DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, please don't sue me!
A/N: Alright, I've put this under both supernatural and drama, simply because I feel that if these dreams are half-real, there's gotta be something supernatural going on, right? I dunno, R&R please!
He came in the middle of the night. He appeared only when she was in desperate need. And he knew now, how desperate she really was. The thoughts in her head told him that.
"Don't be afraid, my little one. It is only me..." He would always greet her this way. Tell her not be afraid, when she was always terrified. He failed to comfort her though.
"How can you expect me not to be afraid? You were absolutly terrible when you were alive!" she would shoot back, hoping to scare him off.
It was always the same scene, like a black hole. Total darkness, except for the two human figures. Various objects and symbols would swirl below them.
"I know how desperate you are. I am giving you a choice. You can come with me, and be out of your misery, or you can stay and grow more and more depressed..."
Misty shook her head. "No...I can't..." she said. She frantically looked around, for some sort of escape, some sort of exit that would lead her back to the real world.
"Yes you can...don't be afraid..."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed. "AHHHH!"
"Misty! What's wrong, what happened?" A voice was slowly taking her out of this horrible place. She opened her eyes and stared right into the faces of her best friends, Ash and Brock. She couldn't find air, and sat up to try and calm herself.
"Another nightmare?" Brock suggested, and Ash nodded in agreement.
Misty slowly began breathing again, let her heart rate slow down to a normal pace, and lay back down in her sleeping back. She looked at the stars in the blackened sky and closed her eyes. But his image immediatly flashed in her mind.
"Go away!" she yelled, sitting bolt upright.
"Misty, it's okay, it was only a dream..." Ash tried to comfort her. He knew that after this she probably wouldn't sleep again. Even a Jigglypuff's strongest sing attack wouldn't sedate her now.
"Misty, you have to tell us what this is about. You can't expect us to help you if you won't tell us what's going on" Brock said calmly.
Misty shook her head. "He'll take me if I tell you. He said he would kill me..."
Brock and Ash exchanged worried glances. "No one is going to kill you, Misty. But you have to let us help you" Ash explained.
Misty had been haunted by the same kind of nightmares for nearly a month now, and she was starting to get restless from them. She wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't eat, she had lost 10 pounds and was looking wane and tired. She was terrified that everything she did would accumalate to her disadvantage and kill her.
"I can't tell you..." she whispered.
Ash and Brock, again, looked at each other. "Misty, we'll be back in a sec" Brock told her.
"Don't go!" she protested, fear filling her emerald eyes.
"We're just going over there. By the fire. You'll be able to see us" Ash reassured her. The two guys walked away, knowing that Misty's eyes would never leave them.
They were her only protectors, her saviours, the ones who would save her in the end. Only she knew that.
"We really have to get some help. She's going to get really sick soon" Brock pointed out.
Ash nodded. "But what can we do? We've tried everything to get it out of her. Some guy keeps following her in her dreams, that's all we know."
Brock thought seriously. "Maybe it's someone like the devil...or someone who she hurt badly in the past and now won't let her rest about it."
Ash looked worried. Who could she have hurt? he thought. She better not have a secret boyfriend or something...
"That's a possibility. Then again, it could all be in her head."
"We need a therapist" Brock decided. Ash was surprised, but tried not to show it. He wanted to be just as mature and responsible as Brock was.
"Okay. We're going to Violet City tomorrow, it's only two hours walk. We'll take her immediatly" Ash said.
"What about your badge?" Brock asked.
Ash shook his head. "I think Misty is more important right now." He glanced over at her shaking body and wide eyes. He had never seen her like this. Something was really getting to her. And he was determined to find out who or what it was.
* * * * * *
They left for Violet city at 7 and got there at 8:30, making good time. They hadn't told Misty their plan for her to see a therapist. It was their last hope, they knew, and it would cost a bit of money.
"Where are we going?" Misty asked worridly, noticing that they had walked past the Pokemon Center.
Ash and Brock didn't reply. They kept walking, either side of Misty, so that if she tried to get away, they could grab her.
They arrived outside a pyschology hospital and Misty narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Wow Ash, you finally decided to commit yourself to a mental instituion" she cracked.
On other days, Ash would've shot back with some smart-aleck remark, but this time he smiled. She sounded like her old self, and he wanted nothing more than to hear the insults she threw at him almost every day.
They walked in, confirmed their appointment with Mrs. Husmore, and sat in uncomfortable chairs. Misty scanned the room, taking in her surroundings. Happy pictures like flowers and sunshine. White wallpaper. A table stacked with magazines. All looked pretty harmless. She sighed with relief, thinking Ash and Brock had taken her to a safe place where no one could hurt her.
A middle-aged woman wearing a purple, flowy outfit appeared from behind a door.
"Okay, I need to speak with either Ash or Brock before I see Misty" she announced.
Ash decided he would go, and Misty was getting confused.
"Where is she taking him?" she asked Brock in true worry.
"She's just gonna ask him some questions. About...pokemon training" Brock covered up. If Misty found out the truth before she got in there, she would flip out and run for miles.
Inside the comfortable room, Ash sat on a chair that was opposite Mrs. Husmore's desk.
"Right...you're Ash, right?" she asked politly. Ash nodded his answer. "And you've been a close friend of Misty's for...how long?"
"Um...about two years, I guess" Ash replied.
Mrs. Husmore smiled. "Great. Okay, so tell me, what is Misty normally like? What did you think of her when you first got to know her?"
Ash didn't have to think for very long. "Well, she was loud. She was never afraid to speak what was on her mind. She liked to insult me a lot." He smiled at the memories.
Mrs. Husmore was taking notes. "I see...you know, that's a sign of..." she said distractidly.
"What?" Ash asked.
Mrs. Husmore shook her head. "Nothing. Carry on."
Ash raised an eyebrow, but continued. "She absolutly adored water Pokemon, and she always made sure she got plenty of sleep. But now..." He went quiet and sighed.
"Now what's different about her?" Mrs. Husmore asked.
"Now she doesn't seem to care about anything. She's been having nightmares for the last month, apparently they're all the same, but she won't tell us what they're about. She just says that someone is going to kill her. She can't sleep, or eat, or even smile without thinking that this mystery person is going to get her" Ash said.
Mrs. Husmore nodded. "And you say the dreams are the same?"
"Basically. Misty says they all run along the same lines, but that's all we can get out of her. She wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying" Ash said worridly.
"Okay. Thankyou, Ash. Can you tell Misty to come in now?" Mrs. Husmore asked politly.
Ash stood up. "Sure." He walked out and sat next to Misty. "It's your turn, now." Misty looked at him in anxiety. Could she trust him...?
"It's alright. It's just someone interested in your aquatic training. They heard about the cute Poliwag you caught" Brock said, discreetly winking at Ash, who understood.
Misty nervously stood up and hestiantly walked in, at the enocouragment of Brock and Ash.
"You think she'll be okay?" Ash asked Brock, who shrugged in reply.
Misty found herself face-to-face with the same lady who had asked to talk to Ash.
"Hello Misty. How are you today?" she asked politly.
"I'm fine" Misty replied. "And you?"
Mrs. Husmore smiled. "I couldn't be better. Here, have a seat. I want to talk to you for a minute." She indicated a red lie-out seat that Misty sat on. She was told to close her eyes and nearly fell asleep, her lack of slumber catching up on her.
"Okay. You're friends with Ash and Brock, aren't you?" Mrs. Husmore started. She knew she had to start light, or else Misty would get too tense.
Misty nodded. "Yeah. They're my best friends" she confirmed.
"And you like water pokemon?"
Misty, again, nodded. "They're the best pokemon in the world." Yet she said the sentance with no meaning, no life, like she had rehearsed it.
"So, Misty...where are you from?" Mrs. Husmore asked in between note taking.
"Cerulean City. I was the gym leader there with my sisters" Misty said, eyes still closed.
Mrs. Husmore wrote and nodded. "Okay. Tell me a bit about your sisters. Are they older or younger than you?"
"Older. They're triplets. There's Daisy, Violet and Lily. They're all great water gymnsts, and they like putting on shows for people in Cerulean."
"They sound nice." Mrs. Husmore decided that now was the time to take the big step. "Now, I just talked to Ash, and he told me you haven't been getting much sleep lately. Is this true?"
Misty nodded, still not realising she was in therapy. "I can't sleep. If I sleep, I'll never wake up."
Mrs. Husmore eyed the young girl. She still had her eyes closed, but her face was slowly tensing up.
"Why do you think that?"
"It's him...he'll get me..." Misty's eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. "He's probably coming right now. I've told you too much." She stood up and started pacing around the room nervously.
Mrs. Husmore observed her carefully. "Misty, dear, it's alright...just sit down. Please, I have to tell you something that will interest you" she said. Misty eyed her carefully and, trusting her instinct, sat down on the comfortable leather chair. She really could fall asleep here...
"Misty, in this room, everything is sealed. No one can come in or out without my word, and no one can hear anything from outside, I promise."
Misty sighed and lay back down. "Are you sure?"
"I promise." Mrs. Husmore gave a reassuring smile. "Now, why can't you sleep?"
"Because...every time I do, he appears in my dreams. He says he'll kill me, because I'm so depressed right now that it would be better. Sometimes I believe him..." Misty said.
"So, you're depressed. About what?" Mrs. Husmore asked.
Misty sighed. "Everything seems to mount up these days and make me so...so different, so angry or sad."
Mrs. Husmore nodded. "Like, my pokemon are so weak. I don't give them enough love, or care, and I don't trust them anymore. I'm frustrated at myself. I can't do anything right..." Misty was on the verge of tears and took a big breath so that she wouldn't spill them.
"Now, these dreams...do you know the man in these dreams?" Mrs. Husmore asked, knowing that it would be the biggest and toughest question for Misty.
"Yes, I do" Misty said, her body starting to tremble. "He's...he's my father."
* * * * * *
Misty went to bed earlier that night than Ash and Brock. They were staying in Violet City's Pokemon Center, and Misty was grateful for a real bed. She was just dozing off, when two figures slowly entered the room, so quietly that she only half noticed and half cared.
"It looks like she's asleep" Brock said.
Ash nodded. "Do you think she'll sleep all night?"
"Truthfully? No. I think she just has to do this in her own time" Brock said sensibly. Ash agreed and they closed the door on a now sleeping Misty.
She entered the place again. The fear in her heart mounted as he appeared again, and she began sobbing as she saw the angry look on the man's face.
"I said too much, didn't I?" she asked in between sobs.
"You sure did" the man nodded. "What was that, a death wish? Are you absolutly crazy?"
Misty nodded. "Yes! I am crazy, I don't deserve to live! There's no point living on a dream that's not gonna come to a reality..." She whispered the last sentance. "But I don't want to go with you."
"Too bad, Misty. You have to go with me. It's the rules" the man replied.
"Rules?" Misty asked. "There's no rules when you die!" she protested.
"Oh, but there are. You remember when I was alive, don't you? We had such fun. You're my daughter, Misty, why would you want to be taken by anyone else?"
Misty found all the courage inside her. "If you were the same as when you were alive, I'd rather go with Hitler."
She was still crying and shaking, and desperatly looking for an exit.
Her father glared at her. "Well, that wasn't the smartest thing to say. Now, you shall pay the price. Any last words?" he asked, almost politly, with his finger stretched out in her direction.
Misty's heart nearly pounded out of her chest. She was gonna die. She wondered who would find her first in the morning - Ash or Brock? How would her funeral go? What colour would her coffin be? She had last words, but she said the wrong thing. It was like something else was taking control of her actions.
"Ash, where the hell are you?" she demanded angrily. She covered her mouth and instantly regretted it. That was not what she was supposed to say.
"Ash can't save you now" her father concluded, his bony hand still pointed at her. She gulped and tried to take a step back, but found herself treading air.
"Stop it right now!" a voice from behind her called out, just as she was about to scream. She turned around to find Ash glaring at her father.
"Ash, what on earth...?" Misty found herself gasping for air. Ash had heard her.
"Let her go right now, she's coming with me" Ash said.
Misty's father was taken back. "You've gotta be kidding, kid. She's gonna die. She deserves to, and she wants to." Her father looked at her. "Don't you?"
"Why don't we let Misty decide?" Ash suggested. "C'mon, Mist, do you wanna live or die?" He looked at her trembling body impaitently. It wasn't like a question like, "Would you like coffee or tea?" It was a question that could end her life.
"I...I don't know..." she whispered. Both her father and Ash were surprised. They both started yelling things at her.
"Misty, come on, you don't wanna die, you've got so much to live for..."
"What's there to live for if you're only gonna get more and more depressed?"
"Come with me!"
"No, me!"
Misty screamed and turned to face her father. She pointed at him. "You, sir, were put out of my life for a reason - so I would never have to face you again." It was the boldest statement she could think of, but she had no way of winning over her father. She sighed and silently admitted defeat to him.
Ash felt a strange sense going through his body, almost like a Pokemon's powers. He had to save Misty, her life depended on it. He pointed his fingers and produced fire, electric, water and pyschic moves, all at the same time. Misty's father was shot by all four moves and vanished.
Misty woke up. Her eyes flew open, and she immediatly yelled out, "AAAAAAASH!!!"
Ash had been asleep on the couch, after losing a rock paper scissors battle with Brock to see who would get the last bed. He heard her screams and shot up in bed. Something was wrong. He ran down the hall to her room and burst open the door to find her sitting up in bed, wide eyed and shaking violently.
"Misty! What's wrong, was it another dream?" he asked, sitting next to her.
Misty nodded. "Don't you remember it?" she asked.
Ash shook his head. "I don't have the same dreams as you, Misty."
"But you were there! Ash, you..." She realised what he had done, but he didn't. "You saved my life."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "What? I don't remember doing that."
"But you did! In my dream, you killed him for good! He's gone! And it's all because of you..." She whispered the last sentance and looked at him. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "You are my saviour, Ash. You must be my guardian angel in disguise."
Ash was still confused, but figured that he must've been in her dream and killed the evil force. He hugged her back, liking the feel of her arms around him.
"So he's gone. For good?" he asked when they broke apart. Misty nodded. "So you can sleep easy now?"
Misty shook her head. "I owe you, big time. You saved my life, Ash. Not everyone does that, you know."
Ash sighed. "It's okay, Misty, you don't owe me anything. I don't even know if I did save you in that dream, only you know." He made her lie down again and pulled the blankets over her. "You get some sleep. You need it" he said, noticing again the huge circles under her eyes.
She nodded and watched him head for the door. "Hey Ash...I gotta tell you..."
Ash turned back. "Gotta tell me what?" he asked, standing in the middle of the room.
"Not only did you save me in that dream, but you were the reason why my dreams started. I was getting depressed about you and he came to kill me because he said it would be better..."
Ash realised that she was telling him about the dreams and sat down. "Who was he?"
Misty's voice was caught in a sob. "My father. He died two years ago. Before he died, he was the nicest guy I had ever met. But then...just before he died, he started...hitting my mother...he would yell and get really violent...Lily had to be taken to hospital once." Misty trailed off at the memories. It was an ugly part of her life she never wanted to remember, and had never talked about to anyone before.
Ash's eyes grew wide. "Misty...I never knew..."
"No one did" Misty smiled. "Before all that, he was the nicest person. I dunno what happened to him. He just came home one night, and I hadn't done my homework or something. So he grabbed me by my hair, dragged me out to my mother, and yelled at her about the runt they had made." Misty burst into tears, remembering that first night so vividly. "He...he hit me twice, then he...he hit Mom...she was bleeding...I didn't understand it, I was only eight."
Ash was horrified. He couldn't believe such a thing could've happened to someone like Misty.
"It went on for another two years. Until one night...the police showed up...he had been found dead on a street. A pack of heroin was in his pocket." Misty's lip quivered and she forced herself not to cry again. "That's why I left home. I couldn't stand it. It was awful, the house felt like it was grieving, like there was no love left in this world."
"So he was a druggie?" Ash asked, then cringed. Maybe he should've put it nicer.
"Yeah...I guess he was. But Ash...I thought there was no love in this world...I was wrong." Misty smiled at the end of the sentance. "I found love so quickly, it scared me at first. I wasn't ready for it. That's why I've held it in for sooo long" she said.
Ash's heart sank. She did have a secret boyfriend.
"Oh...I see."
Misty faced him with a huge grin. "But I'm ready now. Ash...you are the reason I'm still here. Not my bike, not my Pokemon...you. I love you."
After saying it, she could almost feel a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She had told him the hugest secrets of her life, and she was relieved.
"Me?!" Ash exclaimed, looking at her. "I thought you had a boyfriend back home!"
"What gave you that idea?" Misty asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Ash shrugged. "I dunno. So...you really love me?"
"If you feel the same. If not...it's just a huge crush" Misty sighed, hoping that wasn't true.
Ash grinned. "Well, this is your lucky day" he said. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss they had both been longing for since they first met.
They broke apart. "Thankyou, Ash. You saved me, you love me...you're the perfect guy" Misty laughed.
Ash laughed too, and they shared another kiss, knowing their lives had changed forever.
A/N: Yeah, it was romance and supernatural, weird combination, but it was sweet that Ash saved her. If you don't agree, review and tell me!
A/N: Alright, I've put this under both supernatural and drama, simply because I feel that if these dreams are half-real, there's gotta be something supernatural going on, right? I dunno, R&R please!
He came in the middle of the night. He appeared only when she was in desperate need. And he knew now, how desperate she really was. The thoughts in her head told him that.
"Don't be afraid, my little one. It is only me..." He would always greet her this way. Tell her not be afraid, when she was always terrified. He failed to comfort her though.
"How can you expect me not to be afraid? You were absolutly terrible when you were alive!" she would shoot back, hoping to scare him off.
It was always the same scene, like a black hole. Total darkness, except for the two human figures. Various objects and symbols would swirl below them.
"I know how desperate you are. I am giving you a choice. You can come with me, and be out of your misery, or you can stay and grow more and more depressed..."
Misty shook her head. "No...I can't..." she said. She frantically looked around, for some sort of escape, some sort of exit that would lead her back to the real world.
"Yes you can...don't be afraid..."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed. "AHHHH!"
"Misty! What's wrong, what happened?" A voice was slowly taking her out of this horrible place. She opened her eyes and stared right into the faces of her best friends, Ash and Brock. She couldn't find air, and sat up to try and calm herself.
"Another nightmare?" Brock suggested, and Ash nodded in agreement.
Misty slowly began breathing again, let her heart rate slow down to a normal pace, and lay back down in her sleeping back. She looked at the stars in the blackened sky and closed her eyes. But his image immediatly flashed in her mind.
"Go away!" she yelled, sitting bolt upright.
"Misty, it's okay, it was only a dream..." Ash tried to comfort her. He knew that after this she probably wouldn't sleep again. Even a Jigglypuff's strongest sing attack wouldn't sedate her now.
"Misty, you have to tell us what this is about. You can't expect us to help you if you won't tell us what's going on" Brock said calmly.
Misty shook her head. "He'll take me if I tell you. He said he would kill me..."
Brock and Ash exchanged worried glances. "No one is going to kill you, Misty. But you have to let us help you" Ash explained.
Misty had been haunted by the same kind of nightmares for nearly a month now, and she was starting to get restless from them. She wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't eat, she had lost 10 pounds and was looking wane and tired. She was terrified that everything she did would accumalate to her disadvantage and kill her.
"I can't tell you..." she whispered.
Ash and Brock, again, looked at each other. "Misty, we'll be back in a sec" Brock told her.
"Don't go!" she protested, fear filling her emerald eyes.
"We're just going over there. By the fire. You'll be able to see us" Ash reassured her. The two guys walked away, knowing that Misty's eyes would never leave them.
They were her only protectors, her saviours, the ones who would save her in the end. Only she knew that.
"We really have to get some help. She's going to get really sick soon" Brock pointed out.
Ash nodded. "But what can we do? We've tried everything to get it out of her. Some guy keeps following her in her dreams, that's all we know."
Brock thought seriously. "Maybe it's someone like the devil...or someone who she hurt badly in the past and now won't let her rest about it."
Ash looked worried. Who could she have hurt? he thought. She better not have a secret boyfriend or something...
"That's a possibility. Then again, it could all be in her head."
"We need a therapist" Brock decided. Ash was surprised, but tried not to show it. He wanted to be just as mature and responsible as Brock was.
"Okay. We're going to Violet City tomorrow, it's only two hours walk. We'll take her immediatly" Ash said.
"What about your badge?" Brock asked.
Ash shook his head. "I think Misty is more important right now." He glanced over at her shaking body and wide eyes. He had never seen her like this. Something was really getting to her. And he was determined to find out who or what it was.
* * * * * *
They left for Violet city at 7 and got there at 8:30, making good time. They hadn't told Misty their plan for her to see a therapist. It was their last hope, they knew, and it would cost a bit of money.
"Where are we going?" Misty asked worridly, noticing that they had walked past the Pokemon Center.
Ash and Brock didn't reply. They kept walking, either side of Misty, so that if she tried to get away, they could grab her.
They arrived outside a pyschology hospital and Misty narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Wow Ash, you finally decided to commit yourself to a mental instituion" she cracked.
On other days, Ash would've shot back with some smart-aleck remark, but this time he smiled. She sounded like her old self, and he wanted nothing more than to hear the insults she threw at him almost every day.
They walked in, confirmed their appointment with Mrs. Husmore, and sat in uncomfortable chairs. Misty scanned the room, taking in her surroundings. Happy pictures like flowers and sunshine. White wallpaper. A table stacked with magazines. All looked pretty harmless. She sighed with relief, thinking Ash and Brock had taken her to a safe place where no one could hurt her.
A middle-aged woman wearing a purple, flowy outfit appeared from behind a door.
"Okay, I need to speak with either Ash or Brock before I see Misty" she announced.
Ash decided he would go, and Misty was getting confused.
"Where is she taking him?" she asked Brock in true worry.
"She's just gonna ask him some questions. About...pokemon training" Brock covered up. If Misty found out the truth before she got in there, she would flip out and run for miles.
Inside the comfortable room, Ash sat on a chair that was opposite Mrs. Husmore's desk.
"Right...you're Ash, right?" she asked politly. Ash nodded his answer. "And you've been a close friend of Misty's for...how long?"
"Um...about two years, I guess" Ash replied.
Mrs. Husmore smiled. "Great. Okay, so tell me, what is Misty normally like? What did you think of her when you first got to know her?"
Ash didn't have to think for very long. "Well, she was loud. She was never afraid to speak what was on her mind. She liked to insult me a lot." He smiled at the memories.
Mrs. Husmore was taking notes. "I see...you know, that's a sign of..." she said distractidly.
"What?" Ash asked.
Mrs. Husmore shook her head. "Nothing. Carry on."
Ash raised an eyebrow, but continued. "She absolutly adored water Pokemon, and she always made sure she got plenty of sleep. But now..." He went quiet and sighed.
"Now what's different about her?" Mrs. Husmore asked.
"Now she doesn't seem to care about anything. She's been having nightmares for the last month, apparently they're all the same, but she won't tell us what they're about. She just says that someone is going to kill her. She can't sleep, or eat, or even smile without thinking that this mystery person is going to get her" Ash said.
Mrs. Husmore nodded. "And you say the dreams are the same?"
"Basically. Misty says they all run along the same lines, but that's all we can get out of her. She wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying" Ash said worridly.
"Okay. Thankyou, Ash. Can you tell Misty to come in now?" Mrs. Husmore asked politly.
Ash stood up. "Sure." He walked out and sat next to Misty. "It's your turn, now." Misty looked at him in anxiety. Could she trust him...?
"It's alright. It's just someone interested in your aquatic training. They heard about the cute Poliwag you caught" Brock said, discreetly winking at Ash, who understood.
Misty nervously stood up and hestiantly walked in, at the enocouragment of Brock and Ash.
"You think she'll be okay?" Ash asked Brock, who shrugged in reply.
Misty found herself face-to-face with the same lady who had asked to talk to Ash.
"Hello Misty. How are you today?" she asked politly.
"I'm fine" Misty replied. "And you?"
Mrs. Husmore smiled. "I couldn't be better. Here, have a seat. I want to talk to you for a minute." She indicated a red lie-out seat that Misty sat on. She was told to close her eyes and nearly fell asleep, her lack of slumber catching up on her.
"Okay. You're friends with Ash and Brock, aren't you?" Mrs. Husmore started. She knew she had to start light, or else Misty would get too tense.
Misty nodded. "Yeah. They're my best friends" she confirmed.
"And you like water pokemon?"
Misty, again, nodded. "They're the best pokemon in the world." Yet she said the sentance with no meaning, no life, like she had rehearsed it.
"So, Misty...where are you from?" Mrs. Husmore asked in between note taking.
"Cerulean City. I was the gym leader there with my sisters" Misty said, eyes still closed.
Mrs. Husmore wrote and nodded. "Okay. Tell me a bit about your sisters. Are they older or younger than you?"
"Older. They're triplets. There's Daisy, Violet and Lily. They're all great water gymnsts, and they like putting on shows for people in Cerulean."
"They sound nice." Mrs. Husmore decided that now was the time to take the big step. "Now, I just talked to Ash, and he told me you haven't been getting much sleep lately. Is this true?"
Misty nodded, still not realising she was in therapy. "I can't sleep. If I sleep, I'll never wake up."
Mrs. Husmore eyed the young girl. She still had her eyes closed, but her face was slowly tensing up.
"Why do you think that?"
"It's him...he'll get me..." Misty's eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. "He's probably coming right now. I've told you too much." She stood up and started pacing around the room nervously.
Mrs. Husmore observed her carefully. "Misty, dear, it's alright...just sit down. Please, I have to tell you something that will interest you" she said. Misty eyed her carefully and, trusting her instinct, sat down on the comfortable leather chair. She really could fall asleep here...
"Misty, in this room, everything is sealed. No one can come in or out without my word, and no one can hear anything from outside, I promise."
Misty sighed and lay back down. "Are you sure?"
"I promise." Mrs. Husmore gave a reassuring smile. "Now, why can't you sleep?"
"Because...every time I do, he appears in my dreams. He says he'll kill me, because I'm so depressed right now that it would be better. Sometimes I believe him..." Misty said.
"So, you're depressed. About what?" Mrs. Husmore asked.
Misty sighed. "Everything seems to mount up these days and make me so...so different, so angry or sad."
Mrs. Husmore nodded. "Like, my pokemon are so weak. I don't give them enough love, or care, and I don't trust them anymore. I'm frustrated at myself. I can't do anything right..." Misty was on the verge of tears and took a big breath so that she wouldn't spill them.
"Now, these dreams...do you know the man in these dreams?" Mrs. Husmore asked, knowing that it would be the biggest and toughest question for Misty.
"Yes, I do" Misty said, her body starting to tremble. "He's...he's my father."
* * * * * *
Misty went to bed earlier that night than Ash and Brock. They were staying in Violet City's Pokemon Center, and Misty was grateful for a real bed. She was just dozing off, when two figures slowly entered the room, so quietly that she only half noticed and half cared.
"It looks like she's asleep" Brock said.
Ash nodded. "Do you think she'll sleep all night?"
"Truthfully? No. I think she just has to do this in her own time" Brock said sensibly. Ash agreed and they closed the door on a now sleeping Misty.
She entered the place again. The fear in her heart mounted as he appeared again, and she began sobbing as she saw the angry look on the man's face.
"I said too much, didn't I?" she asked in between sobs.
"You sure did" the man nodded. "What was that, a death wish? Are you absolutly crazy?"
Misty nodded. "Yes! I am crazy, I don't deserve to live! There's no point living on a dream that's not gonna come to a reality..." She whispered the last sentance. "But I don't want to go with you."
"Too bad, Misty. You have to go with me. It's the rules" the man replied.
"Rules?" Misty asked. "There's no rules when you die!" she protested.
"Oh, but there are. You remember when I was alive, don't you? We had such fun. You're my daughter, Misty, why would you want to be taken by anyone else?"
Misty found all the courage inside her. "If you were the same as when you were alive, I'd rather go with Hitler."
She was still crying and shaking, and desperatly looking for an exit.
Her father glared at her. "Well, that wasn't the smartest thing to say. Now, you shall pay the price. Any last words?" he asked, almost politly, with his finger stretched out in her direction.
Misty's heart nearly pounded out of her chest. She was gonna die. She wondered who would find her first in the morning - Ash or Brock? How would her funeral go? What colour would her coffin be? She had last words, but she said the wrong thing. It was like something else was taking control of her actions.
"Ash, where the hell are you?" she demanded angrily. She covered her mouth and instantly regretted it. That was not what she was supposed to say.
"Ash can't save you now" her father concluded, his bony hand still pointed at her. She gulped and tried to take a step back, but found herself treading air.
"Stop it right now!" a voice from behind her called out, just as she was about to scream. She turned around to find Ash glaring at her father.
"Ash, what on earth...?" Misty found herself gasping for air. Ash had heard her.
"Let her go right now, she's coming with me" Ash said.
Misty's father was taken back. "You've gotta be kidding, kid. She's gonna die. She deserves to, and she wants to." Her father looked at her. "Don't you?"
"Why don't we let Misty decide?" Ash suggested. "C'mon, Mist, do you wanna live or die?" He looked at her trembling body impaitently. It wasn't like a question like, "Would you like coffee or tea?" It was a question that could end her life.
"I...I don't know..." she whispered. Both her father and Ash were surprised. They both started yelling things at her.
"Misty, come on, you don't wanna die, you've got so much to live for..."
"What's there to live for if you're only gonna get more and more depressed?"
"Come with me!"
"No, me!"
Misty screamed and turned to face her father. She pointed at him. "You, sir, were put out of my life for a reason - so I would never have to face you again." It was the boldest statement she could think of, but she had no way of winning over her father. She sighed and silently admitted defeat to him.
Ash felt a strange sense going through his body, almost like a Pokemon's powers. He had to save Misty, her life depended on it. He pointed his fingers and produced fire, electric, water and pyschic moves, all at the same time. Misty's father was shot by all four moves and vanished.
Misty woke up. Her eyes flew open, and she immediatly yelled out, "AAAAAAASH!!!"
Ash had been asleep on the couch, after losing a rock paper scissors battle with Brock to see who would get the last bed. He heard her screams and shot up in bed. Something was wrong. He ran down the hall to her room and burst open the door to find her sitting up in bed, wide eyed and shaking violently.
"Misty! What's wrong, was it another dream?" he asked, sitting next to her.
Misty nodded. "Don't you remember it?" she asked.
Ash shook his head. "I don't have the same dreams as you, Misty."
"But you were there! Ash, you..." She realised what he had done, but he didn't. "You saved my life."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "What? I don't remember doing that."
"But you did! In my dream, you killed him for good! He's gone! And it's all because of you..." She whispered the last sentance and looked at him. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "You are my saviour, Ash. You must be my guardian angel in disguise."
Ash was still confused, but figured that he must've been in her dream and killed the evil force. He hugged her back, liking the feel of her arms around him.
"So he's gone. For good?" he asked when they broke apart. Misty nodded. "So you can sleep easy now?"
Misty shook her head. "I owe you, big time. You saved my life, Ash. Not everyone does that, you know."
Ash sighed. "It's okay, Misty, you don't owe me anything. I don't even know if I did save you in that dream, only you know." He made her lie down again and pulled the blankets over her. "You get some sleep. You need it" he said, noticing again the huge circles under her eyes.
She nodded and watched him head for the door. "Hey Ash...I gotta tell you..."
Ash turned back. "Gotta tell me what?" he asked, standing in the middle of the room.
"Not only did you save me in that dream, but you were the reason why my dreams started. I was getting depressed about you and he came to kill me because he said it would be better..."
Ash realised that she was telling him about the dreams and sat down. "Who was he?"
Misty's voice was caught in a sob. "My father. He died two years ago. Before he died, he was the nicest guy I had ever met. But then...just before he died, he started...hitting my mother...he would yell and get really violent...Lily had to be taken to hospital once." Misty trailed off at the memories. It was an ugly part of her life she never wanted to remember, and had never talked about to anyone before.
Ash's eyes grew wide. "Misty...I never knew..."
"No one did" Misty smiled. "Before all that, he was the nicest person. I dunno what happened to him. He just came home one night, and I hadn't done my homework or something. So he grabbed me by my hair, dragged me out to my mother, and yelled at her about the runt they had made." Misty burst into tears, remembering that first night so vividly. "He...he hit me twice, then he...he hit Mom...she was bleeding...I didn't understand it, I was only eight."
Ash was horrified. He couldn't believe such a thing could've happened to someone like Misty.
"It went on for another two years. Until one night...the police showed up...he had been found dead on a street. A pack of heroin was in his pocket." Misty's lip quivered and she forced herself not to cry again. "That's why I left home. I couldn't stand it. It was awful, the house felt like it was grieving, like there was no love left in this world."
"So he was a druggie?" Ash asked, then cringed. Maybe he should've put it nicer.
"Yeah...I guess he was. But Ash...I thought there was no love in this world...I was wrong." Misty smiled at the end of the sentance. "I found love so quickly, it scared me at first. I wasn't ready for it. That's why I've held it in for sooo long" she said.
Ash's heart sank. She did have a secret boyfriend.
"Oh...I see."
Misty faced him with a huge grin. "But I'm ready now. Ash...you are the reason I'm still here. Not my bike, not my Pokemon...you. I love you."
After saying it, she could almost feel a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She had told him the hugest secrets of her life, and she was relieved.
"Me?!" Ash exclaimed, looking at her. "I thought you had a boyfriend back home!"
"What gave you that idea?" Misty asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Ash shrugged. "I dunno. So...you really love me?"
"If you feel the same. If not...it's just a huge crush" Misty sighed, hoping that wasn't true.
Ash grinned. "Well, this is your lucky day" he said. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss they had both been longing for since they first met.
They broke apart. "Thankyou, Ash. You saved me, you love me...you're the perfect guy" Misty laughed.
Ash laughed too, and they shared another kiss, knowing their lives had changed forever.
A/N: Yeah, it was romance and supernatural, weird combination, but it was sweet that Ash saved her. If you don't agree, review and tell me!