Rip
"Why can't you stay?" a female voice shouted.
"I can't miss this!"
Something crashed to the floor. A yellow rodent with red cheeks backed out of the room as the voices continued shouting.
"Now look what you've done! You always mess everything up!" The feminine voice grew into an angry shriek. "You promised me so... many... times!"
Smack!
Ash reeled back, holding the side of his face in horror. Misty stood there, her face flushed deeper than her scarlet hair, azure eyes wet with tears.
Ash spoke. "Misty, I-I have to. I've waited my whole life--"
"How many times have you said that? You always go to one of these tournaments, battling, making your Pokemon beat up other Pokemon... You won't be greatest forever, Ash, you know that? Sooner or later--"
"Misty!"
"You always do this to me, you always-- always-- leave me!" Her voice rose to fever pitch while the yellow-furred Pokemon, the Pikachu, emitted a small spark in its anxiety. It watched, wide-eyed. Ash had made Misty angry again, and neither he nor Pikachu knew how to calm her. She slapped him with each word she spoke as he watched helplessly.
"This is our day! You promised so long ago... so many times!" With a sharp push, she wrenched herself away from him and ran. Ash stumbled back. He listened, his heart heavy with something like regret and confusion as Misty's footsteps faded down the hall, and the slam of a door and the groan of a car greeted his fears. Pikachu gazed at him until he turned and looked back at it. With difficulty he swallowed and spoke. "Are you ready for the Gemstone Tournament, Pikachu?" His voice cracked, and he sat-- no, fell-- onto a chair, hiding his tear-streaked face from the Pokemon as he collapsed into grief.