A/N: so i decided this is just gonna be a really simple fic about the the progression of ash and misty's feelings throughout kanto/orange/johto. (they both actually age, though, they're thirteen by the end.) and ah yeah, listen to the song 'at the beginning', the main inspiration! it's really good. and none of this is really mine; i'm only reinventing their already shippy scenes!
At The Beginning
i: never dreaming, what we've have to go through
"What in Mew's name is that thing!?"
Normally, Misty's fear would give Ash endless joy and amusement.
Unfortunately in this situation, he found himself cowering at her screech and giving in to the fear himself. Eerie ghosts with wide, open mouths and eyes begin to emerge from Maiden's Peak.
Ash immediately flipped open his pokedex. "Unknown," it informed with its robotic voice.
"Unknown!?" Ash repeated, eyes widening in disbelief.
The haunting cries of the ghosts grew louder, and Misty screamed again before securely grasping Ash's arm. Barely registering the movement, Ash glanced back down at Dexter, hoping it would spit out something more helpful.
As the ghost morphed into Ghastly, Dexter suddenly made a beep of recognition. "Ghastly. The ghost pokemon. Its specialty is hypnosis."
"Ghastly!?" the duo cried simultaneously. They gulped and exchanged nervous glances.
Team Rocket was also respectively huddled in a corner, quivering in fear of the ghost pokemon. Brock was left to stand alone, and he rolled his eyes as he realized he was the only one without a companion.
"Where'd it go?" Ash voiced in the realization that the ghost pokemon had vanished into thin air. Misty bit her tongue to hold back a worried "hmm."
With a courage he wasn't aware he had, Ash gulped and used Dexter to scan the area for the ghastly. Misty moved in time with him, hand still clutching his arm.
Neither of them really realized how much each other's comfort meant to the other.
Brock watched the rest of the scenario unfold, and he wondered just what he would have to go through travelling with these two luvdisc.
-.-
"Ah yes, that was an amazing experience," Brock told, nodding his head. Both Joy and Jenny had been there. Of course, they refused his offers to dance, but he still got to dance beside them. All in all, he rated the experience a nine out of ten.
"Hmm," Ash replied.
The two of them sat at the desk in their room at the PokeCenter. THe window was open to let the breeze in, and Ash seemed to be entranced as his gaze pierced the full moon.
"Everything okay?" Brock raised an eyebrow at the young trainer.
"Oh," Ash said, realizing he was in a daze. "I'm fine."
Brock was still doubtful, but decided to let it go. A couple more moments passed in the soothing sound of wind rustling the curtains. And then, Brock spoke.
"So where's Misty?"
At the mention of her name, Ash's head snapped up a little too fast. "She's... returning the kimono she borrowed from Joy," he said.
"Misty wore a kimono!?" Brock's tone was amused and disbelieving.
"You didn't see?" Ash blinked.
"Well, no! I was kinda busy..." Brock chuckled sheepishly. "But that's kind of strange to imagine. I bet she looked nice, though."
She did, Ash wanted to say. Luckily, he caught himself. He couldn't say that kind of thing about Misty! It was just weird. But still, she looked... really nice. It caught him off guard. He didn't think a girl could look so pretty.
"Nah, she looked weird," Ash finally said. He put on a look of annoyance (which he did not have to feign) and crossed his arms to look away. Brock chuckled at the boyish act.
"Is that Ash code for 'she was purrty but I don't want to admit it'?"
"No," Ash bit back under clenched teeth, rather annoyed that Brock was partially right. Maybe he was acting too suspicious. "I mean, I guess she looked okay. It's not a big deal."
Apparently trying to play it down wasn't his forte either, because Brock just grinned wider.
&.
The antsy feeling deteriorated within her.
"Brock," Misty called worriedly. "I think we should go look for him."
Brock realized she was worried, but simply shrugged. "I think he'll be fine, Misty. He's got Charmander to help him out, and besides, he's the one that wanted to go."
"Urgh, I know, but..." Misty chewed on her lip. This feeling of intense worry wasn't something she could describe, nonetheless find the reason for.
"In fact, you seem a little too worried," Brock added.
"Huh?" Misty quickly snapped her gaze to him, caught off guard. Then she growled, with the glare of a thousand suns. "Don't you dare," she warned.
"I didn't say anything!" Brock said defensively, raising his hands in surrender when Misty began to seize him up. "I just said you seem a little worried!"
"Yeah, because I feel like something bad has happened."
Ash listened on to the conversation, a sly grin rising on his face. He was clearly amused by Misty's embarrassment, and somewhat pleased.
So she's really worried about me, huh.
Ash grinned devilishly as an idea struck him.
"Brock, did you hear something?" Misty spun around in a circle, trying to find the source of the cackling she had just heard.
"I didn't hear anything."
"Well I did - ahhhhhh!"
And suddenly, Misty felt a pair of cool arms wrap around her waist and pull her up towards the sky.
"It's got me, Brock! THE GHOST HAS GOT ME!"
"Oh my Mew," Brock breathed, eyeing the scene with mild horror.
"Don't just stand there!" Misty screeched, eyes clenched shut. "Do something!"
"Aww, not fun for ya, Mist?" Ash had to restrain his laughter at her horror. "Well, ride's over, then!" And just as Ash lowered her within ten feet of the ground, he let go.
Brock luckily managed to catch her on time, but he crumpled to the ground in the effort and brought Misty down with him.
Ash laughed freely and floated along with Pikachu over the tower and out into the forests, leaving Brock and Misty in confused and shock spirits.
"We're going in, Brock."
Brock didn't say another word as they both ran inside the tower of terror.
-.-
"Oh Mew, he isn't waking up!" Misty started pacing back and forth, feeling herself start to panic. What if he... actually... No, he couldn't have. He couldn't have. But then what if he...
"Calm down, Misty," Brock told her. His reassuring voice quelled her rising panic, and Brock placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll call Officer Jenny and then we can take Ash to the hospital."
Somehow, the idea of the police arriving at the scene terrified Misty. It made the situation all more real, and she was still trying to accept the fact that something terrible might have happened to Ash.
"Nothing happened," Misty said, mostly to herself as she crouched back down onto the floor in front of Ash's body. "Nothing happened, he's okay. Wake up, Ash!"
Brock sighed and watched as Misty continually shook him, and he too felt a stab of worry for his friend. He was beginning to wonder if this situation really was worse than he thought...
"Hmm..."
And suddenly, life flooded back to Ash's cheeks. Misty felt him growth warm beneath her hand and she quickly retracted it for some strange reason. Ash opened his eyes.
"Misty?" he mumbled out, a slight smile on his face.
"Ash!" Misty cried in relief, feeling a nervous laugh escape her. And then she realized her eyelashes were wet, and she rubbed at her eyes to dry them. "Do you have any idea how worried we were!?"
Brock had to repress a chuckle. You mean how worried she was, he wanted to say. Instead, he too knelt down and put on a stern look. "Yeah, Ash. Don't do that again!"
"Sorry, sorry..." Ash chuckled as he sat back up, shaking his head a couple of times to readjust himself to being in his body. "It's just... Haunter and Ghastly and stuff took me out, and..."
"Haunter? That means you actually caught a ghost pokemon?" Misty questioned.
"Well..." Ash's face fell comically, and he retreated to pouting down at his shoes.
Misty sighed sadly. "I knew you weren't that capable."
"I am too!"
"Are not!"
Luckily an enthused Haunter intervened at that moment, or Brock knew that argument would've last forever. Most of them did, anyway. He supposed the only thing he got out of all of this was that he was now aware of two growing love interests.
Lovely.
(Though he would have never dreamed what they've had to go through, though. Not including the two luvdisc, but himself as well.)