An Emotional Encounter
By: Chris Devlin
E-Mail: chris_devlin@hotmail.com
I don't see why he has to be so oblivious to it. I mean it's not like I haven't given him hints. After all he was there when I gave up the chance to stay on Trovita Island. Sure I didn't tell him why, but surely he's not that stupid. Is he?
Misty sighed and put the lid back on her pen before closing her diary and hiding it in her back-pack. She looked over at Ash in his sleeping bag. He was lying on his back and Pikachu lay dormant on his chest. Watching his chest rise and fall rhythmically, she imagined being with him. Being able to walk hand in hand with him down a beach as the sun slowly set over the horizon. She didn't know why, but there was something strangely appealing in the young trainer. He was, crude, loud, over-confident and hardly ever said the right thing. But... something inside her yearned to be with him. To have him hold her in his arms. To share kisses. She sat in her sleeping bag, the fire crackling, holding the thought, cherishing it. She turned her attention to the burning camp fire. Staring into the flames her mind began to wander. She considered the past, the present. The future. Fires didn't have any problems with feelings. They did have things in common though. They both consume the things and people who have encountered them. Misty's feelings were currently consuming her, eating away at her. She felt that if she didn't tell somebody soon she would explode, like the most expensive firework ever built. What she needed was someone who would listen and offer their opinion and advice. She longed for her sisters, a first, if only because they might understand what she was going through. She needed space. A place where she could get her thoughts together with no disturbances. No Togepi, no Team Rocket, no Tracey and no... and no Ash.
Ash, Tracey and Pikachu were woken by the sound of wailing. A loud siren like noise. "Hey, where's the fire?!" Ash cried as he woke. Looking around he spotted Togepi standing next to Misty's empty sleeping bag and wailing out loud. It hadn't been slept in and a note was pinned to it. "Pikachu, try and calm Togepi down." Ash commanded as he bent down to look at the note. "What does it say?" Tracey asked as he walked up to Ash. "Weird." Ash replied. "Listen to this..."
Dear Guys,
I hope you get this before Togepi wakes up. It'll be really cranky cause I'm not there. Anyway, I'm sorry to do this to you but... Well my head is a mess. I need to sort some things out. I've got things to think about and work out. I won't be gone long. A day at most, but long enough for me to have good think. I've left my Pokémon there, so if you need them then feel free to use them. If everything goes well I'll explain when I get back. Just don't come looking for me. I need my privacy just now, so please leave me be. I hope you understand.
Love Misty
"Whoa." Tracey said. Ash frowned. "Did she seem weird last night?" he asked. "Not really." Tracey said. "Oh but I did notice her looking at you a lot." he added. Ash's face contorted even more as he got increasingly concerned about her. He stood up and scrambled over to his things "We have to find her." Ash said frantically. "Wh.. what? You heard the note. She doesn't want us to look for her." Tracey intervened. This stopped Ash in his tracks. "Jeez Ash. I've never seen you like this. Are you ok?" Tracey asked. "No I'm not." he snapped back. He seemed to calm down a bit, his back turned to Tracey. "It's just. I love her, Ok. I always have, and the thought of something happening to her just terrifies me." he explained. "Oh, right." Tracey replied solemnly. "Does she know how you feel?" he asked. "No. I couldn't bear to tell her. I'm too afraid of her not loving me in return, or of it ruining our friendship." he turned round. Tracey could see tears streaming down his face. "If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself." he sobbed. "I'll never forgive myself!"
The slosh of the waves against the hard rocks soothed Misty. It always had. Ever since she was a child, when she needed comforting or had to think, she came to the sea. That was why she had become a Water Pokémon Trainer. The sea could be beautiful and was home to some of the most amazing Pokémon, yet it could be destructive and devastating. There were those who said she was like that, beautiful but prone to destructive outbursts. Just now it was almost perfectly still and Misty could see for miles out to sea. She looked at her reflection in the water. She frowned. Her hair had begun to annoy her in recent times. It was too childish and besides, she new she was more attractive when she let it down. Reaching up she untwisted the band that held her hair in place and pulled it out. Her red hair fell down to below her shoulders and she shook her head gently to rearrange it better. She had decided she was going to tell Ash how she felt. She stood only to gain from it. If he didn't reciprocate she could just laugh it off as a joke. Allowing herself a smile she moved her legs round and let them dangle in the cool water. The rippling water gently massaging her legs as it lapped around them. She sat there for another few hours, just staring out to sea, before she stood up and headed back to the camp site.
Ash had left Tracey behind in the camp as he looked for firewood. It took his mind off of Misty. Pikachu walked along side him, often rummaging in bushes to get the bits of wood Ash couldn't. He despaired at his master. He had known long before Ash had even admitted it to him that he had a soft spot for Misty. Frankly Pikachu couldn't find fault with his choice. If Ash had dropped dead right on the spot, Pikachu would have went with Misty. Pikachu had always liked Misty. Ash had always been jealous of how easily Pikachu took to Misty. Or was it more that Misty took to Pikachu more than she did to him. Pikachu looked up at his master. Ash had stopped dead, his bundle of wood lying in a heap on the ground. "Pika?" it asked. Ash didn't reply. Pikachu frowned and jumped on to Ash's shoulder to better see what had him so spooked. Through the trees they could see to the nearby beach and the girl walking down it. She had long red hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall, and a red back-pack slung over her shoulder. It took a second before Pikachu realized that the girl was in-fact Misty. "Misty?" Ash whispered. He started to walk forward, towards the beach, towards Misty.
"Misty!" he shouted out as he walked out on to the beach. She turned round to face him. "Ash! Hi." she shouted back as they ran towards each other, Pikachu at Ash's side. As she ran her hair swung behind her until when she stopped it came to rest. Ash couldn't take his eyes off her. "So, er. How are you?" he asked his face beginning to go a shade of bright red. "I'm okay. I really needed that time just to think." she replied. Ash noticed she kept looking at her feet, but thought nothing of it. "What did you need to think about so badly?" he asked not noticing the periscope that had just appeared out of the ocean a few hundred meter out to sea.
"There they are." Jesse confirmed. "The twerp and twerpette, totally oblivious to our attack." she added. She turned round to face James and Meowth who were pedaling furiously to keep the sub from sinking. "So what's the plan Jess?" Meowth said, all the while pumping away with his short feline legs. "We'll surface and grab that Pikachu of his." James said. "After all, we never do anything different." he added. "You shut-up!" Jesse said as she slapped James. Then she stopped and seemed to think. "Actually I can't think of anything else so yes that is what we shall do." James and Meowth looked at each other and groaned.
"You really want to know what I had to think about Ash?" Misty said to the blushing Trainer. "Well, yeah." he said. "Ok then. It's about you." she replied. "For a while now I've thought of you as more than just a friend. In fact, I. I lo..." SPLASH!!! They both spun around as they heard the thunderous noise of a something large emerging from the sea. In front of them sat the un-mistakable form of Team Rocket's Magikarp Submarine. The top fin of the sub tipped backwards and the three villains emerged into the sunlight. "I hope we're interrupting something!" Jesse cried out. "Yeah, we like to gatecrash other peoples business!" Meowth added. "Actually, you are interrupting something so will you go away please." Misty shouted to them. "Hey, you pipsqueaks can't push us about!" James yelled back to her. Meowth stepped forward holding a remote control unit in his paws. "Yeah. If anyone's gonna be doing any pushing around here it'll be us!" the Pokémon cried and pressed a button on the Remote Control. From the mouth of the Sub two gloved hands on robotic arms appeared and shot towards the young trainers and Pikachu. The hands moved between the two trainers before quickly moving outwards propelling each of them in a different direction. Ash landed with a bump on the sand a few meters away, dazed and confused. Misty wasn't so lucky and landed on her back, hitting her head hard against the ground putting her into unconsciousness. Pikachu looked at both the dazed trainers before turning to face Team Rockets robot-arms. Meowth turned to James. "You did shock proof these arms didn't you?" he asked. James thought for a second. "You know, I don't think I did." he said casually. It took a second to sink in. "WHAT!!!" Jesse and Meowth screamed at him. "Oh no." James replied.
Pikachu smirked as he overheard the argument. His cheeks crackled with anticipation at the imminent attack, as he built up a Thundershock charge. Looking directly at the extended arms he let rip with all his electric power. "PIKACHU!!!" he cried, and the electric shock flew out of him, onto the extended robotic arms and ultimately onto the doomed sub. The shock made it's way inside to the fuel tank and ignited the volatile contents, destroying the sub and sending the trio high into the stratosphere. "Pikachu!" the small yellow Pokémon cried in glee as he watched Team Rocket disappear. Looking around he spotted Ash and ran over to him. "Pika! Pika Pikachu?" he asked. "Oww." Ash said as he sat up. "It's ok Pikachu. I'm fine, just a sore head thats all." Ash looked up and scanned the area for Misty. It didn't take long before his eyes settled on her still form, lying some way up the beach. Quickly he scrambled to his feet and began running towards her. "Misty!" he shouted out in panic. When he reached her he fell to his knees and looked her over. She was still breathing and she hadn't broken anything. Ash breathed a sigh of relief. Taking her in his arms he started talking.
"Well Misty, since you were going to tell me something, I think it only fair that I tell you something." he whispered to the unconscious girl. "I've only just admitted this to myself." he blubbed, tears forming in his eyes. "I've never felt this way about anyone before." he continued as he looked up to the sky. The sun was beginning to set. Still looking into the sky he went on. "How can I say this? I, I, I love you Misty. I always have. I always will." he finished, tears rolling down his face. He looked down. This time into Misty's open eyes. She was smiling gently. "I mean, uh. Er, I had you going there Misty, huh." he said trying to cover up what had just happened. Reaching up she put a hand on his cheek. "Ash, it's alright. I love you too." she said. "What? You do?" Ash replied, slight shock in his voice. She moved her hand further up until she could cup his neck. "Yes I do. Now just kiss me already." she said as she pulled his head slowly towards her own until, their lips touched. They exchanged gentle caressing kisses until Ash broke it off. "Come on." he said taking her hand. "Let's go find Tracey." Together they walked down the beach together, the sun setting on the horizon.
That night Misty opened her diary again.
Finally it's happened. Ash and I are together. What's weird is that he told me he loved me before I could tell him. It was wonderfull. We walked down the beach together while the sun set. We sat and talked for hours after Tracey and the others went to sleep. He's a great guy, and he loves ME! I never thought this would ever happen. I can't wait to tell my sisters.
She closed the diary and looked over at Ash. He had moved his Sleeping bag over next to hers. She sighed. This time a sigh of contentment. "Let the good times roll Mist" she said to herself. "Let the good times roll."
The End