Despite sleeping more soundly than he had since arriving in Blossomful City, Ash didn't feel entirely refreshed when he awoke the next morning. His slumber was plagued with dreams, but now that he was sitting up in bed, they were quickly fading away. Only one remained coherent enough that he could piece together bits, remembering that it involved Misty.

As he strained to regain the memory, he had flashes of the two of them on a pokémon battlefield, only they were not in the trainer's box but in the battle arena itself. Pikachu was in Ash's usual spot in the box. Facing them was Candy, a rather sinister looking gyarados in the trainer's box behind her. "Well, well, the riff raff is back," Candy said mockingly. Ash tried to remember more, but the harder he tried, the quicker the threads of the dream seemed to unravel until it was gone completely.

Shaking off the odd feeling left behind by the dream, Ash tossed off the sheets off his bed, disturbing Pikachu from his slumber.

"Pika," he said tiredly and Ash gave him a scratch behind one ear in apology.

Brock was still asleep, so Ash gathered his things and took them to the bathroom for a shower. The water was refreshing and he was soon feeling like himself again. By the time he exited the bathroom, Brock was awake and ready for his turn.

"Morning Ash," Brock said.

"Morning."

"Left any hot water for me?" he asked.

"A little," Ash replied with a chuckle. "About as much as you left me yesterday."

Brock rustled Ash's hair when he passed him. "You're cheeky this morning. You must have had a good time with the Misty's friends last night. I almost woke you up to ask you about it when I got back from dinner," he said. Changing his voice to sound pitiful, he added, "Which of course I had to eat alone since my best friend ditched me to hang out with a bunch of beautiful girls."

"Brock," Ash said exasperated.

"I have to have some fun with this, don't I?" Brock asked with a smile. "So, any of them catch your eye?"

Ash stopped short. He knew what Brock meant, but the question still caught him off guard. He thought back on the dinner and the girls and the various conversations about celebrities and pokémon training. He tried to think about whether any of them had caught his eye. There were the twins, but all Ash could remember clearly was that they were both using persians in their routines. It was the same for the others as well. Then, suddenly, his mind turned to the walk home and his talk with Misty. "Beautiful," he had thought.

Brock started laughing. "You look so serious there, my young friend. Were they all so beautiful that you couldn't choose?" He laughed again. "That's always my problem." Without waiting for an answer, Brock walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Later, Ash and Brock went down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Ash found his appetite had returned and heaped food on his plate before grabbing yet another bottle of ketchup for Pikachu. Brock hadn't questioned Ash any more on the dinner and he tried to stop thinking about it himself by concentrating on shoveling food into his mouth.

He was about halfway through eating when he heard Brock call, "Hey Misty." Ash turned to see her walking their way, Togepi in one arm and a duffle bag in the other. She was dressed casually and Ash surmised everything she needed for the pageant was in the bag.

"Morning," she said when she reached the table, taking one of the empty chairs.

"Morning," Ash said. "Get your beauty sleep?" Normally the question would have been a joke, one that would have inevitably set them off into another argument.

This morning, however, he was sincere and apparently Misty realized that, because she replied, "As well as can be expected. It's going to be a long, crazy day no matter how this turns out."

"I know you're going to do great," Ash said, flashing her a smile.

Misty smiled back. "Thanks, Ash," she said. "And thanks again for your help yesterday. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Just give that bimbo a run for her money," he said.

Misty chuckled and gave him a "V" sign. She turned to Brock, who seemed to be in shock. "Brock?" she asked.

"Umm…what?" he asked absentmindedly. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, good luck Misty."

"Thanks for agreeing to look after Togepi again today."

"No problem."

"Oh, here are your tickets," she said, handing them to Brock. "I guess I'll see you guys on the other side. I've got 20 minutes to get to my hair appointment and there's still so much to do after that." She handed Togepi to Brock and stood up.

"Good luck," Ash said, but part of him told him it wasn't enough. He stood as well and grabbed Misty in a big hug. Leaning his head close to her ear, he whispered, "You're a good friend too."

Letting go, he smiled and then retook his seat. Misty smiled back and waved at the two of them, adding a tiny wave to Togepi before turning to leave the cafeteria.

Ash watched her leave and then turned back to the table to see Brock looking at him strangely. "What?" he asked.

"You weren't kidding when you said you guys made up."

"Why would I lie?" Ash asked. It was the second time Brock had reacted like this upon hearing that he and Misty were getting along.

"No, I didn't mean that," Brock said quickly. "It's just that you guys were so…nice to each other."

"And how is that a problem?" Ash began picking at his food, unsure what Brock was getting at.

"It's not," Brock said. He seemed to be searching for the right words, but then sighed. "Never mind. I'm just glad you two are talking again. It's beyond awkward for me when you guys are fighting. Right, Pikachu?"

The yellow pokémon nodded enthusiastically before returning to his nearly empty ketchup bottle. As they finished their breakfast, they discussed what they were going to do before the pageant, which was still several hours away. Ash agreed to go with Brock while he checked out the breeding centers he mentioned the night before, which should still allow them to get to the pageant and find their seats with plenty of time to spare.

They left the center and turned toward the square and gym, traveling down the street that was becoming increasingly familiar to Ash. They reached the bakery and Ash casually glanced into the display window, once again seeing the vast array of pokémon sugar cookies. He stopped as an idea overtook him.

"What's up?" Brock asked when he noticed Ash had stopped.

"Nothing," Ash said absently, trying to figure out how to pull off the plan still forming in his head. He looked down the street, searching and then finding the store he needed several doors away. "I just want to stop in here for a second," he said, pointing toward the bakery.

"Sure Ash, we have plenty of time," Brock said. "I better stay out here, though. I'm not sure they'd appreciate pokémon in there."

"Good point," Ash said. "I'll be real quick."

Inside, the smells of freshly baked goods were even stronger than they had been on the street. There were shelves of breads and rolls, pastries and pies. He went to the counter, behind which was a short-statured older woman wearing a hairnet and apron. He ordered one of the psyduck cookies he saw the day before, along with a staryu and a pikachu.

The woman was about to place them in a wax paper bag when Ash asked her is had anything "fancier." She smiled at him and grabbed a roll of clear wrapping plastic decorated with red polka dots. She carefully wrapped up the cookies and tied the plastic with red ribbon. Thanking her, Ash paid for the cookies and rejoined Brock on the sidewalk.

"Get what you needed?" Brock asked.

"Yeah. Just one more stop," he replied, glancing down at the store ahead of them.

"On a shopping spree, are we?" Brock asked with a laugh.

"Something like that," Ash said, leading his friend down another block before crossing the street. He hadn't paid much attention to the florist shop during his earlier trips other than noticing the various fragrances emanating from the flowers arranged in baskets along the sidewalk.

"Flowers?" Brock asked when Ash stopped in front of the store.

"I thought about getting Misty some flowers to show our support," Ash said. "Isn't that how these things are supposed to work, having them delivered so they're in their dressing rooms before the show?" Ash wasn't sure where the idea had come from, but it sounded right to him.

"Now that you mention it, that's a good idea," Brock said with a smile. "Want to go half and half on it?"

"Sure," Ash said. "I'll pay for them and you can pay me back. You'll probably need to stay out here again." Brock nodded and Ash was about to step into the store when he paused. Turning back to his friend, he asked, "Any idea on what kind of flowers she'd like?"

"That's a tough one, Ash. Why don't you ask the florist once you get inside? They're good at those kinds of things. And don't forget to make sure they can deliver them directly to the park."

"I will, thanks," Ash said.

Like at the bakery, the flowers' aromas were much stronger inside the shop than they had been outside on the sidewalk. Various bouquets, flower arrangements and potted plants covered every flat surface Ash could see, with even more hanging from metal racks and hooks attached to the ceiling. It was enough to make him feel like he was back in the forest rather than a place of business in the middle of a bustling city.

Across the wide open room, he saw a counter that was likewise covered in flowers and displays, but it took him several minutes to wind his way between the racks and plants which turned the floor into a maze. It took several tries, with more than one dead end, to finally reach the counter, which he discovered was vacant.

Ash rang the tiny bell set next to the register and a few moments later a woman appeared from behind a wall of ivy so effectively hiding the doorway that he jumped when he first noticed the movement. The woman was thin and mousy, her light-brown hair beginning to show signs of gray. She wore a flower-patterned blouse covered by a wide, green apron.

"Good morning," the woman said cheerfully upon seeing Ash. "My name is Judy. Welcome to the Green Hose. How can I help you?"

Ash was still recovering from her sudden appearance through the ivy, so it took him a moment to respond. "Good morning," he said. "Umm, can you deliver flowers to somebody competing in the beauty pageant?"

"Well," Judy said, "it's a little last minute for that."

"Oh," Ash said, feeling suddenly dejected. He should have known that there probably wouldn't be time to set something like this up the day of the pageant. He had really wanted to get Misty the flowers, even going as far as imagining the look on her face when she found them in her dressing room. He had hoped that they would help boost her confidence before going on stage. Now he was going to have to think of something else.

"I didn't say I couldn't do it," Judy said, obviously reading his expression. "It just can't be anything too elaborate and it will be limited to the flowers I have in stock.

"Really? That's great," Ash exclaimed, feeling his emotions pulling another u-turn. "Thank you. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Judy said with a smile. "I already have several arrangements to deliver there and I have time to whip up another one before I leave." She reached into a pocket on the front of her apron and pulled out a small notebook. She then grabbed a pen off the counter and clicked it. "So, who is the lucky young lady?"

"Misty Waterflower," Ash said.

Writing the name down on her pad, she said, "Waterflower? Don't recognize the name. Is she new?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ash said. "We're here from Kanto."

"Is she your girlfriend?" she asked.

"No," Ash said quickly. There it was again, although he had to admit it was easier to understand the confusion this time since he was buying flowers for her. There was something about that idea that troubled him slightly but he ignored it so he could concentrate on the task at hand. "We came here so I could compete for a Johto badge and she decided to enter the pageant after seeing a flyer." That was all true, but he left out the part about their fight and everything else that had happened since they'd arrived in Blossomful City. "Our friend Brock is here with us and I…I mean we…thought we should get her some flowers."

"Isn't that sweet?" Judy said. "What kind of flowers are we getting for Misty today?"

Ash felt himself get a little nervous. He knew she was doing him a favor even accepting the order. What would she say when he told her didn't have a clue what to get? "Well," he began, "I was hoping you could help me with that. I really don't know what she would like. I'm not really good with flowers."

"No worries," she said. "Most boys don't have a clue when it comes to this kind of stuff. Why don't you tell me a little about her?"

Ash breathed another sigh of relief at her words. Not knowing what else to do, he started telling her about Misty. It wasn't in any kind of order, just random things that popped in his head when he thought about her. First he told her about her red hair and how she she usually kept it in a side ponytail. Then he talked about her pokémon and how she was a gym leader and a talented trainer. Then about her fear of bug pokémon and how he would often tease her about it. Then about her eyes and how they brightened whenever she saw the ocean. Then about how she would cheer him on whenever he was in a pokémon battle. Then he mentioned her temper, and how her eyes would light up in an entirely different way when they were arguing. Then the dress and how she looked as she'd twirled around, her hair fanning out around her. How "beautiful" she was.

Ash seemed to come out of a trance, realizing Judy was looking down at him, her pen laying on the notebook. She smiled at him.

"You have no clue, do you?" she said, the smile appearing to grow even bigger on her face.

"Ma'am?" he asked confused.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "Well, I think I have a pretty good picture of Misty and should be able to come up with something very nice for her."

Judy reached under the counter and pulled out a thick blue binder and set it in front of Ash. She opened it to reveal pages upon pages of lined notebook paper with photos and index cards attached like one of his mother's scrap-booking projects. Flicking through the pages, she stopped several times pointing out flowers she thought would go well together. Ash tried to imagine them in a bouquet and decided they would like nice indeed.

Judy quoted him a price and he felt it was reasonable, especially since he was splitting the cost with Brock. As he signed the receipt, he thought of his mother's reaction when his next bank statement arrived in the mail and how the resulting phone call would go. He knew the money was going to a good cause, so he decided he would just have to deal with the fallout later.

It was only when he was returning his wallet to his back pocket that he remembered the cookies. Taking out the bag, he asked, "Could you include this with the flowers?"

Judy only smiled again. "No problem at all. I'll make sure they arrive at the pageant with plenty of time to spare."

"Thank you," he said.

"You're very welcome," she said.

Ash was about to turn and leave when he noticed that she looked like she had something else to say. "Ma'am?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, appearing surprised that he'd spoken. "You and Misty, do you get confused for a couple often? Boyfriend and girlfriend, I mean. Like I did earlier."

Ash grew uncomfortable with the question, not sure why a total stranger was asking him something like that. "Yeah," he said cautiously. "It's been happening a lot lately, in fact."

"Have you ever wondered why?" she asked, her tone giving him the impression that she already knew the answer.

"Of course," he said.

"And?" she asked, drawing out the word like his old school teacher would when she wanted him to figure out a tricky problem on his own.

"And what?" he responded, surprised at the sharpness in his voice, hoping he didn't sound as disrespectful to her as he did to himself.

"Sorry," she said quickly, taking a step back from the counter. "It's none of my business. Forget I said anything. You just be sure to have a nice day."

"Thank you," Ash said, now more confused than ever. He almost added an apology, but didn't. Instead, he turned and began navigating the maze toward the front door. As he walked between the plants and displays, he couldn't keep him mind from returning to the woman's question.

Of course he wondered why so many people thought he and Misty were a couple. He'd been asking himself the same question the night before as they walked back to the pokémon center from dinner. They were friends, he told himself. They'd been friends for three years and as far as he was concerned, they'd always be friends.

But then, between taking one step and the next, an entirely new question sprouted off the first, making him stop moving altogether. It was a question that had never once occurred to him before now. It was a question, he realized, he may not have allowed himself to ask, even unspoken to himself. Because now that the question was there, he knew he would never be able to un-ask it.

The question wasn't why did people confuse Misty and him as a couple. It was what if they were a couple?

It was just a seed of an idea, buried deep inside him, but now as he stood still in that crowded shop surrounded by flowers and plants and little figures resting on metal racks and wooden shelves, the seed took root and began to sprout. And the flower that bloomed from the seedling was not anything he could have predicted just a moment before.

It confused Ash and terrified him at the same time. He wanted to fight against it, but he also had to admit that it explained the way he'd been acting and feeling lately, how hollow and upset he'd been after the fight with Misty when she wouldn't speak to him, how scared he'd been that she might decide to leave once she learned of his bike fund, how joyful he'd been seeing her smiling as she twirled in the dress, perhaps even the odd sensations he'd felt when they'd been eating lunch together.

Could he be attracted to his best friend? The longer he stood there, the more sense it made, even if also felt impossible. He knew from the day before he felt better when he was around Misty and they were getting along. But wasn't that what being a friend was all about? Hadn't he always enjoyed being around Misty, at least when they weren't arguing. Part of him agreed but another part began arguing that something was now indeed different about how he felt about Misty.

Before this change, he wouldn't have bought her a dress. He wouldn't have gone out of his way to avoid another argument. And he definitely wouldn't have almost called her beautiful, twice no less.

Was this what it meant to like someone? Not just like, but like like someone? And could that person really be Misty? It felt wrong, even if the same part of himself that he'd been arguing with insisted it was right.

His head was filled with so many strange thoughts that he could almost see them swirling around his head, occasionally landing on a leaf or display. Finally he dragged himself out of the maelstrom and began walking toward the door.

He didn't dare glance back at Judy, afraid of the expression he would see on her face. "You have no clue," she had said. Well, now it seemed he might have found one. He just didn't know what to do with it.

The sun outside was very bright after the darkness of the shop and Ash shielded his eyes to block the glare. A few seconds later, he regained his vision and walked over to Brock, who was still holding Togepi with Pikachu standing nearby.

"You ok?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ash asked quickly, afraid somehow that Brock may have overheard his conversation with Judy.

"You look like you saw a ghost," Brock answered. "Everything go okay with the flowers?"

"Flowers?" Ash asked before remembering why he'd been in the store. "Yeah, it went fine." He hoped Brock couldn't hear his heart, which seemed to be pounding in his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his realization with Brock. It wasn't anything against his friend, but he wanted to be sure what this all meant before he starting sharing it. He also didn't know how Brock would react. Better to wait for now, he told himself.

"Judy, the owner, helped me pick out some good ones and she said they would be delivered to the pageant with plenty of time to spare." He told him the price and Brock agreed it was reasonable, pulling out his wallet and passing him his share.

"Ready to check out those breeding centers?" Ash asked, desperate for any kind of distraction.

"Sure Ash," Brock said. "Let's go."