He didn't answer he just followed her into the room and climbed into bed next to her. Even though the bed was quite large and they were able to lie comfortably without touching each other he still couldn't breathe. Even so, the bed was warm and comforting and somehow he felt truly safe for the first time in years.
Ash watched as Misty's eyes slowly closed and once he was certain she was sleeping he turned his back on her and was asleep in seconds.
When he awoke in the morning it was early. In the night he must have rolled over because his face was only inches from Misty's. She was still asleep and her hair had fallen over her face. Absentmindedly he brushed it aside. She was so beautiful it hurt.
He decided it was less creepy if he looked around the room instead of staring at Misty all morning, which would be particularly awkward if she woke up. The decor wasn't pink and fluffy like her sister's room. The walls were plastered with posters of water Pokémon, the shelves covered in trophies from tournaments and on her bedside table there was a picture frame. The photo was of him, Misty and Brock; Pikachu, Vulpix and Togepi were there too. He wondered if that picture had been there for years or if she had merely got it out again because he was coming to visit. Either way it made him smile.
He got up before Misty woke and crept back to his own room. He then had a shower because he realised he didn't smell too crash hot. When he finally got down to the kitchen, after using what he could only assume was Misty's strawberry shampoo, he found her sitting, still in her pyjamas, at the bench making bowls of cereal.
"Hey," she said, "sorry about last night, do you want some breakfast?"
"Yeah, love some, and don't worry about it, that's what I'm here for right?"
"Well I assure you it won't happen again."
Damn.
"So what's the plan for today?" he said, changing the subject.
"Well, we can go into town if you like, but there's not much to see, or I can show you how I've been going with my water Pokémon training."
"Sounds great," he said, shovelling one huge spoonful after another of cereal into his mouth.
"Ok, well I'll just have a shower and get ready and I'll meet you back down here in like fifteen minutes?"
He scoffed. Fifteen minutes? No girl, not even Misty, could get ready in fifteen minutes.
So he roused Pikachu and had another two bowls of cereal while he was waiting.
Twenty minutes later she emerged, he had to admit she was still a lot quicker than he had imagined. And she certainly looked a lot prettier than anyone could ever imagine, ever.
He was happy to see that her fashion sense hadn't changed all that much, she was wearing a green singlet with a pair of denim dungarees over the top, red galoshes and a cap from her Gym.
Ash wondered whether maybe he should have brought more than one change of clothes.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"You bet."
So she led him out the back door and they crossed the backyard to her training centre. It was full of swimming pools and the swimming pools were full of water Pokémon. She had certainly been busy.
Once they had finished the tour they headed back to the house. Ash was significantly impressed.
"You know what we should do?" said Misty.
"What?"
"Have a picnic, I'll pack some sandwiches and we can walk down to the river."
"Sounds great."
So Misty searched through the hall cupboards until she found the picnic basket and the picnic blanket, they made some sandwiches, one for Misty and three for Ash, and they started out for the river.
It was a good half hour walk and there was plenty of space to fill with conversation and Ash was finding more and more that every single thing Misty said was absolutely fascinating. He still hadn't asked the one question that had been bothering him since he had arrived. Probably better to wait. Instead they reminisced about old times and talked about Brock and whether or not he had been forced into a shotgun wedding yet.
"So, what are you up to anyway Ash? Any tournaments on at the moment?"
"Not really, I've just been working, trying to save up enough to move out."
"Oh I know right? Me too."
They reached the river, kicked their shoes and socks off and spread out the picnic blanket. They sat opposite each other and once Misty had finished her sandwich she lay back on the blanket with her arm over her eyes. Ash was still eating.
"You know what Ash?" she said.
"What?"
"I have really missed this."
"What?"
"Just hanging out with you, you know?"
"Yeah I know, I have too."
"It's been way too long."
Ash was silent, this was a perfect opportunity to say something, something he had been dying to say for years. But instead he picked up is last sandwich.
"Let's not wait another six years for the next time," he said.
"Deal," she said, and sat up, "want to go for a swim?"
"I didn't bring my swimmers."
"That's ok neither did I," she said standing up and taking off her cap, "It never stopped us in the past."
She unbuttoned her dungarees and slipped them off and then pulled the singlet off over her head. She left her underwear on and ran to the water's edge.
"Come on Ash!" she yelled as she dived in to the water. Ash was still sitting frozen on the picnic blanket with his mouth wide open and his face the same colour as Misty's galoshes.
"Umm, be right there," he managed to say as he pondered over just how many things he should remove. He took off his cap and his t-shirt but somehow he couldn't bring himself to take of his yellow shorts. So he left them on and walked to the river bank.
"Is it cold?" he asked.
"No it's lovely, just jump in."
So he did. The water was kind of like ice, only liquid and colder.
"Jesus! It's freezing!"
Misty laughed so hard she almost drowned.
"Oh man, you are going down" he said and he headed straight for her.
