It was a new morning in Cerulean City, and Misty was pretty tired. She had spent the last four months catching water Pokemon. She had a Marill now, after spending countless hours swimming in the River Cordia trying to catch one. And now she was on the way to the Quartz City championships, to compete.
"Misty!"
Misty opened her eyes sleepily. "What?"
Daisy stood on the doorway, her blonde hair gleaming in the rays of sun that were streaming in through the open window, the breeze gently ruffling Misty's long jagged red hair.
"Why don't you come down for breakfast sweetie, you've got a big day ahead of you." Daisy smiled, buttoning her pink cardigan over her long green dress.
"OK." Misty yawned.
"Good, I'll go and feed the Pokemon. You get dressed."
"Sure." Misty said, throwing off the blankets.
Daisy smiled again, and disappeared through the door. She was always so bright and bouncy, and today Misty was going to be like that too.
She threw on some short blue denim shorts, but paused before she pulled on her yellow vest and braces. She was going to be different. She threw on a bright pink spaghetti strap top, and a light green cardigan that was almost the same as Daisy's. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and went downstairs. Daisy was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, smiling again. "What?" Misty asked suspiciously.
"You look, different. In a good way." Daisy added.
Misty blushed. "Thanks."
"Some friends are here to see you."
"Really? Mom came back with Lily and Violet?"
Daisy's face softened. "No honey, but they are just as special."
"They aren't, they couldn't, they're here?"
Daisy nodded.
Misty rushed into the huge pink kitchen. Sure enough, he was there.
"ASH!"
"Misty!"
She ran over to him and threw herself into his arms for a hug. She couldn't believe he was really there. He held her in front of him.
"Misty, you look different."
She smiled. "So I've been told."
She heard a cough, and turned around. There was a girl with him!
Ask sensed Misty's surprise. "Oh, Misty, this is May."
May smiled and waved slightly. She had scruffy brown hair tied with a bandanna, and a red shirt over tight black shorts.
Misty forced a smile. "Hi. My name's Misty."
May smiled awkwardly. "I guessed. I've heard so much about you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Ask said you used to travel with him."
"I did, for a while."
"Hey Misty, remember me?"
Misty turned. "Brock!" She hugged him too, suddenly exhausted.
"Save some for me!"
Misty knew that voice. "Tracey!"
He was next for a hug before Daisy walked in. "Who wants pancakes?"
"I do!" five voices chorused.
"Pika-pi!"
Misty smiled down at the little yellow Pokemon.
"I have a friend for you." she said sweetly.
She rummaged in her backpack, and finally brought out a pokeball.
"Go Marill!"
She threw the ball, and her Marill emerged in a flash of blue light, and sat cutely on the floor in front of them. They sat and talked around the kitchen table for a while, which was a huge glass tank with a thick glass lid, so they could glance at the Goldeen whilst eating. Misty noticed after a while Ash was gone. She nodded at her guests and said, "I'll just be a minute." Then she walked out into the Cerulean Gardens, being careful not to trip over Marill or Pikachu as they capered around the kitchen floor.
She walked through the garden, through the path surrounded by beautiful fountains and pools. Then she saw Ash, sitting on the rim of the fountain of her as a mermaid. "Ash!" she called. He looked up, startled. Then he saw Misty and went back to staring at the ground. Misty was shocked. He'd been so glad to see her, what was wrong? She walked slowly up to the fountain, and sat on the rim beside him. "Ash?"
He sighed. "What?"
"What's wrong?"
"Misty, why did you go?" He looked up, and stared into her eyes.
"I, I-"
"I woke up, and went into your room at the hotel, and you were gone, and your keys were on the bed. You just left."
Misty remembered why she had left. It had been the morning after the ball, the Grand Ball at Opal City's Hotel. She remembered how she had been all dressed up in a dress made to look like a Goldeen's tail, and how she had desperately searched for Ash when the slow song had come on, and had parted the crowd and spotted him and saw….
"Because you danced with Samantha!" Misty blurted out.
"What?!"
"All night at the Grand Ball, even with the slow song, you were dancing with her!"
"Well, I never thought you'd mind!"
"You are so blind!"
"What did you call me?"
"What, are you deaf as well?"
Misty's eyes were flashing dangerously. Ash was angry too, gritting his teeth and glaring at Misty.
"Why do you care who I dance with?" Ash retorted.
"Because when you were dancing with her, I was sitting alone on the front steps, outside, in the cold, alone!"
"You said alone twice." Ash smirked.
"You are such a jerk! I-"
"Well, it wasn't like you were short of offers, was it?"
Misty was taken aback. "What?"
"That creep Rudi from Trovita asked you if you had a good singing voice, and what did you do? You went up onstage and sang with him, sitting on that stupid black piano!"
"But-"
"And what was I supposed to do when you got off the stage and then you were asked to dance by Gary, Rudi, and the other gazillion adoring fans when the slow song came on? You wanted me to wait for you?"
Misty started to speak when a sly smile crossed Ash's face, and he started to speak.
"Mind you, if you'd danced with Gary, at least that would be the first time I really wouldn't have cared when he'd tried to rub it in my face!"
Misty took a nanosecond to think about what he'd said, then she lunged at him with a scream.
It was like it was in slow motion.
She lunged at him, hitting him with her fists, shrieking insults at him, whilst he hurled them back, and then she pushed him, and he fell backwards, but grabbed her wrist whilst he fell so they both tumbled backwards into the water.
R&R!