Together
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I do, however, own this story.
Update 1/28/09: Aoi's name has been changed to Angie.
Ash did a double-take, his head quickly spinning around so he could face the source of the new voice. Could it really be her? Though he didn't know why, the thought of seeing Misty made him bristle with excitement. He hadn't seen her in so long, and he had so much to tell her! Turning around a second time, Ash grinned as he realized that indeed it was his longtime friend from Cerulean City.
"Misty!"
"Pikachupi!"
"Hey, guys! I see you haven't been keeping Brock in line at all while I've been gone. Don't you do anything when he flirts with the girls?" Misty remonstrated.
"Well, usually my Croagunk takes care of things with Poison Jab, but I guess you beat it to it," Brock replied, rubbing his ear where Misty had yanked it. "It's good to see you, Misty."
"It's good to see you!" Misty gushed, smiling at her friends. "You must be Dawn," she suddenly remarked, looking towards the blue-haired coordinator who sat near Ash.
"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Misty. I've heard about you from Ash and Brock," Dawn answered cheerfully, glad to have finally met the gym leader both Ash and Brock had always seemed so fond of. "What brings you here?"
"I came to watch Ash win the Sinnoh League, of course…that is if he doesn't choke," Misty teased while winking at Ash, who stuck his tongue out right back at the redhead.
"Ha-ha. For your information I'm going to win this time!" Ash stated confidently, pumping his fist in the air.
Misty could only laugh. Same old Ash. Boy had she missed him! Misty was about to say this very thing when she noticed a young girl with big brown eyes staring at her curiously.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met. My name's Misty," she offered.
"Oh, Misty, sorry for not introducing you, but this is our friend Angie," Brock explained, motioning towards the young girl. "Angie, this is Misty. She's the leader of the Cerulean City gym back in our homeland of Kanto and traveled with us in Kanto and Johto."
"Nice to meet you, Angie," Misty responded. "Have you known Ash, Brock, and Dawn long?"
"No, not too long. I met them at Professor Rowan's Pokémon Summer School."
"Oh, cool. Ash, didn't you win top prize there?" Misty asked the future Pokémon Master.
"As a matter of fact I did," Ash began proudly. Then he remembered his competition with Angie there and added, "But Angie came in a close second."
It was at that moment that Misty noticed something very strange about Angie. The girl was blushing at Ash's comment. Misty wasn't sure why that would be, but it left her with a bad feeling. There was nothing about Ash's comment that should make a person blush, nothing strange or embarrassing about it, so why was this girl blushing? Maybe she was just proud of having done so well at Pokémon Summer School. Before Misty could ponder the issue more Ash interrupted her train of thought.
"Misty, my first match is tomorrow; it's against a girl named Mindy from Pastoria City who specializes in fire Pokémon, so I'm going to use my Floatzel in the battle," Ash surged excitedly, always happy to talk about Pokémon battles.
"Cool, Ash! I can't wait to see your Floatzel," Misty exclaimed.
"Ash has to be careful, though," Brock butted in, "because Mindy also has a Vileplume on her team, and Floatzel is weak to grass types. Ash plans on using Infernape, but I tried telling him that that's not such a good idea because fire Pokémon often have the Flash Fire ability and will be powered up by Infernape's fire attacks."
"I know what I'm doing Brock!" Ash retorted angrily. "I wouldn't have gotten to the Sinnoh League if I didn't."
"I know you do, Ash; I'm just trying to help you. Calm down," Brock requested.
"Then don't question my judgment!"
"I'm not trying to—"
"I have an idea," Misty suddenly interrupted. "Why don't you use my Gyarados instead of Infernape? It knows Flamethrower and can take care of Vileplume with it and also isn't weak to grass attacks like other water types because it's part flying. Then you don't have to worry about activating Flash Fire because you'll be using Gyarados's water attacks against the fire types."
"Hmm, that does sound like a smart idea. It looks like being a gym leader has really helped you improve your skills, Misty," Brock complimented.
"No way! I'm using Infernape and that's that," Ash answered determinedly.
"Why?" Misty and Brock simultaneously questioned.
"Because I want to win on my own terms with my own Pokémon!"
"But, Ash, you might not win at all if you use Infernape," Misty reminded her friend.
"Well, I'd rather lose than use your Gyarados!" Ash regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. While he was adamant about winning with his own Pokémon, he hadn't meant to be so harsh with Misty. Still, he was determined to stand his ground, and there was no way he was taking back what he said.
Misty appeared obviously hurt, her lip quivering slightly. Much to the surprise of Angie and Dawn, however, who didn't know the gym leader and were convinced she would start crying, Misty simply hardened her resolve and fought back.
"Ash, you are so stubborn! Go ahead and lose; see if I care! Oh, and don't expect me to ever help you again!"
"Fine by me! I don't want your help anyway!"
"Fine!" With that, Misty left the large lobby and entered the room she was staying in at the Pokémon Center, slamming the door behind her.
"Uh, what just happened?" Dawn asked Brock, who could only sweat drop while Ash silently continued fuming.
***
Ash could hardly sleep that night. Not only was he nervous about his first match the next day, but he couldn't get the picture of Misty's face, so full of anguish and hurt after he had insulted her and her Pokémon, out of his head. He had been so happy to see her and so excited for her to cheer him on in the Sinnoh League; it would be just like old times. Now he had gone and ruined it, though.
He wouldn't admit this to anyone, least of all Misty, but he had missed his gym leader friend immensely. Although he liked and respected May and Dawn a great deal, things hadn't been the same without Misty around. Who was there to keep his admittedly large ego in check? He couldn't quite place his finger on the what or why of it, but Ash knew that he had a special relationship with Misty, one that he did not share with his other traveling companions.
Then there was that strange feeling. Ash had never told anyone about it, but he always felt weird when he was around Misty. It wasn't a bad feeling—in fact, it was a good one—but it was one he didn't recognize and one he felt around no one else. He'd get this unparalleled feeling of excitement when around her, but he'd also feel strangely nervous, which was odd since he'd known Misty forever and had never felt that way around her before. It was like he was afraid of messing up in front of her or saying something stupid.
When Misty had surprised him by arriving at the Pokémon Center that night, the feeling had been stronger than ever, and Ash had felt as though he might burst from happiness and excitement. He had so many things to tell her, so many gym badges and new Pokémon to show her! Why did he have to go and ruin it by acting all pompous and stubborn? Ash did insist on winning his own way with his own Pokémon, but he realized that there was no need for him to be so nasty to Misty; she was only trying to help him like the good friend she was. He'd so been looking forward to her cheering for him at the match just like she used to when they traveled together, and now she was probably too angry to. He'd really messed up big time, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize, at least not yet. For now he'd have to live with the consequences and the sleepless night.
***
Misty could hardly sleep that night. Though she wouldn't let it show to the others (or at least she was trying her hardest not to let it show), Ash's comment about her and her Gyarados had really hurt. She was only trying to help him, to be a good friend!
That was Ash for you, though; he always had to have things his way, always had to be right. Was his ego ever large! Misty supposed that Ash had a right to want to use his own Pokémon and his own strategies to win, but that certainly didn't give him the right to be nasty to her. Why did he always have to hurt her feelings, always have to mess with her heart? Didn't he know how she felt about him?
No, of course he didn't. She'd always been too afraid to tell him, too afraid to have her heart broken. How could she risk ruining the best friendship she'd ever experienced for her own romantic whimsies? No, her friendship with Ash was too important. Besides, what could he possibly see in a loud-mouthed, angry, scrawny redhead like herself?
Oh, and what to make of this Angie? Why was she blushing over what Ash had said? It was all too confusing!
With that thought, Misty continued tossing and turning into the sleepless night.
***
Angie could hardly sleep that night. Her excitement over staying with Ash at the Pokémon Center (he was in the room right next door!) kept her awake. She could barely contain herself. She hadn't stayed with Ash since Professor Rowan's Pokémon Summer School, and it was a magical feeling indeed. To think, she could walk right next door and see Ash in pajamas! The thought of it alone made her blush.
Ash and his friends were so nice, too. What of this new friend, Misty, though? She certainly liked to tease Ash, and had even winked at him! For some reason Angie didn't like that. Misty and Ash sure had gotten in a nasty fight, too. Angie knew Ash had been wrong to say those things to Misty, but she couldn't help but support him in his endeavor to use his own Pokémon and strategies to win the Sinnoh League. Who did that Misty think she was? Angie didn't really care; she was just too happy to be with Ash, and that kept her up for most of the night.
***
The next morning came all too quickly for Ash. He had barely slept the night before and, as a result, felt quite tired the next morning. Still, he was pumped for his match and confident he was going to win. The argument with Misty loomed in the back of his mind, but he figured she had probably gotten over it, seemingly forgetting how stubborn the redhead could be.
Oh, how wrong he was. When the gang sat down for breakfast at the Pokémon Center that morning, Misty refused to even glance in Ash's direction, and when he offered an anxious "good morning," all she could do was grunt in reply. Ash hung his head sadly; it looked like he was wrong about Misty getting over their argument quickly.
Despite being upset about Misty's abrasiveness at breakfast, Ash felt excited for his first ever Sinnoh League battle and entered the stadium with a smile on his face that morning. When the crowd cheered as Ash took his place at the battle field, he couldn't help but forget his argument with his gym leader friend. He was here to win, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Mindy, a slight blond who looked to be around Ash's age, entered the stadium next, and the crowd cheered for her as well. Ash didn't like the fact that the their attention was no longer on him one bit, but he would gain the crowd's attention again as soon as he won, which he was confident he would do.
"Mindy, are you ready to lose?" Ash taunted his opponent.
"You're the one who's going to be losing, Ash!" Mindy yelled back.
"This three-on-three battle is between Mindy of Pastoria City and Ash of Pallet Town," the officiator announced. "The roulette will decide who chooses first." A yellow light danced across Ash and Mindy's pictures, finally landing on Mindy's. "Mindy will choose first."
"Alright then! I choose Magmortar!" Mindy cried, releasing the evolved form of the Kanto Pokémon Magmar, a large and imposing creature whose very body was made of flames.
"You're going to be in for a lot of trouble when you see the Pokémon I've chosen, Mindy," Ash began. "I choose Kingler!" The evolved form of the Kanto Pokémon Krabby appeared, mashing its large pincers together.
"Huh, I've never seen that Pokémon before," Dawn commented from the stands, looking up Kingler in her pink Pokedex. "I didn't know Ash had a Kingler."
"Piplup?" Dawn's beloved penguin Pokémon, who was now always out of its Pokeball, echoed.
"He caught it years ago when we first traveled through Kanto," Brock explained. "He must have asked Professor Oak to send it over from Pallet Town for the match. It was one of the first Pokémon Ash caught, right, Misty?"
Misty, however, made no attempt to answer, and when Brock turned to his side to look at her he noticed that she was facing away, a scowl on her face and her arms crossed in anger.
Back on the battle field, Mindy was ready for the attack before Ash could even issue a command.
"Magmortar, use Smokescreen!"
Magmortar produced black smoke from its weapon-like arms, cloaking the whole battlefield in a smog-like substance.
"Ugh, can't see," Ash grunted, looking around desperately for Kingler. "Kingler, try your Crabhammer attack," he ordered.
"Kookie!" Kingler cried, flailing its pincers desperately among the smoke.
"It's no good!" Brock exclaimed from the stands, watching in horror as Kingler missed its target by a mile. "Kingler can't see where Magmortar is!"
"What's Ash going to do?" Angie questioned sadly.
"I don't know, but he'd better think of something fast before Mindy really gets the upper hand," Brock stated sagely.
"It looks like your Kingler can't land an attack," Mindy mocked back on the battlefield. "Magmortar, use Smog on Kingler!"
This time Magmortar released a purple gas that surrounded Kingler, causing the normally red Pokémon to turn a sickly shade of purple.
"Kingler's been poisoned!" Dawn gasped.
"Oh no!" Angie cried.
"Ack, Kingler, try your Slam attack," Ash ordered.
The smoke was clearing so that both Ash and Kingler could better see Mindy and her Magmortar, but Kingler was badly weakened from the poison and could only move very slowly. Before it could reach Magmortar, Mindy announced the trick she had been saving for last.
"Magmortar, use Thunderpunch!"
"Thunderpunch?!" Brock, Dawn, and Angie exclaimed from the stands.
"What?!" Ash bellied.
While Ash and his friends were gawking at Mindy's surprise attack, Magmortar sped towards Kingler and unleashed the powerful electric attack, easily knocking the giant crab out.
"Kingler is unable to battle!" the officiator decided.
"But Magmortar is a fire type…how can it know electric attacks?" Dawn wondered aloud.
"There are surprises everywhere once you reach the Pokémon League; people are really on top of their game," Brock explained to the Pokémon Coordinator. "I just hope Ash is careful and has something planned."
Misty, he noticed, no longer looked angry but sad and worried. Still, she refused to say anything.
What was Ash going to do? He only had two Pokémon left now, and Mindy still had three. He had to win this match; he just had to. That Magmortar was so fast and powerful, though; Ash would have to act before it could use Smokescreen again. Suddenly Ash had an idea.
"I choose you, Floatzel!" The evolved form of the Sinnoh Pokémon Buizel appeared, its arms crossed arrogantly and its fangs bared menacingly.
"Are you willing to fall for my tricks again, Ash?" Mindy teased. "It looks like you'll be falling to Smokescreen and Thunderpunch again. Magmortar, use—"
"Floatzel, Aqua Jet!"
Before Mindy could even command her Pokémon to attack, Floatzel was speeding towards Magmortar in a shield of water, completing the powerful attack that was guaranteed to strike first and knocking Magmortar out.
"Magmortar is unable to battle!"
"Wow, that was really smart of Ash to use Floatzel's Aqua Jet attack to guarantee that he would strike before Mindy could use Smokescreen or Thunderpunch," Dawn marveled.
"Piplup!"
"Ash is a really great trainer," Angie agreed.
"Well, sometimes Ash can surprise you. This match isn't over yet, though," Brock reminded his companions.
Slowly but surely, Misty's frown was turning into a smile.
Feeling defeated, Mindy called back her powerful Pokémon. Still, she wasn't about to give up yet and had some more tricks up her sleeve.
"Vileplume, go!" An elegant looking grass Pokémon masquerading as a large flower materialized from Mindy's Pokeball.
"I was afraid of this," Brock stated solemnly.
"Floatzel, use Aqua Jet!" Ash ordered. The water Pokémon launched the attack, but Vileplume merely shrugged it off, enjoying its type advantage against water types.
"Vileplume, Stun Spore!"
Vileplume emitted a golden powder from the large flower on top of its head, paralyzing Floatzel.
"Floatzel, oh no!" Ash cried in despair.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu, who stood at Ash's feet, echoed its trainer.
"Vileplume, finish it off with Petal Dance!" Mindy commanded.
"Vileplume!" The beautiful Pokémon unleashed an onslaught of petals, and the powerful grass attack immediately caused Floatzel to faint.
"Floatzel is unable to battle!"
"What are you going to do now, Ash?" Mindy sneered.
"I'm just getting started, Mindy! Go, Infernape!" The powerful fire type Pokémon, which Ash had rescued from his rival Paul when it was just a Chimchar, emerged from Ash's Pokeball, ready as always to battle until the end for its beloved master.
"Infernape, use Flame Wheel!"
Infernape rolled itself into a ball and speedily charged towards Vileplume. The attack hit dead-on.
Vileplume had clearly taken a lot of damage, as it was weak to fire attacks, but slowly and steadily it stood erect again, ready for more.
"Flame Wheel isn't strong enough to take out Vileplume," Brock commented to the others in the stands with him.
Proving once again that she was an adept trainer, Mindy unleashed another one of her tricks.
"Vileplume, use Synthesis!"
The grass Pokémon took sunlight into the large flower on tops of its head, recovering from the damage it had received from Flame Wheel.
"Ash can't rely on Flame Wheel because Vileplume will keep recovering from the damage by using Synthesis," Brock explained. "He'll have to take it out in one hit."
Luckily Ash realized this very thing and had a trick of his own up his sleeve.
"Infernape, use Blast Burn!" he demanded, ordering Infernape to use the most powerful fire attack in its arsenal, which it had recently learned from the one of the Sinnoh move tutors.
Infernape emitted the extremely strong fire attack, which immediately caused Vileplume to faint.
"Vileplume is unable to battle!"
"Alright! Thanks, Infernape!" Ash hugged the large fire monkey.
"Pikachu!" The small electric mouse flashed the victory symbol.
"This isn't over yet, Ash! I choose Ninetails!" The beautiful fox Pokémon appeared, its nine golden tails shimmering in the sunlight.
"Alright, I'm going to finish this one just like the last one! Infernape, Blast Burn!"
Infernape unleashed the powerful attack once more. While Ash knew that it wouldn't be as effective against Ninetails as it was against Vileplume, he still figured it would do a lot of damage because it was so strong. Much to his surprise, the attack didn't seem to affect the fox Pokémon at all.
"It's no good! Ninetails has the Flash Fire ability, and fire attacks are useless against it!" Brock exclaimed.
"But the only attacks Infernape knows are Blast Burn, Flame Wheel, Fire Spin, and Dig!" Dawn explained to Misty and Angie. "It looks like Ash will have to rely on Dig!"
"What just happened?" Ash cried.
"Thank you for powering up my Ninetails, Ash!" Mindy laughed. "It looks like you didn't realize that Ninetails has the Flash Fire ability."
"Flash Fire?" It was then that Ash remembered what Brock had said about the Flash Fire ability. Panic began to course through his veins. What was he going to do?
"Infernape, use Dig!"
Infernape borrowed underground, hidden from all of those in the stadium.
"Ha-ha, now you're just giving me an opportunity to power up my Ninetails even more. Ninetails, Nasty Plot!"
"Ninetails!" Ninetails began to think dark thoughts, sharply boosting its special attack stat.
"Infernape, now surface," Ash commanded.
"Ninetails, dodge it!" Mindy countered.
Infernape surfaced from the ground, but Ninetails was too fast and avoided the Dig attack altogether.
"Ninetails, use Extrasensory!"
Panicking, Ash ordered Infernape to do the only think he could think of. "Infernape, dodge it by using Dig again!"
Infernape successfully dodged the Extrasensory attack, but when it surfaced again to attack Ninetails, the fox Pokémon easily avoided Dig.
"Neither one of them is going to be able to win if things keep going like this," Brock began. "Extrasensory will knock out Infernape if it hits because it's weak to psychic attacks and Dig will cause Ninetails to faint if it hits because it's weak to ground attacks, but it doesn't look like either will hit because each Pokémon is too fast."
"Come on, Ash!" Dawn called out to her friend.
"Piplup!"
"You can do it, Ash!" Angie echoed.
Ash looked up at his friends who were cheering him on. He desperately wanted to win for them. Then he noticed something; Misty wasn't cheering along with them. She simply sat with Brock, Dawn, and Angie, lips pursed, not saying a word. Ash's heart sank. As much as he wanted to win for Brock, Dawn, and Angie, the person he really wanted to win for was Misty. He wanted to prove to her that he was a strong trainer and that he could win on his own without help. For some reason, perhaps because of that strange feeling, he also wanted to impress her. Now he would have to face the smug look on her face after losing. Looking up at the stands, however, Ash realized that Misty didn't look pompous; she wasn't saying anything or cheering him on in any way, but she looked distressed.
Ash and Mindy continued to battle on this way, Ash showing little enthusiasm when issuing his commands to Infernape. It became clear to everyone watching that his heart wasn't in the battle anymore.
"What's Ash doing? He can't just issue the same command over and over again, or else he'll never win," Brock told the others. "He has to think of something."
"Don't give up, Ash!" Dawn cheered from the stands.
"Keep fighting, Ash!" Angie agreed.
Ash simply hung his head, sad that the one voice he wanted to hear above all others remained silent. It was then that he saw something move out of the corner of his eyes.
Back in the stands, a perplexed look made its way across Brock's face as he noticed Misty stand up from her seat.
"Misty, where are you going? What are you doing?" he asked the Water Pokémon lover.
"I'm going to talk to Ash. Someone needs to knock some sense into him!"
"But Misty, you can't go down there!" Brock reminded his friend.
"Oh yeah? Well, just watch me!"
Then, much to the amazement of Brock, Dawn, and Angie, Misty left the stands and ran down towards the stadium where Ash was battling.
Ash could hardly believe his eyes when he saw Misty approaching him. What could she possibly be doing?
"A-S-H! What do you think you're doing? Are you just going to keep ordering Infernape to do the same stupid thing or are you going to win this match!?"
"What do you want me to do, Misty? Infernape only knows fire attacks and Dig!"
"Then teach it a new attack!"
"But—"
"Excuse me, miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave," a League official approached Misty from the stands.
"I know you can do this, Ash. I believe in you," Misty stressed before disappearing back into the stands.
That was all Ash needed to hear.
"OK, Infernape, let's win this one! Try, uh, try kicking and punching Ninetails!"
Infernape flashed its trainer a confused look only briefly before starting on the attack. Mindy was too stunned by the recent turn of events to issue any orders.
What started off as clumsy kicks and punches soon became well-coordinated hits that greatly damaged Ninetails. It was clear to everyone watching that something amazing was happening.
"Ash, I think Infernape's learned Close Combat," Brock yelled to his friend from the stands.
"Alright! Infernape, use Close Combat!" Ash ordered.
"Ape!" The fire Pokémon unleashed such a powerful onslaught this time that Ninetails fainted.
"Ninetails is unable to battle! The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
"Yeah, we did it!" Ash ran over and gave the fire ape another hug.
"Pikachu!"
Everyone was cheering and clapping loudly. Back in the stands, Brock looked at Misty with awe.
"I don't know how you did it, but what you said to Ash really worked. Good job, Misty."
"Thanks, Brock. I'm just glad that Ash won."
***
Everyone celebrated Ash's victory that night with a large dinner at the Pokémon Center. Good cheer abounded, and Ash and his friends were in delightful spirits. The mood at the Pokémon Center was light and jolly.
"Hey, everyone, let's toast Ash for his victory today," Brock proposed.
"Good idea," Dawn agreed.
"Cheers!" everyone cried.
"Thanks, guys. You're all the best, and I couldn't ask for better friends." Ash turned towards all his friends, offering each of them a warm smile. When he landed on Misty, his smile grew widest of all.
"Misty, do you think I could talk to you in private for a moment?" Ash asked the Cerulean City gym leader.
"Sure, Ash."
After leading Misty into the room he was sharing with Brock, Ash sat down on his bed. Much to his surprise, Misty sat down on the same bed next to him and chose not to sit down on Brock's bed across the room. That funny feeling surfaced again.
"What's up, Ash?"
"Misty, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out at the match today. I really couldn't have won without your help."
"It was my pleasure, Ash. I'm just glad that you won," Misty stated sincerely. "Just don't make such a fool out of yourself during the next battle!"
"I won't."
The two friends sat in silence for quite awhile, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Ash broke the silence.
"Listen, Misty, I just wanted to apologize for saying such nasty things to you last night. That was really uncalled for."
"It's OK, Ash. I shouldn't have tried to force my ideas and my Pokémon on you. You're a great trainer, and I should have had more faith in you."
Although he didn't know why, Ash felt his face flush. "Thanks, Mist. You're a great friend, and I've really missed you."
***
Misty was officially on cloud nine that night. Not only had Ash won his match, but she and Ash had made up, and he had even called her a great friend and told her that he had missed her. The Cerulean City gym leader couldn't remember a time when she had felt better. It certainly was a stark contrast to the previous night.
As Misty walked through the halls of the Pokémon Center with the hope of finding a drink of water that night, she heard familiar voices coming from one of the rooms. Listening more closely, she recognized the two female voices as Angie's and Dawn's.
"Can you believe Ash won?" Dawn asked in amazement.
"Of course I can! I didn't doubt him for a minute," Angie replied.
"Not even after he messed up and hit Ninetails with Blast Burn?"
"No, not even then."
The two girls remained silent for awhile. Misty was about to move on when she heard her name mentioned.
"What do you know about Misty?" Angie asked Dawn.
"Well, not much. Based on what Ash and Brock have told me I know that she's the leader of the Cerulean City gym and that she specializes in water Pokémon," Dawn explained. "Both Ash and Brock seem really fond of her."
"Do you like her?"
"Huh? I don't even know her!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just think she had a lot of nerve to upset Ash like that!"
"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure she was only trying to help."
"Oh, I guess…" Angie paused for a moment. "Do you think Ash likes me?"
"Sure, why wouldn't he? We're all friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah…I guess." Apparently that wasn't the answer Angie had wanted to hear, and Dawn suddenly realized the true meaning of Angie's statement.
"Angie, you don't happen to have a crush on Ash, do you?" Dawn questioned slyly.
"What? M-me? No, of course not!"
"I think you do!" Dawn teased.
Misty couldn't take anymore and walked swiftly by. Why did all her good feelings have to come to an end?
Meanwhile, Angie and Dawn continued their conversation, unaware of the redhead who had heard practically all of it.
Author's Note: I'm really bad at writing Pokémon battles, so hopefully this wasn't too awful. I'm trying to work on it, though.
Some of what happened in this fic is based on speculation. I know Ash doesn't have a Floatzel and an Infernape yet and only has a Buizel and a Chimchar, but I'm assuming he'll have them by the time he reaches the Sinnoh League. Also, I'm pretty sure Chimchar knows Dig, Flame Wheel, and Fire Spin. It doesn't know Blast Burn, but Paul's Torterra knows Frenzy Plant and Jun's Empoleon knows Hydro Canon, so a lot of people are speculating that Ash will have an Infernape and it will learn Blast Burn to sort of complete the trio.
I included the scenes with Ash, Misty, and Aoi at night to sort of show the differences between the types of feelings they have. One of my objectives in writing this fic is to show that Misty loves Ash and that Aoi has little more than a schoolgirl crush on him (hence Misty should be the one to get with him); hopefully this will become clearer as the fic continues.
I think I did a bad job with the way I had Dawn discover Aoi's crush. It was too rushed. Oh well.
I know I describe Ash's feelings the same way every time I write a fic, bur I promise you that this won't be a carbon copy of Something More, White Wedding, and Seashells and Secrets in terms of that.
I know I said that I'd try to update every weekend, but I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to do that. It took me all last night and all day today to write this chapter, and I have to make time for schoolwork, too. However, I will try my best to try to stick with that timeline.
Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review! :)
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