked up to him, standing side by side as they waited. A minute later Brock's arm emerged holding two books. One was small with an aqua blue cover and some kind of strap around it. The other was larger, about the size of a notebook, and dark brown in color. Brock stood and took a book in each hand, handing the blue book to Misty and the brown book to Ash. Both accepted them, with Ash attempting to open the book, only to be stopped by the strap that surrounded the book. Misty took a look at hers, now seeing a padlock on the strap that held the book shut, to which a key had been tied.
"Thanks, Brock." Misty said, her pleasant voice returning. "It's been a long time since I had a diary." Ash suddenly looked down at his book, fearing the word diary. A boy, after all, didn't keep a diary. His was different, of course, larger and the strap holding his shut was a leather belt with a normal buckle. Brock chuckled a bit at Ash's reaction, the panicked look on his face was priceless.
"Relax, Ash, there's a difference between a diary and a journal." Brock explained, zipping his backpack up again and returning it to his back. "Last time I came back, you guys had done so much you barely remembered the details. This way when I get back you won't have any excuse not to let me in on everything that's happened." Ash still had mixed emotions about the book in his hand, a blank book is a diary no matter what you call it.
"Thanks, Brock." Ash said, trying to put his gratitude into his response. "But how long will you be gone? I'm not exactly a writer, I don't know how long I could keep one of these." Misty was still examining her new diary, remembering the last one she had. She was still a bit of a tomboy back then and held many of the same notions as Ash did now, but it was surprising how much the simple hobby could pull you in.
"I'm really not sure." Brock said, just now realizing it. "It shouldn't be that long, maybe a couple of months. I guess whenever I'm ready to leave that home for this one again." The comment made both Ash and Misty smile, somehow Brock always knew something to say in hard moments like this.
"We're going to miss you, Brock, it's never the same without you." Misty said. She was still smiling, though her eyes showed how upset she was. It wasn't easy for Brock to see, he didn't like a long goodbye that had this effect.
"Yeah, don't take your time or anything." Ash said. "We'll call the gym when we get to Oldale Town in a few weeks. You're sure you can survive your siblings that long?" Brock always had to admire that aspect of Ash, it was easy to see in his face he was upset, but at the same time he stuck to his usual personality instead of getting weepy with his goodbye.
"I'll let you know when you call." Brock said with a smile. "I better get going, I can't handle long goodbyes. Take care of yourselves, you two." With that he turned away, facing the path to the south once more, starting down the long road. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all waived their goodbyes for as long as they knew Brock could still hear them, but it seemed to pass so quickly, before they knew it he was out of sight, and their group was once more reduced to two humans and a Pokémon that wouldn't stay in it's ball.
**********
Only half an hour later Misty and Ash were walking the west path, back on their original route to Littleroot Town. The trip without Brock was starting off silent, maybe because they were still surprised at his sudden departure, but more than that both were worried of starting an argument without Brock to act as referee. Last time Pikachu replaced Brock in that role but electric shocks aren't as easing as Brock's words.
"...So, want to take bets on the next third wheel we meet up with?" Ash said to break the silence. It was true that it seemed like as soon as someone left, another came around, they wouldn't go a week without one of their old friends joining up if it went like usual.
"I don't know, last time you got me to do that you already knew Richie was going to be in the next town we stopped at..." Misty said. She referred to an incident about 3 months ago where Richie called Ash about meeting up in Vermillion City. Afterwards Ash bet her Richie would be next and Misty ended up having to carry his backpack for a week.
"Come on, how could there be a set-up this time?" Ash asked. "Neither of us knew Brock was leaving and you know we haven't been calling anybody, it's a fair bet." Misty took a minute to consider it, she still hadn't gotten him back for the Richie incident. As it was Ash had a disadvantage, Misty was still the most organized of their group and knew which of their friends was in the Hoenn region now, it was as good a chance as she was going to get.
"Okay, but I want something more decisive this time." She finally replied. "We'll pick two, better odds of getting it right." Ash preferred that, anyway, it made sure there was a winner in these bets.
"Alright, then I'm taking Gary and Richie." Ash said with confidence. Misty smiled to herself as Ash picked those names, Gary was in Hoenn but she knew Richie wasn't, he was still in Johto. That gave her 2 out of 3 odds, making it easy.
"Fair enough, then I'll pick Tracey and May." Misty said with a smirk. Ash blinked slightly before slapping his palm to his forehead, May was the one they were visiting, why didn't he think to pick her? The action drew a small giggle from Misty, knowing what it was about. "So what do we bet this time?" Ash returned his attention to this friendly wager, giving this part of it some consideration.
"Well we could do the same as last time, loser carries both backpacks." Ash suggested, which immediately drew a head shake from Misty. Honestly it wasn't fair to her, his backpack was always heavier than hers was just for it's size.
"No thanks, your pack is too heavy, let alone with the journal adding to it now." She commented. The words, however, drew a good idea for her. "How about that? Loser lets the winner read what's in their diary." Ash wasn't sure about that, he knew Misty had one advantage picking May already... but how often does one get a chance to peak in the diary of his best friend without getting in trouble?
"Alright, I like that idea." He replied. It wasn't much of a losing situation for him, he didn't write that well so as it was he wouldn't leave her much to read. The two stopped and turned slightly to each other, extending hands and shaking to seal the deal. "Just remember it was your idea, don't get sore if you lose." Misty smirked as they broke the handshake, showing the confidence in her advantage even if Ash didn't know what it was for.
"Don't worry, you won't hear a thing from me." She said with confidence, turning to walk again. Ash followed suit, still mentally cursing himself for forgetting about May. Still even if he won he figured her diary wouldn't have anything more than a few entries about water Pokémon and how their days went. Misty, on the other hand, was looking forward to winning this one if only because Ash rarely became deep in thought out loud. She hoped for once she could get some insight into what was behind his unusually-dense head, but it was only a hope, she knew it was probably going to be a journal of Pokémon he wants to catch.
"So Misty, you've had a diary before, right?" Ash asked somewhat hesitantly. "What kind of things did you put in it?" Misty glanced over at him, smiling slightly at this handy turn of events, maybe she could influence him out of writing about Pokémon.
"Well I always used to put down things I was thinking about that day but I couldn't tell anyone." She explained. "Not the trivial everyday things, more personal things. Like any guy things you talked with Brock about would be a start." Ash mentally took notes as Misty explained, still not crazy about the idea of writing down personal thoughts. "Mostly what I put down was about my sisters, a lot of things you write about ends up being about people you spend the day with." Misty wasn't sure that last part was such a good idea, as much as Ash and her argued she was sure it would have a few pages of enraged rants.
"Wait, so you'll be writing about me in there?" Ash asked. Similar thoughts suddenly rushed through his own mind, he felt bad enough when Misty got mad and went on a rant, let alone having to read it if he won the bet.
"Well I won't have much else to write about unless the next Pokémon Center has our 'third wheel.'" Misty continued. "Remember it's Brock that wants us to use these, we're supposed to write what goes on for him to catch up on." Ash nodded, remembering that part well enough on his own.
**********
The small talk about Brock's presents continued until the two reached the Pokémon Center late in the day, only giving them enough time to get something to eat before night fell. The Center's food was average at best, it didn't even compare to Brock's cooking and despite attempts Brock couldn't manage to teach Misty or Ash how to cook at all.
This Center had one large room with beds laid out along the walls, but they were the only ones there for the night. Ash was already in one of the beds in the rest are, sitting up with his back against the headboard and the light on the nightstand on, cap off and freshly showered for bed. Pikachu had already found a spot at the foot of the bed and was sleeping soundly. The journal Brock gave him early that day was open to it's first page in Ash's lap, with a loosely held pencil pointed to the top line as he collected his thoughts. Misty was still in the bathroom getting in her shower and Ash wanted to get this over with for the night while she was occupied.
Dear Journal...
Ash hesitated. It didn't feel right somehow to have to address a book, he felt silly. But what else was he going to call it? He refused to call it a diary and he didn't want to refer to it as 'Brock'. He sighed slightly and relented to the corny starting line.
Dear Journal
I'm still not sure this will be any good, it feels like talking to a book and I really don't see why people think it's fun to write something only they usually read. I don't even know what to put here, not a thing happened today after you left.
Ash reread that last part and realized he had written it like he was talking to Brock, Which, technically, he was. Ash scratched the side of his head with the pencil tip, lost for ideas on what to put. After a few minutes of hesitation he heard a click from the bathroom door. He looked over to see Misty step back out, now showered herself and ready for bed with her hair down, now a little past shoulder length without being tied up.
"I still say you should wear you hair like that all the time, the ponytail doesn't suit you anymore." Ash commented. Misty stepped over to the bed next to Ash's, pulling back the covers and sitting down, facing toward him.
"This from someone who doesn't look like he's combed his hair in years." She joked. "I like it in a ponytail, easier to take care of." She slid both legs under the covers, sliding up a bit before pulling the covers over her legs, now sitting the same was as Ash. As Misty reached for her diary on the nightstand, Ash returned to his journal.
I still can't get her to keep her hair down all the time. You were doing a better job convincing her the last few weeks, if you didn't pick such a bad time to take off we might have gotten rid of the ponytail tonight.
Ash stopped again, finding nothing else to really put down for the day. He glanced over at Misty, who seemed to be starting the same dilemma he had. Writing that last passage, Ash remembered why he wanted Misty to lose the ponytail. When the two first met, she never took her hair down, and the first time he saw her do it was at a festival during a dance. It was the first time he actually thought she was pretty, and now as the two matured, he would even say beautiful, but she only let it down at night and usually it was after he had already gone out for the night. Ash closed the journal and buckled it back up, setting it aside for the night. He was starting to resent it already if only for making him wonder exactly why he liked seeing Misty look more beautiful.
Meanwhile Misty was looking into her own diary, using a pen rather than a pencil to write down her thoughts. It was something she grew a habit out of when she first had a diary, she thought whatever came out first was what should be there, without being able to erase it.
Dear Brock
Since this is supposed to be for your reading I thought it made sense to refer to you instead of the book.
After you left the day became pretty dull. Me and Ash made a bet as to who would join the group first, but the winner gets to read the other's diary when it happens. I hope you don't get upset if Ash or me have already read the other's diary but it's all I could think of at the time. Besides, how else am I going to get any deep thoughts out of his head?
Misty took a quick glance at Ash after writing that line, finding him already turned away from her, attempting to get to sleep.
I shouldn't say that, should I? I don't know how long it will be just me and him traveling and if I start thinking about things like that we'll end up in a fight without anyone here to break us apart gently. I hate traveling with just him because it always comes to the same thing, a fight both of us will end up regretting because it went too far. I don't want to fight with him again, not like that, I don't even know why we still fight after so long but it's inevitable.
Misty stopped in the middle of her thoughts, just now realizing what she was writing. She meant to just write about the day and what her and Brock would usually talk about, not go into why her and Ash had a habit of fighting. But there it was, written in blue ink across the page, her thoughts as they came to her. Rereading it, it upset her thinking that she really was afraid of these times with Ash. He was her best friend, two years of her childhood revolved around him, they never even slept more than a few feet from each other. Yet when it was just the two of them, when an argument hit as they always did, nobody was there to talk them down before they went too far. It always made the next few days an uneasy silence, made both of them miserable, but it happened every time. What made it so much worse was how trivial it always was, a few innocent insults or one dumb thing and they both went off. Misty closed the diary, not wanting to go any farther on the thought, locking the book shut again before setting it aside and turning off the table lamp. Maybe she would pick it up the next morning when she had a night's sleep in her. As she laid down to sleep, Misty couldn't get her mind off of it, she had thought on it too much. Why did she always have this urge to fight with Ash? She didn't want to, not at all. But that just lead her back to the same question... Why?
End Chapter 1
By TJ Scyther
Chapter 1 - Parting Ways
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of it's characters. Please don't sue me. I'm poor.
(Author's Note: I really, really hope I'm not rusty writing Pokémon... It's been a long time since I wrote for Pokémon and never a straight romance like this, so you'll forgive me if something here seems out of character. This story uses an overused plot device, I admit that, but I hope when you read it, it will be used in a way you might not have seen before. It's also Ash and Misty from beginning to end, but again I hope to do them in a way you probably haven't seen. This is fully in character with the show, so there's no swearing or adult activities, fun for all. Ash is 16 and Misty is 17 here, so Brock is 19. Now with that squared away, please read, review, and enjoy!)
It's funny how everyone seems to hold something dear to them just because it feels right. For Ash Ketchum, his Pikachu, and his friends Misty and Brock, their tightly knit group was it. It had been so long since the three had met and since then their group changed a lot. Brock leaving and being replaced by Tracey was just the first. Misty had left leaving Brock and Ash to travel with a girl named May and her brother Max. For a while Richie traveled with Ash and Misty. Many old friends like Tracey and May would return, only to leave and someone else joining in, always with Ash at the helm. Even Gary had a turn at it, but no matter how many changes they went though, it always came back to them. Ash, Misty, and Brock. It was hard to explain, it just felt right. To them, this was home. No matter where they were or who they met, the three of them were always at home together.
On this particular sunny day the three were traveling through the Hoenn region. Ash had long since finished his travels though the area, but they always seemed to find a new excuse to continue traveling, in this case they were visiting old friends in the region. A week earlier they were in Mauville City and were now on Route 110 on their way to Littleroot Town to see May. At least that was the current plan, it wasn't uncommon for them to suddenly decide differently. Today would prove no different.
"Let's see..." Ash muttered, looking at the screen of the PokéNavi in his hand. The boy had grown into a fit young adult, by no means muscular but the constant traveling obviously kept him in shape. He no longer wore any kind of cap, leaving his usual short, messy black hair out. His fashion sense never really changed, he still wore jeans and sneakers, but over his white under shirt was now an unbuttoned blue one with black trim and a Pokéball patch stitched into each of the short sleeves. He still wore green finger-cut gloves, though now decorated with the same Pokéball symbol on the top of both that decorate his shirt sleeves.
"We're almost halfway to Staleport City now... So if it took a week to get here from Mauville, that means we can be in Littleroot in..." Ash scratched the side of his head with his free hand, a look of confusion on his face. He had been trying to figure out how long it would take to get to Littleroot for the last fifteen minutes but his math seemed to be failing him. For Misty, who had been just behind him during his failed attempt at calculating, it was getting irritating. She had grown as well, now a beautiful young girl, grown out of her tomboy appearances. Her fiery orange hair was no longer in a messy side ponytail, rather a long one at the back of her head going down to her shoulders, though her bangs still laid loosely in front. Misty still wore yellow, now in a short sleeve t-shirt with light blue trim, a little tight and cut to show her belly. Her shorts followed suit, yellow with blue trim, cut short. Physically she didn't grow as fast as Ash, and now was at the same height as him, able to look him in the eyes without bending her neck down a bit.
"It's four weeks, Ash!" Misty finally said, not quite shouting but obviously annoyed. She had been hoping he'd remember on his own, but she could only take it for so long. "We've taken this path plenty of times before, I thought you'd remember by now!" Ash mentally kicked himself, mainly for forgetting a route he should know, and also because he knew Misty would snap eventually.
"Misty, I can't remember every single path we take, let alone how long each one is." Ash replied, trying not to snap back at Misty. "You make it sound like I can't remember anything!" Pikachu, who was riding on Ash's right shoulder, took the moment to fold his ears down and put his hands over them, knowing full well what was coming. Brock, who was a few steps ahead of the two, could hear it coming, as well.
"Well there must be something wrong with your memory!" Misty said, her voice a little more heated. "This is my second time on this path and I remember how long it takes from here. This is your third and you can't even do the math right!" Now Ash couldn't hold back, Misty always managed to push his buttons like this.
"It's not my fault if I can't remember one little route out of hundreds!" Ash retorted, now not holding back. Brock sighed to himself as he walked ahead as the argument had officially begun. After so long he thought he would be used to it, but something never change. He looked on ahead at the route, taking note of a branch in the road ahead heading west. He had been with Ash all three times he traveled this route and knew which towns both lead to. He knew the split in the path was coming since leaving Mauville and had been in thought for the last week, now the choice was in front of him. Brock stopped when he came to the branch, looking back at Ash and Misty.
"Guys, stop it." Brock said sternly, catching both Ash and Misty's attention. It was rare Brock was that harsh when he had to stop their arguing, usually he just let them wear themselves out.
"What's the matter, Brock?" Ash asked. "We're going to Littleroot Town, that's the path heading west." Ash looked back at Misty and smirked a bit. "See? I remember the path fine!" Misty shot him a slight glare of annoyance, but it turned to puzzlement when she looked at Brock, who was still stopped and turned to them, not taking the west path.
"Guys, I'm not going with you to Littleroot." Brock stated, surprising Misty, Ash, and Pikachu. "I'm going to keep south and head to Staleport City. I want to catch a boat back to Kanto and Pewter City." This came as a surprise to everyone, it was the first Brock mentioned that he even had plans of returning home. It also wasn't like him, last time he parted ways with them he gave them plenty of warning.
"But why so suddenly, Brock?" Misty asked. "We're not even at Littleroot yet, I thought you'd want to visit May first if you had any plans of leaving." Ash couldn't make any more sense of it than Misty could, now just waiting for Brock's response.
"It's just been something I've been thinking of since we left Mauville." Brock explained. "I've missed my brothers and sisters lately and I'm sure my dad could use a break from the gym. I would like to see May, but then I'd have to travel alone for over a month to get back here. It's just easier this way." Both Ash and Misty were a little disheartened, they didn't like it when their group broke up so suddenly, especially if Brock knew for a week he might be leaving.
"So that's it?" Ash said, obviously saddened. "You're leaving this quickly?" Brock suddenly wished he had told them sooner, seeing how upset they looked made him remember last time he left so suddenly, they were just as upset. Ash did remind him of one last thing, though, something to soften the blow.
"Well it's not quite it." Brock said with a smile. He took hold of one strap of his camping pack, shrugging his shoulder to push it off. He swung the rest of the backpack around and let it fall to the ground in front of him, kneeling down to it. "I did pick up something in Mauville for you two, sort of a going away present." With that Brock unzipped the large compartment of his backpack, looking into it and digging through the contents. Ash and Misty walked up to him, standing side by side as they waited. A minute later Brock's arm emerged holding two books. One was small with an aqua blue cover and some kind of strap around it. The other was larger, about the size of a notebook, and dark brown in color. Brock stood and took a book in each hand, handing the blue book to Misty and the brown book to Ash. Both accepted them, with Ash attempting to open the book, only to be stopped by the strap that surrounded the book. Misty took a look at hers, now seeing a padlock on the strap that held the book shut, to which a key had been tied.
"Thanks, Brock." Misty said, her pleasant voice returning. "It's been a long time since I had a diary." Ash suddenly looked down at his book, fearing the word diary. A boy, after all, didn't keep a diary. His was different, of course, larger and the strap holding his shut was a leather belt with a normal buckle. Brock chuckled a bit at Ash's reaction, the panicked look on his face was priceless.
"Relax, Ash, there's a difference between a diary and a journal." Brock explained, zipping his backpack up again and returning it to his back. "Last time I came back, you guys had done so much you barely remembered the details. This way when I get back you won't have any excuse not to let me in on everything that's happened." Ash still had mixed emotions about the book in his hand, a blank book is a diary no matter what you call it.
"Thanks, Brock." Ash said, trying to put his gratitude into his response. "But how long will you be gone? I'm not exactly a writer, I don't know how long I could keep one of these." Misty was still examining her new diary, remembering the last one she had. She was still a bit of a tomboy back then and held many of the same notions as Ash did now, but it was surprising how much the simple hobby could pull you in.
"I'm really not sure." Brock said, just now realizing it. "It shouldn't be that long, maybe a couple of months. I guess whenever I'm ready to leave that home for this one again." The comment made both Ash and Misty smile, somehow Brock always knew something to say in hard moments like this.
"We're going to miss you, Brock, it's never the same without you." Misty said. She was still smiling, though her eyes showed how upset she was. It wasn't easy for Brock to see, he didn't like a long goodbye that had this effect.
"Yeah, don't take your time or anything." Ash said. "We'll call the gym when we get to Oldale Town in a few weeks. You're sure you can survive your siblings that long?" Brock always had to admire that aspect of Ash, it was easy to see in his face he was upset, but at the same time he stuck to his usual personality instead of getting weepy with his goodbye.
"I'll let you know when you call." Brock said with a smile. "I better get going, I can't handle long goodbyes. Take care of yourselves, you two." With that he turned away, facing the path to the south once more, starting down the long road. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all waived their goodbyes for as long as they knew Brock could still hear them, but it seemed to pass so quickly, before they knew it he was out of sight, and their group was once more reduced to two humans and a Pokémon that wouldn't stay in it's ball.
**********
Only half an hour later Misty and Ash were walking the west path, back on their original route to Littleroot Town. The trip without Brock was starting off silent, maybe because they were still surprised at his sudden departure, but more than that both were worried of starting an argument without Brock to act as referee. Last time Pikachu replaced Brock in that role but electric shocks aren't as easing as Brock's words.
"...So, want to take bets on the next third wheel we meet up with?" Ash said to break the silence. It was true that it seemed like as soon as someone left, another came around, they wouldn't go a week without one of their old friends joining up if it went like usual.
"I don't know, last time you got me to do that you already knew Richie was going to be in the next town we stopped at..." Misty said. She referred to an incident about 3 months ago where Richie called Ash about meeting up in Vermillion City. Afterwards Ash bet her Richie would be next and Misty ended up having to carry his backpack for a week.
"Come on, how could there be a set-up this time?" Ash asked. "Neither of us knew Brock was leaving and you know we haven't been calling anybody, it's a fair bet." Misty took a minute to consider it, she still hadn't gotten him back for the Richie incident. As it was Ash had a disadvantage, Misty was still the most organized of their group and knew which of their friends was in the Hoenn region now, it was as good a chance as she was going to get.
"Okay, but I want something more decisive this time." She finally replied. "We'll pick two, better odds of getting it right." Ash preferred that, anyway, it made sure there was a winner in these bets.
"Alright, then I'm taking Gary and Richie." Ash said with confidence. Misty smiled to herself as Ash picked those names, Gary was in Hoenn but she knew Richie wasn't, he was still in Johto. That gave her 2 out of 3 odds, making it easy.
"Fair enough, then I'll pick Tracey and May." Misty said with a smirk. Ash blinked slightly before slapping his palm to his forehead, May was the one they were visiting, why didn't he think to pick her? The action drew a small giggle from Misty, knowing what it was about. "So what do we bet this time?" Ash returned his attention to this friendly wager, giving this part of it some consideration.
"Well we could do the same as last time, loser carries both backpacks." Ash suggested, which immediately drew a head shake from Misty. Honestly it wasn't fair to her, his backpack was always heavier than hers was just for it's size.
"No thanks, your pack is too heavy, let alone with the journal adding to it now." She commented. The words, however, drew a good idea for her. "How about that? Loser lets the winner read what's in their diary." Ash wasn't sure about that, he knew Misty had one advantage picking May already... but how often does one get a chance to peak in the diary of his best friend without getting in trouble?
"Alright, I like that idea." He replied. It wasn't much of a losing situation for him, he didn't write that well so as it was he wouldn't leave her much to read. The two stopped and turned slightly to each other, extending hands and shaking to seal the deal. "Just remember it was your idea, don't get sore if you lose." Misty smirked as they broke the handshake, showing the confidence in her advantage even if Ash didn't know what it was for.
"Don't worry, you won't hear a thing from me." She said with confidence, turning to walk again. Ash followed suit, still mentally cursing himself for forgetting about May. Still even if he won he figured her diary wouldn't have anything more than a few entries about water Pokémon and how their days went. Misty, on the other hand, was looking forward to winning this one if only because Ash rarely became deep in thought out loud. She hoped for once she could get some insight into what was behind his unusually-dense head, but it was only a hope, she knew it was probably going to be a journal of Pokémon he wants to catch.
"So Misty, you've had a diary before, right?" Ash asked somewhat hesitantly. "What kind of things did you put in it?" Misty glanced over at him, smiling slightly at this handy turn of events, maybe she could influence him out of writing about Pokémon.
"Well I always used to put down things I was thinking about that day but I couldn't tell anyone." She explained. "Not the trivial everyday things, more personal things. Like any guy things you talked with Brock about would be a start." Ash mentally took notes as Misty explained, still not crazy about the idea of writing down personal thoughts. "Mostly what I put down was about my sisters, a lot of things you write about ends up being about people you spend the day with." Misty wasn't sure that last part was such a good idea, as much as Ash and her argued she was sure it would have a few pages of enraged rants.
"Wait, so you'll be writing about me in there?" Ash asked. Similar thoughts suddenly rushed through his own mind, he felt bad enough when Misty got mad and went on a rant, let alone having to read it if he won the bet.
"Well I won't have much else to write about unless the next Pokémon Center has our 'third wheel.'" Misty continued. "Remember it's Brock that wants us to use these, we're supposed to write what goes on for him to catch up on." Ash nodded, remembering that part well enough on his own.
**********
The small talk about Brock's presents continued until the two reached the Pokémon Center late in the day, only giving them enough time to get something to eat before night fell. The Center's food was average at best, it didn't even compare to Brock's cooking and despite attempts Brock couldn't manage to teach Misty or Ash how to cook at all.
This Center had one large room with beds laid out along the walls, but they were the only ones there for the night. Ash was already in one of the beds in the rest are, sitting up with his back against the headboard and the light on the nightstand on, cap off and freshly showered for bed. Pikachu had already found a spot at the foot of the bed and was sleeping soundly. The journal Brock gave him early that day was open to it's first page in Ash's lap, with a loosely held pencil pointed to the top line as he collected his thoughts. Misty was still in the bathroom getting in her shower and Ash wanted to get this over with for the night while she was occupied.
Dear Journal...
Ash hesitated. It didn't feel right somehow to have to address a book, he felt silly. But what else was he going to call it? He refused to call it a diary and he didn't want to refer to it as 'Brock'. He sighed slightly and relented to the corny starting line.
Dear Journal
I'm still not sure this will be any good, it feels like talking to a book and I really don't see why people think it's fun to write something only they usually read. I don't even know what to put here, not a thing happened today after you left.
Ash reread that last part and realized he had written it like he was talking to Brock, Which, technically, he was. Ash scratched the side of his head with the pencil tip, lost for ideas on what to put. After a few minutes of hesitation he heard a click from the bathroom door. He looked over to see Misty step back out, now showered herself and ready for bed with her hair down, now a little past shoulder length without being tied up.
"I still say you should wear you hair like that all the time, the ponytail doesn't suit you anymore." Ash commented. Misty stepped over to the bed next to Ash's, pulling back the covers and sitting down, facing toward him.
"This from someone who doesn't look like he's combed his hair in years." She joked. "I like it in a ponytail, easier to take care of." She slid both legs under the covers, sliding up a bit before pulling the covers over her legs, now sitting the same was as Ash. As Misty reached for her diary on the nightstand, Ash returned to his journal.
I still can't get her to keep her hair down all the time. You were doing a better job convincing her the last few weeks, if you didn't pick such a bad time to take off we might have gotten rid of the ponytail tonight.
Ash stopped again, finding nothing else to really put down for the day. He glanced over at Misty, who seemed to be starting the same dilemma he had. Writing that last passage, Ash remembered why he wanted Misty to lose the ponytail. When the two first met, she never took her hair down, and the first time he saw her do it was at a festival during a dance. It was the first time he actually thought she was pretty, and now as the two matured, he would even say beautiful, but she only let it down at night and usually it was after he had already gone out for the night. Ash closed the journal and buckled it back up, setting it aside for the night. He was starting to resent it already if only for making him wonder exactly why he liked seeing Misty look more beautiful.
Meanwhile Misty was looking into her own diary, using a pen rather than a pencil to write down her thoughts. It was something she grew a habit out of when she first had a diary, she thought whatever came out first was what should be there, without being able to erase it.
Dear Brock
Since this is supposed to be for your reading I thought it made sense to refer to you instead of the book.
After you left the day became pretty dull. Me and Ash made a bet as to who would join the group first, but the winner gets to read the other's diary when it happens. I hope you don't get upset if Ash or me have already read the other's diary but it's all I could think of at the time. Besides, how else am I going to get any deep thoughts out of his head?
Misty took a quick glance at Ash after writing that line, finding him already turned away from her, attempting to get to sleep.
I shouldn't say that, should I? I don't know how long it will be just me and him traveling and if I start thinking about things like that we'll end up in a fight without anyone here to break us apart gently. I hate traveling with just him because it always comes to the same thing, a fight both of us will end up regretting because it went too far. I don't want to fight with him again, not like that, I don't even know why we still fight after so long but it's inevitable.
Misty stopped in the middle of her thoughts, just now realizing what she was writing. She meant to just write about the day and what her and Brock would usually talk about, not go into why her and Ash had a habit of fighting. But there it was, written in blue ink across the page, her thoughts as they came to her. Rereading it, it upset her thinking that she really was afraid of these times with Ash. He was her best friend, two years of her childhood revolved around him, they never even slept more than a few feet from each other. Yet when it was just the two of them, when an argument hit as they always did, nobody was there to talk them down before they went too far. It always made the next few days an uneasy silence, made both of them miserable, but it happened every time. What made it so much worse was how trivial it always was, a few innocent insults or one dumb thing and they both went off. Misty closed the diary, not wanting to go any farther on the thought, locking the book shut again before setting it aside and turning off the table lamp. Maybe she would pick it up the next morning when she had a night's sleep in her. As she laid down to sleep, Misty couldn't get her mind off of it, she had thought on it too much. Why did she always have this urge to fight with Ash? She didn't want to, not at all. But that just lead her back to the same question... Why?
End Chapter 1