Author's Note: Hi everybody!! Arrg….I need to clear one glitch from the last chapter. You know the part where Misty got the letter from Ash?? Yeah, that was supposed to be in different formats, bold for Ash, normal for Misty and italic bold for the song. And the May/Drew conversation wasn't supposed to be all bold. I loaded and reloaded the chapter five times, but it just wouldn't work!!!! Anyway, what's done is done. Hope y'all like this chapter.

Disclaimer: Please. If I owned Pokemon, May and Drew would be somewhere near engaged by now…and Gary and Ash would be fighting over Misty. Oh, and Harvey would be arrested...and sent to the dog pound.

Another thing for all the Pokeshippers who are against Egoshipping, flame the FIC, not the SHIP, okay?! And that too, when the fic actually needs flaming.

And for all those people who didn't see the rating, here's a warning: this entire story is gonna contain sexual theme content plus swearwords. So don't yell at me later on!!!!

This chapter is dedicated to prettygirl17 and beautifly-rulez12 (especially all the Contestshipping parts, cos I seriously didn't have any intention to have major MayxDrew in it) and aamlking (I finally did some Pokeshipping. Ya happy now? Lol)

The entire story is dedicated to Lilineko. Love ya always!! X)

PS NO, THEY ARE NOT GETTING TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You'll see what, and who, I mean, when you read the chapter. And don't you dare not review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 3-Unexpected Visitors

On the road, 10 am

Misty was driving along in her black-colored New Beetle when she saw a sign. Pallet Town, 10 miles ahead. She suddenly felt like she wanted to throw up as she saw a tiny cloud of smoke coming from Professor Oak's laboratory in the distance. "I still can't believe Ash wrote that letter. But how am I going to talk to him?? What do I do? I mean, what if he expects me to start talking?? I mean----arrrrrgghh!!!!!!!!!! I'm talking to myself again!!" In frustration, she beeped loudly at a tiny baby rabbit that had just strayed across the road, and braked just in time to save the poor thing from being squished.

Meanwhile, Petalburg City Port

"Goodbye, my dear. Take good care of yourself," a stout, motherly woman said to the green-haired boy as she patted his head.

"I will, mother. Please take very good care of Carrie," he responded as he bent down to face his five-year-old little sister, who had straight brown hair and intense green eyes similar to his. She looked sorrowfully at him.

"Big Brother, when will you come back?"

"I'll be gone a few months, Carrie. But I promise, I'm gonna bring back the bestest present you can get, okay?"

"The bestest-est??"

"Mm-hmm."

The little girl hugged him tightly. "Can't I come with you? I could help you pick my present."

Drew shook his head. "Don't worry. I know exactly what you'll want."

Carrie stomped her foot. "No fair!! You only came back home two weeks ago."

Drew kissed her forehead. "So when I come back, I'll stay home for a long time, okay? Just don't get into any mischief, promise?"

"I promise, Big Brother."

Just then, a man in uniform came up and tapped Drew on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir. Are you the one with the high class room on the 10 am ferry?"

Drew turned around. "Yes. Why?"

The man looked at his watch. "It's 10:15, and we're all waiting for you," he said curtly.

"Oh my God. I'm really sorry," Drew apologized. Turning around and saying a final hasty goodbye to the two women staring at him, he sped to the ferry.

One hour later (11 am), Pallet

Ash yawned heavily as he stepped out of the house for some fresh air. Even though it'd been a while since he got up, he still felt a little sleepy. He felt better than the previous day, though, because his thoughts were no longer on Misty. Well, at least not all the time.

"It's good to be back home," he thought happily, as he straightened his black T-shirt that showed a glow-in-the-dark image of a skeleton playing drums, over his favorite pair of jeans. "Gosh, it's cold," he said to himself as he put on his jacket. It wasn't usually that cold in the autumn in Pallet, but it was better, since it got him early into the Christmas spirit, he figured. As he walked along, just enjoying the scenery and the morning breeze, a sudden wave of nostalgia swept over him.

"Yo, Ash!" a voice suddenly called. Ash turned around to find Brock and Max, on their way back from Professor Oak's.

"Hey, guys," Ash greeted them, as they approached him. "So how was the trip? Did you like it?" he asked Max. Just as he finished, he noticed that Brock was waving his hands in a "don't" way. "What?" he asked.

"It took me all last night to shut him up, and now you're starting him off again!"

"Okay, I won't say anything again."

Too late.

"Like it? Like it?" I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had no idea Professor Oak is so smart, I mean I knew he was smart but I didn't realize how much. And you know what? I helped out with some of his researches. First, he took me to the room where he had all his machines and stuff, but then Brock accidentally dropped some of the chemicals, and then we had to mop it up but he still let me use his computer and help out in the researches and then…"

"Ugh! Ignore him. So, what happened yesterday? Any news?" Brock asked Ash.

"Nah, nothing much. Mom and I had some quality time and—Oh!" Ash remembered his talk with Drew, and told Brock about it.

"So, we're gonna give them the guest room and you guys can sleep in my room with me," he finished. Suddenly, they felt something odd.

"Why is it so…quiet…all of a sudden?" Brock asked, looking around.

Then they remembered. Turning around, they saw that Max was staring at them, his mouth hanging open and speechless.

"We're staying in your room?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ash said. "Why?"

Without responding, Max turned and ran off toward the other direction. "Hey, where're you going?" Ash called after him.

"Back to Professor Oak's house!! I'm staying there now because you snore a lot!!" came the distant reply.

"He's so annoying sometimes," Ash said, turning to Brock. "Don't you think so?"

"Well, you do snore—a little," Brock added hastily, seeing the death glare on Ash's face.

Back at the Ketchum household

May sighed heavily. Delia looked at her. "Now what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Mrs Ketchum."

"Fine. Nobody tells me anything these days. First Ash, and then you…Hmph!!" Delia muttered loud enough for May to hear.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Ketchum," May apologized. "It's just that yesterday I had a talk with this…person I know and we had a bet, and now he's coming over to stay here for a few months. I just don't want to be a burden on you."

"You're not a burden on me," Delia said, a little happier now that she was in on a secret. "It's tough, but it was even tougher when I was alone in the house," she added softly.

"Ash is lucky to have a mom like you, Mrs Ketchum," May said warmly. "But still. I'll make up for my friend staying here without your permission, I promise."

Eight Miles near Entrance to Pallet, 1:30 pm

Drew walked along the road, his bag bumping against his knee. He tried to search for Ash's house using the directions the former had given him. Apparently, however, Ash had once again displayed his lack of brain and given him the wrong directions, so now Drew was lost. Helplessly, he walked on, unsure what to do. Just then, he saw a black Beetle coming his way, and gestured for it to stop. As the car pulled over, a red-haired girl poked her head out.

"Hi," Drew said. "Do you know where Ash Ketchum lives?"

"Well, as far as I know, he lives in Pallet, not out, where you're headed," the girl answered playfully. "I bet fifty bucks Ash was the one who gave you the directions, right?" she asked Drew, receiving an amused nod in response. "Just as I remember him. Well, what're you standing gaping at me for? Hop in; I'm headed the same way." As Drew thankfully scrambled in, she held out her hand. "I'm Misty Waterflower, by the way. Cerulean City Gym Leader. Ash and I are…best friends," she finished softly. Drew looked at her. For a second, she seemed to be lost in her own world. But then she regained herself. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Drew," he replied as he shook Misty's hand. "Renowned Pokemon coordinator. I'm May's…boyfriend," he finished quietly, like Misty had done. Conscious that the redhead was looking at him, he smirked at her, flipping his hair.

"So…", Misty tried to start a conversation. "I've seen you on TV a lot."

"Yeah," Drew said, trying the same. "I've seen you there too. Plus Ash told me about you."

Misty blushed, and tried to change the subject, realizing she might give too much away. "Oh. So anyways, when did you guys start going out? May's supposed to be my best friend, and she never told me about this!! She's so—"

"No, you don't need to blame her," Drew said hastily. "I didn't want her to tell anybody yet before I got here. Right now, the only one who knows is Ash. So you don't need to be mad at May."

Misty looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You know, this is not what I expected from a boy like you, who's renowned for his playboy attitude." Drew shrugged. "Yeah, I do act like that. But I'm not really a playboy." he said.

Misty glanced at him. "Why do you maintain that image, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe because those fangirls make me feel like I'm not alone…you know, when I travel."

"So that means you enjoy publicity. You are one strange character," Misty said.

"I would prefer more 'unique'."

Misty smirked. "I guess May's lucky, though. You know, with you not really being a playboy and stuff."

"Thanks."

Misty tried to say something else. If this was May's boyfriend, the least she could do was to start an acquaintance. He seemed like a pretty mysterious person, though.

"So…are you…experienced??"

"What's that s'posed to mean?"

"Have you done it?"

Drew glanced at her, his eyebrow raised. "You know, that's a really personal question."

Misty nodded. "But being May's best friend, it's my right to ask."

Drew shrugged. "Fine. If you wanna know that badly, I haven't done it yet."

"Never in your life?"

"No." Drew stared ahead, at the road. "I was always too preoccupied in my contests and everything that I never had time to even get into a relationship."

Misty glanced at him in surprise. "Never in your life?!?"

"Once. But then, the girl got mad at me for being so interested in my Pokemon. She always wanted me to pay all my attention to her. We had a big fight, and then she left." Drew stopped for a moment, still not looking at Misty. "I was really devastated after that."

Misty nodded slowly. "You were afraid of heartbreaks."

Drew finally looked at her. "I guess you could say that." Then he suddenly realized something. "It's the first time I've actually told somebody about that incident," he observed.

"Guess we were born to be good friends," Misty grinned warmly at him

Seeing her friendly nature, Drew lightened up a bit, and smiled back. There was another silence, when Drew ventured at her with a question he'd been dying to ask someone for a long time, but hadn't dared to as yet.

"Do you know what…it feels like?"

Misty glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I wish I could help you with that…but I don't know myself. I'm saving that moment for someone really special."

"What about your first kiss?"

"Saving that too. You?"
"Same with me," Drew replied.

"Didn't you ever even get a kiss from that girlfriend of yours?" Misty asked.

"Well, she tried, a lot of times, but for some reason, every time she tried, I just felt this weird feeling, like what we were doing wasn't right, or something," Drew replied, wondering why was he so easy with this red-haired girl. Maybe it's because she's so frank with me.

"Oh," Misty said.

Drew thought over it a bit."I don't really believe in one-night stands and all that stuff, either" he added.

"Me neither. My sisters are all about that kind of thing, and…it just sickens me. I mean, if you go around having sleepovers at some random guy's house every other day, what's the difference between them and who you really love? I mean, there's nothing special between you and that 'special person' anymore."

Drew nodded as he thought over what Misty had just said.

"I guess that's somewhat what I feel as well," he said after a while.

Misty nodded back. Then, she grinned at a sudden realization. "Do you realize it's been half an hour since you got in??"

Drew looked at his watch in astonishment. "Seriously? Hasn't it only been five or ten minutes?"

Misty laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought too. See how nicely we're getting along?"

Drew looked up at her and smiled warmly. "Yeah." Then he thought of something and frowned.

"If all this ever got on TV, people would start making videos and writing weird stories about us getting together," he said, shuddering a bit.

"I suppose. People are really annoying that way. But I know something like that will never really happen, because I already have my heart set on somebody else…and it's been a long time."

"Well, I'm already hooked with May too, and I don't plan to leave or betray her. That's usually the reason we're on TV, haven't you noticed? Just because we refused to date some famous person."

"Uh-huh. But we both fell for the country people," Misty said, her eyes twinkling with fun.

"Well, technically May's not a country person. Her dad's a Gym Leader too, after all," Drew said, not amused, but not angry either.

"Defensive, eh? Yeah, well, Ash's been on TV, too. So technically he's not a—" Misty suddenly clamped her mouth shut, realizing in horror that she had just accidentally let out her secret. She shot a glance at Drew, who was staring at her. Slowly, a smirk formed on his face.

"So, what did you say again? Best friends, eh?" he asked her teasingly.

"It'd be better for you if you just stayed quiet, grass-head," she muttered, turning beet red.

"Why? Don't you think Ash should know about this? Speaking of which, you suck at picking boys to go out with," Drew told her seriously, laughing his head off inside.

"You might wanna watch that tongue of yours. I have a mallet with me, and it might just have your name on it."

"Come on, lighten up! Okay, fine. If it'll make you feel better, I'll tell you my secret as well. May and I are not really going out."

Just then, a wild deer strayed across the road. Misty braked hard, stopping just in time. Seeing that no other car was behind her, she turned to "grass-head", as she called him. "What?"

Drew sighed, still looking at the road. "Yeah. We're not going out. In fact, I'm not even sure that May likes me, at all," he said, his tone oh-so-slightly upset as he finished the last sentence. Misty caught the hint of sadness in his voice, but ignoring it, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then why did you lie to me?" she demanded indignantly.

"Because she was chatting online with me last afternoon, and I bet her that she couldn't stay with me without falling for me," Drew said in a monotonic voice, still not looking at her.

Misty nodded slowly, beginning to understand the situation. "Oh, I get it! You used to be happy because you used to meet her all the time when she was traveling, but you couldn't stand the thought of not getting to see her when the guys decided on a vacation, and so you used her inability to turn down a challenge as an opportunity to spend time with her and probably to get her to start to like you, right?" she asked knowingly.

This time, Drew looked at her, dumbfounded. "I guess that's somewhat true, but how the hell did you know?"

Misty grinned victoriously. "Reality check, Drew. I've lived with Ash for more than five years. Besides, my sisters are experts on boys," she said, inspecting her nails with an air of superiority.

Drew smirked. "So, are you here for Ash?" he asked her.

"Sorta," Misty blushed deeply and smiled. "He sent me an email which said that he had a crush on me, but he didn't want anybody to know. Which means," she added, "you better zip it, grass-head."

"All right, but only if you do too, carrot-head." Misty looked at him, trying to glare, but she soon found herself laughing along with him.

"You know," Drew said warmly, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Seems more like the end, after five miles of conversation," Misty said, catching a glimpse of a sign that said "Pallet Town: 3 miles ahead." They both shared a laugh.

Twenty minutes later, Ketchum household

Ding-dong!!

"Will somebody please get that? I'm a little busy here!" Delia's frantic voice yelled from the kitchen. She had tried yet another cooking quest—making cookies and dinner at the same time, and at the moment, was panicking as she tried to save one from burning, then another.

"I'll get it!" Ash and May yelled at the same time, the former thinking it was Drew and the latter trying to get on Mrs Ketchum's good side. Both ran to the door, only to collide into each other as they reached the door. However, Ash regained himself first, and opened the door. He had expected Drew, and there was, leaning against the wall of the house, smirking as usual. But…there was somebody else with him…somebody he had not expected in his wildest dreams…

"Misty??" Ash faltered, as he gazed at her, aghast.

"Hey, Ash," she said, blushing a little as she smiled sweetly at him. Feeling like he had lost his voice, he continued to stare at her, oblivious to the fact that he was standing in the doorway and if his mom found out that the door was open when the vents were on, he'd definitely be dead. She had grown pretty over the years, but in the outfit she was wearing at the moment, she looked especially beautiful. She was wearing a cream colored half-sleeve top that had a V-neck and was showing a chocolate brown undershirt underneath. She wore dark blue faded bell-bottomed jeans and brown sparkly flip-flops on her feet. Her hair wasn't in a side ponytail like usual—on the contrary, it was in two thick red braids that were fastened loosely with brown ribbon and cascaded down her chest. Ash couldn't take his eyes off of her. He'd forgotten everything that existed in the world, and once again, his thoughts were clouded by Misty. He felt…strange, but oddly nice.

Just then, however, he was jolted back to reality as May jumped on Misty in (fake) surprise and excitement. "Waaah!!! Mist!! When did you come here? Omigosh, it's soo AWESOME to have you here!!!! You're gonna be here our entire vacation, right? Sweet!!" she squealed, hugging the visitor.

"Thanks, May. It feels great to be with you guys again," she said warmly. Then she brought her face closer to May's. "Oh, and there's somebody out there waiting for you," she whispered playfully. May's eyes glittered for an instant, but then her expression changed to a scowl as she remembered that Drew was to arrive that day. She was about to retort, but she quickly held her tongue, remembering Drew's words: "telling anybody means INSTANT LOSING." Scowling even more, she stepped out. She had been planning to go to meet a friend of hers who lived nearby, and so she was all dressed up for the occasion. She was wearing a light pink half-sleeved crinkled blouse over a pair of jeans and flip-flops to match, and the bandana had been replaced by a pair of light pink barrettes that held her brown hair in place. She tried, almost successfully, to prevent a gasp when she saw Drew standing outside, wearing a purple-colored three-quarter sleeved shirt over a pair of dark blue jeans and his normal shoes. She was a little shocked—scratch that, really shocked--to see him in clothes that she had never seen him wear before...that actually made him look…nice. But of course, she wouldn't say that even if a herd of Tauros were stampeding after her. Fortunately for her, Drew hadn't heard her gasp as at the moment, he was staring at how nice she looked in formal clothes. He did have a crush on her, but he had always thought her an average-looking girl. He had never known her to be this pretty…

"What are you staring at?" she asked him stiffly.

"Just at how sweet of you it is to dress up for me," he replied, taking advantage of the fact that Misty was watching (on purpose) and stretching out his arms to pull her into a hug. Quickly, May stooped down to avoid his arms around her. As Drew stumbled, May deliberately put her foot in his way, tripping him over so that he fell hard on the ground.

"Oops! Silly me. Sorry, sweetheart." May helped him up, smirking victoriously at him in a way that Misty and Ash (who had finally pulled his gaze away from Misty) couldn't see it. Drew looked at her crossly, then smirked back at her and slowly leaned in. She quickly pushed him away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him.

"Getting a kiss from my 'girlfriend'," Drew said coyly.

"Over my dead body, jerk."

"Play along, May. I won't really kiss you if you do," Drew muttered, a little irritated.

"Yeah, you won't, because I won't let you!" she retorted under her breath.

"That's it! I'll just have to make you then, won't I?!" he said, annoyed.

"Do whatever you want. You wouldn't get a kiss from me if my life depended on it," May said uninterestedly.

"Fine then. You asked for it," Drew muttered, taking a deep breath.

"Come on, May, don't play so hard-to-get! Don't I deserve a welcome kiss from my girlfriend??" he said loudly. Both Ash and Misty turned around. They caught Drew's secret double blink, which meant he needed them to play along, and they grinned. May didn't notice that, though, since she was facing Drew and had her back to them.

"May, why aren't you giving Drew, uh…what he wants?" Ash asked, feeling a little uneasy talking about kissing (Misty looked at him with a loving smile, but he didn't see that). May turned around, faking a sweet smile on her face.

"Can't I play around with my boyfriend?" she asked.

Misty shook her head. "That's real mean of you, May. I know you want to kiss him too. Why don't you just go ahead with it?"

May shuddered slightly at the thought of kissing Drew.

"It's embarrassing doing it in front of someone," she said.

Misty rolled her eyes. "God, May, it's just a freaking kiss!!!!! What's the fuss about?!" She was getting really exasperated, May could tell. Sighing to herself, she gave up. She turned around, shooting a nasty glare at Drew, and placed her hands on his shoulders. As she pulled him closer, she hissed crossly, "Just wait till we're alone…"

Drew smirked. "Why? You want to go further?" He placed his hand on her waist. She narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. She was about to say something in return when Drew pressed his lips on hers. She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let go of her. His lips had a firm hold of hers, and his hand on her waist prevented her from pushing him away. May tried to think of something when a brilliant idea came to her. She gazed at Drew seductively. Confused at her sudden change of mood, he let her lips a little loose. Quickly, she bit his lips really hard. He yelped in pain, jumping back and holding his lips with his hands in utter shock. May laughed softly, taking care not to let Ash or Misty notice. Drew glared at her. Ignoring him, she turned to Misty. "You guys, I have to go over to my friend's house now. She's waiting for me. Bye. Bye, Drew, honey," she cooed sweetly, looking at him with a victorious grin. He didn't bother to respond because his lips were hurting a lot; instead, he just looked at her with one of those mysterious expressions in his eyes that she'd seen oh-so-many times before. A little taken aback, as that wasn't what she'd expected from him; she pretended to not have seen him.

"Bye, May. By the way, what's the name of this friend of yours?"

May looked at her feet. "You don't know her."

Before Misty could say anything, May had said a quick goodbye and taken off.

Shrugging, Misty went inside, Ash carrying her bag for her. Drew stayed outside for a minute, staring at the pink figure that was running in the distance. Considering your girly personality, you're damn hard to please, May. But they don't call me Champion for nothing. He smirked to himself as he followed Misty, who was trying to get Ash with her alone in her room…but couldn't, since he'd already planned stuff to do with Brock, and suggested that she should get some rest. Sighing deeply to herself, Misty went up to her room alone after catching the slightly pitiful eye of Drew, who shrugged as he looked at her.

Six hours later (9 pm) in front of Ash's house

"Thanks for the ride, Melody," May said, getting out of the white convertible.

"You're welcome, May. You are coming again soon, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'll try my best. Bye."

"Bye!" Melody yelled. The car sped off as May turned around to face the house. Great. More of that jackass's egofest. I wouldn't even have come home if it wasn't for Mrs Ketchum. She better be grateful…

May pulled out the key Mrs Ketchum had given her, placed it in the lock and turned it. As soon as the door had opened, she stepped inside. "I'm home, everybody!" she called. She didn't notice that one of Ash's old skateboards was right beneath her feet…

"WHOOOOAAAA!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. Drew, who was just coming down for dinner, saw May slipping just in time to run and catch her before she touched the ground. Breathless, he held her in his arms in a dip-like position, his right hand on her waist, and his left one on the back of her head. She was almost touching the ground.

"Are you okay, May? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Drew asked her, unable to conceal the worry in his voice. May was starting to feel a little weird because his worry seemed so real, but then she saw Max, who'd come over with Professor Oak for dinner, coming out of the kitchen, and realized that Drew was acting. She looked at him scornfully before detaching herself from him—gently, because she knew she'd fall if she pushed him.

"Yes and no. Thanks for saving me," she said frigidly, not bothering to look at him. Drew looked at her with first an upset, then a pissed expression in his eyes.

"Why are you being so annoying?" he asked her, as soon as Max had gone upstairs and they were alone in the lounge again.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Oh, so you mean saving you from falling is annoying you?"

"No."

"Then?"

"You've been annoying me ever since you came here."

"Oh, really? How?"

"Well, the first thing you did was to come here and ruin my hard-earned vacation."

"Well, I wouldn't have come if you hadn't accepted my bet."

Unable to find a suitable retort to that, May decided to ignore him and continued with her list.

"Then, there was that kiss—"

"Hey, I told you that if you just played along I wouldn't kiss you!"

"Yeah, right. Like I'm supposed to trust an egomaniac like you!!"

Drew was about to say that she could trust him because he would never lie to her, but then he realized by the look in May's eyes that he was giving his secret away. No way am I gonna tell her I like her, he thought.

May was feeling a teensy bit uneasy as she looked into his eyes to find, instead of an annoying smirk or something, something else that she hadn't seen before. But then all that faded from her mind as she saw the green-haired boy smirk and remark with an air of superiority,

"Guess you're right."

"What?!" May half-screamed in rage, clutching Drew's neck and preparing to strangle him. Just then, though, Mrs Ketchum's voice yelled from the kitchen that dinner was ready. Drew gave May a big grin as she sulked a little, letting go of his collar. "She won't be here all the time, jerk," May hissed, before wrapping him into a hug that surprised him for an instant before he realized that Ash and Misty were in the lounge too. Gently pulling away from her at Mrs Ketchum's second impatient call, he waltzed to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later everybody was silently eating at the table. Mrs Ketchum headed the table, with Ash and Misty on her right and left respectively. May was sitting on Misty's left, deliberately in front of Drew, so that she could pull faces at him whenever nobody else was looking. Max and Brock were sitting opposite each other, the former on May's left, and the latter on Drew's right. Everyone was minding their own business…well, almost everyone. Ash and Misty weren't even hungry. They kept pushing their food around their plate, both staring at each other, and still not realizing that the other was doing the same thing. Nobody else realized it, either, as Brock was absorbed in thoughts of Nurse Joy, whom he'd seen that day at the Pokemon Center; and Max and Professor Oak were, as usual, lost in thoughts of Pokemon, while Drew was trying not to laugh at May. The only person who did notice was Delia Ketchum, who smiled, decided not to interfere and concentrated on her own plate.

Misty gazed deeply at Ash, the email he'd sent her playing over and over in her mind. She couldn't help but notice how tall and muscular Ash had become over the years—a good few inches taller than her, in fact. His messy black hair crowded around his head, falling into his clear chocolate brown eyes. His dimples were still there, but instead of making him look childish like they used to, they made him look cute. Misty smiled to herself, shaking her head at the same time. Look at him, all grown up and handsome as ever. And here I am, still the same old Misty. I guess Daisy was right when she said I needed a makeover. Why haven't I changed like everybody else?

She was wrong, however, in thinking that she hadn't changed; and Ash would fully support that statement. While Misty was thinking this, he was thinking about her, and noticing her for the first time since she came that morning. She was still in the outfit she'd been in when she'd arrived, and perhaps, that was what was making her look so pretty, Ash mused; because he knew at least he had never thought of Misty Waterflower as beautiful…Heck, he'd hardly ever thought of her as a girl

Without meaning to, he looked and looked again at her, until he became unable to take his eyes off of her. Her hair had grown into a prettier shade of red, and it was no longer wild like it used to be. Her skin was fair and delicate, and her cheeks always had a faint blush in them. Her eyes were the same deep blue-green, but they were larger, more intense, so that when she gazed into your eyes it was as though you could see something in them, that swished around like the sea. It reminded Ash of that Soul Dew he'd seen, when he'd gone to Alto Mare all those years ago with Brock and Misty and met Latios and Latias, and Bianca…I wonder why I didn't feel sparks when Bianca kissed my cheek, like Brock said I would on my first kiss…

Just then, he accidentally dropped his fork to the ground with a clang that was pretty loud in the silence. Blushing a little, he quickly dived down the table to retrieve it, and accidentally brushed his hand against Misty's leg. But he thought that it was his mom's leg, since he'd seen the same pair of flip-flops in her closet (they were Delia's, but Misty had borrowed them). As he got up, he noticed that Misty was looking at him. He blushed and scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. She smiled sweetly at him, the blush in her own cheeks rising a little. Ash noticed that her eyelashes were longer and thicker than before, and her lips were…SHINY? She's wearing lipgloss?! MISTY's wearing lipgloss?! I thought she hated makeup!! But I gotta admit, her lips look really nice…

He was absorbed in thoughts of her when he realized that Misty was looking at him with her eyebrow slightly raised. Trying to concentrate on his food (which had surprisingly become really hard for him to do ever since he came to Pallet), he gave her another sheepish grin and stared into his plate as though, according to Misty, he was trying to break it using psychic powers. She smiled to herself and finally began eating as she saw that the others were already halfway through.

In the Kitchen, Around 10 pm

After dinner, Professor Oak and Max had gone immediately back to the laboratory. Brock, Drew and May were sitting in the lounge, watching American Idol (with Drew having his arm around May, and her continually pinching him whenever Brock was too absorbed in the program as a result). Delia Ketchum was outside in the garden, enjoying the quiet night while she chatted away on the phone with her friends. Ash and Misty were still in the kitchen. The gang had decided to take up the chore of clearing up after each meal as a token of appreciation to Ash's mom—and tonight was Ash's turn. Misty had offered to help, taking this as an opportunity to be alone with him, so that they could finally talk about the email Ash had sent without anyone hearing. She waited a little impatiently for Ash to bring up the topic, but she was unaware that Ash was feeling really awkward—as far as he remembered, there had never been a moment in their lives between the two when they hadn't been talking; but around ten minutes had passed, and yet neither of them had said a word. Ash waited for her to say something, and when she didn't, he deliberately dropped a glass in the sink, to evoke some infuriating comment from her, at least. But she only smiled a little and turned back to placing the leftovers in the fridge. Feeling really awkward now, he came to the conclusion that she obviously wanted him to start a conversation. He cleared his throat to prevent any squeaky voice from coming out, and broke the silence by saying a little awkwardly:

"Hey, Mist?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, thanks for helping me out right now."

"It's no problem."

Ash stared at the back of her head. That's it? Isn't she going to say something, like 'you need help with that brain of yours' or whatever? He decided to have another try.

"So, uh, do you think Drew and May look nice together?" he asked, having no idea that she knew about Drew's little plan.

"Yes. I think they look really cute together," was Misty's response from the inside of the fridge, where her head was currently poking to make room for the leftover food. Ash couldn't see a sudden twinkle that emerged in her eyes as she thought he might be trying to say something about his and her getting together. The words of the email played over and over in her mind, and she waited for Ash to say what she wanted him to say. But instead, he went:

"What's up with you, Misty?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Ash." Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. We're alone and I'm perfectly fine. You're not saying a word about us getting together, and I'm perfectly fine. You're not holding me or kissing me, and I'm perfectly fine. I love you, and you're acting like you don't. And even then, I'm just dandy, Ash. You idiot…are you embarrassed to talk about it?

She was so lost in these thoughts that she didn't hear Ash when he shut the door of the dishwasher and started it, then turned to her and said, "You're not fine. You're acting like that time when I remembered to get you a birthday present two years back. And don't ask me whether I was the one who gave you that, because you know it was me, so don't annoy me by asking again."

You're definitely embarrassed, I know. Ash, you're such a dork...Fine, if you want me to ask you right out, I'll do it…but don't ask me about it later…Misty thought, a little irritated because she'd wanted a romantic moment in which Ash pulled her close and asked her to be his forever; while Ash experienced complete silence from her. Then, all of a sudden, Misty pulled her head out of the refrigerator and looked straight at him. "Did you send that?" she demanded.

Ash scowled at her. She can be so annoying sometimes. But it's better than her keeping quiet, I guess. A little frustrated, he walked straight up to her and put his hands on her waist and brought her face really close to hers, looking deep into her eyes; like he sometimes used to do when they'd get into an argument when they were traveling together. Both of them always fell calm when he pulled this tactic…and right now, Ash was pretty mad at her. But slowly, it started to fade away…

He's…holding me…he's looking into my eyes…Unconsciously, Misty put her arms around his neck.

Ash took a deep breath, not noticing. "Yes, Misty. I was the one who sent you that," he said slowly and softly. It always stopped both of them from getting into an argument when he talked quietly.

Misty felt something vibrating in the pit of stomach as his words fell on her ears. She stared into his eyes. He didn't seem like he was fooling around; in fact, she'd never seen him more serious before. She tried to look behind those chocolate brown eyes, those bottomless pits that she had been falling in for so many years. She had never been very good at seeing through people, and she couldn't see through Ash either, even though he was so easy to read. Just to make sure, she looked at him again.

"Really? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"No, Mist. You know I'd never do that, right?"

He's not…kidding…he really loves me…Oh God…Hold on, why isn't he kissing me? Oh, great, now he wants me to do THAT as well?!...Fine then…I guess it's better than not getting a kiss at all…

Ash kept on looking into Misty's eyes. He watched the stars that appeared in her eyes and grew, grew…It seemed as though it was daytime in her eyes. He smiled at her. She smiled back. He closed his eyes, thankful that he'd finally learned how to control his temper.

Just then, May walked into the kitchen, thankful to have gotten away from Drew with the excuse of going to check on Ash and Misty. As she saw them, wrapped so closely together and looking deeply into each other's eyes, she swiftly hid behind the door. Looks like my plan's working...Oh God, I shouldn't be doing this. But this is so precious!!! Might as well hide and watch…I don't want to disturb them…

Misty looked at Ash, tightening her hold on him without meaning to. She saw him shut his eyes…and prepared for something she had never thought she would ever get to experience in real life…She closed her eyes and slowly leaned in, like she thought Ash was doing as well…

He suddenly opened his eyes when he felt something warm and soft on his lips, that tasted like strawberries. He saw Misty, her eyes closed, her lashes caressing her pink cheeks, her lips fondling with his…"She's…?"

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A/N: Yeah, I got a feeling I'm gonna get a whoolle lotta flames on the whole MISTY/Drew part. But that's supposed to be a sort of build up for the plot, so don't yell at me!!! Besides, like I said, they're not gonna go out, ever, ever, ever!!! Over my dead body are they ever gonna be more than friends!! And anyways, I wanted to try something new. Smiles nervously Yeah, and this and the next chapter is maybe probably the only Misty/Drew you'll get from this story.

By the way, sorrryyyyy for taking so long!!!! There's a lot more to this chapter but that was making like, 30 pages???? So I HAD to cut it off from somewhere and turn it into a build-up chappie to prevent you guys from sleeping… XD

Aw, man!!! Gary can't come in till chapter 5!!!! Stupid my pen-getting-carried-away habits… X( X( X( X( X(

Again, thanks to prettygirl17, Haylie (SunKissed...love the pen name lolzz), beautifly-rulez12, mbm238, A Rose For Me-A Rose for You and Lilineko for reviewing. I love you guys!!!

Yeah, and for all the lazy people, here's the deal: Either you review OR I NEVER EVER EVER UPDATE IN A MILLION GAZILLION FRIKKIN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And I'm serious!!!!!)

Ash: Yeah, have mercy on me!! I can't feel my lips anymore!!

Me ignoring Ash and Misty OH $&$#$#$&($#$#$&(&$#&(&$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Misty: WHAT???

Me whacks head against wall I forgot to save the rest of the chapter!!!! Great, now I have to type it up again….. $&$&$$&(&…..

Misty: YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whacks head with mallet

Me: Iced Happy Bunny Boxers…snorts goofily and passes out

&(&$&(&()&&(&$&()&(()( What can I say? I'm devastated. (&$#&(&$#$&(&$#&&$#$&&&&$