Rejoinder
Ash Ketchum. It was him. It was really him! "Hey Mist," the young man greeted with a wave, "how you been?"
Misty didn't answer. She, herself, had no clue if it was because she wouldn't or because she couldn't, but no matter the case she did not speak. Her float moved across the pool of its own accord, as if there was some magnetic pull from Ash's presence.
He was...perfect. Ash, the scrawny little crush of her tween to teen years, was everything she remembered and more. The gym leader's eyes wandered over her intruder's every detail from the designer trainers to the signature official pokémon league cap, and she couldn't help enjoying it. He'd gained further on her final stature of 5' 10'', making them about equal, she would have to check up close if he'd actually passed her or not. Everything about his body impressed her and rekindled the fire in her heart to burn just as strongly as the last time they'd met. His arms, chest, legs, re-- Misty caught herself before giving Ash the chance, and quickly turned her eyes away from him, not daring to blush.
Closer and closer they became, the water conspiring against its common mistress, forcing her to face the object of her troubles and desires. Misty felt her very bones begin to shiver at her proximity to the young man, thinking on what reaction he deserved from her. As the float knocked against the pool's edge at Ash's feet she made no move to acknowledge him, barely containing the feelings coursing through her.
"Mist?" Ash chirped in his now long since broken voice, leaning down to tap her shoulder. "Ash to Mist, Waterflower come in." The contact was all Misty needed to burst.
"YOU NO GOOD PIECE OF--!" Misty roared lunging from the water vessel at a very startled Ash and Pikachu, who instantly leapt to the side to avoid facing her wrath. 'You're not getting away again!' Misty's mind yelled as she gave chase.
"Wahahoa!" The pokémon master screamed as he ran for his life, ignoring every pool safety rule he'd ever heard. His most loyal companion, also realising its master's fate, ran from his side with a short 'Pi' and retreated to the arena wall to watch events unfold in safety. "Huh, Pikachu?" Ash looked at the yellow pokémon in confusion, but then realised his mistake far too late. "Ahh!"
"RAHH! I HAVE YOU NOW ASH KETCHUM!" The red haired vixen pounced on her prey, sending them both hurling into the pool's deep end. 'Perfect!' She grinned devilishly as she came up for air not allowing her fellow swimmer the same luxury by pushing down on his capped head. Misty was only playing of course, but her grasp was forceful enough to ensure it was she who had control.
"PIKA-gah-CHU!" Ash let out a gurgled scream as she first granted him air, waving his arms wildly. "HELP-aahah!"
"Pika-pika-pi." The creature replied with a shake of its head.
"YOU-argh! TRAIT-ar-OROUS-ahh-YELLOW-gar-BELLIED RAT!" Misty had to suppress her giggles at the man's exaggerated antics, her anger and bitterness washing away with each splash. She pulled Ash's head fully above the water to let him breath in the relief. A content smile threatened her features, but she held it back to uphold her performance of a bitter shrew.
"Pika-pi-pikachu." Pikachu replied giving its trainer a playful wink and cat walk twirl.
"That wasn't a compliment!" Ash shouted with heavy breathes, pointing his finger in accusation. Misty could see he gratitude for her support in the water. Her arm wrapped firmly around him and her body clinging to his, she was grateful for it too, not that she would admit that. "We even?" He asked sincerely over his shoulder.
"Not by a long shot," she muttered back in his ear, but feeling him sag in her arms she added, "but it's a start." He chuckled at that. Swimming back to the pool side, dragging the exhausted dead weight with her, Misty hoisted herself and Ash out of the water before kneeling there happily and silently listening to his breathing. Her emerald eyes settled on his picturesque face, taking in every tiny change and every tiny constant.
"Pika?" Pikachu's curious voice snapped Misty out of her short reverie to find the electric mouse in front of her with its head tilted. "Pika pi."
"Oh, I'm sorry Pikachu." Misty said opening her arms, allowing the small pokémon to hug her, which she returned happily. "It's been too long, hasn't it?" She asked with a smile, rubbing her nose against Pikachu's.
"Chuhu." The pokémon giggled in response, enjoying their reunion as much as Misty did. However, they quickly found themselves staring at each other, both knowing how difficult the rest of this meeting would be. "Pika-pikachu? Pi?" The gym leader was left in no doubt from the tone combined with the look in Pikachu's eyes as to what those words meant, "Will you forgive him? Please?"
"I don't know." Misty sighed, glancing over at Ash making sure he knew what she was answering. Not surprisingly, he was now watching them, their eyes met briefly before he quickly looked away, in what she guessed was shame rather than embarrassment. Turning her eyes back Pikachu, she then whispered in its ear. "He's got a long way to go before I admit it anyway."
"Pika." The pokémon said, affirming it understood her words, nuzzling its cheek against hers. The two stayed like this for the next few moments, silently rebuilding their friendship in that time, but when the man responsible for that friendship rose to sit, Misty decided it time to start asking.
"So," the red head began, putting the yellow mouse down and focusing her attention solely on Ash, "where do you want to start? Because you're going to tell me everything."
"You haven't changed a bit have you?" Ash mused happily, but her stare wiped the smile away quickly. "Okay, okay," he said holding up his hands and looking to the ground, "would 'why I went missing' be a good place?" She nodded.
"Alright," he breathed in, now turning his gaze to the ceiling, "Team Rocket."
"What?" Misty asked incredulously, not believing him at first, but then he looked her square in the eye. She believed him.
"Seven years ago, they decided to kill me."
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A/N: Well, this was annoying post, anyone else ever try to upload a doc during the maintenance by accident? Anyway, sorry for wait and for lack of content really, it's just I need to look up if: a) Ash & Co. have met Giovanni in person and b) if any of them know his name, and that means trudging through the series even though it lost its appeal to me while I was still a kid. I still like the Kanto series, and the Orange Islands I guess, alright I'm making excuses. I apologise again for the wait, lets just say I've been sleeping alot, and I really do hope this was ok and not too OOC. I'm trying to portray Misty as being truly in love, in that she doesn't even feel she needs to forgive him, but there's no way she'd just let Ash off the hook for leaving her and everyone else. Please ask Q's, read & review/flame.