Fan Fiction vs. Real Life

Came to me in the middle of the night just as I was about to fall asleep. Like the first one, it was the dialogue that got me started and the story was slotted around it. Hope you all like.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. Nor do I own Albert Einstein

Fan Fiction vs. Real Life: Attraction

Fan fiction vs. Real life #4:

In fan fiction, opposites attract.

In real life, physics has absolutely no bearing upon the propensity of some people (and not others) to fall in love with one another.

Or as Albert Einstein once aptly put it . . .

"Gravity is not responsible for people falling in love."

Ash really didn't understand what he was doing there. He had spent the last two hours sitting through eight fifteen minute interval dates and there was only more to come. He didn't know how Brock could consider this anything but slow and painful torture.

Ash glanced painfully at his speed dating junky best friend, trying to convey a message with his eyes of just how desperately he wanted to leave that dreadful place. His efforts were futile as Brock was already absorbed in his next date – a leggy blonde with a bust size that defied the laws of physics. She was just Brock's type.

"Er hem."

A discrete cough was made drawing his attention away from the cassonaova extraordinaire to his own date prospect. She was pretty – red hair, green eyes, and a nice friendly smile. He wouldn't call her gorgeous – at least not in the same way that Brock's date was – but she was definitely pretty. He let his eyes gaze lazily over her face and figure, speed dating requiring none of the pretence of actual dating, which tended to disapprove of such blatant 'eyeing up' of the opposite sex.

The redhead gave him a sceptical scoff, crossing her well-toned arms over her chest. "I hope you weren't just using my precious date time to check out other girls," she pronounced drolly, tossing her flaming hair over her shoulder.

Ash shook his head. "Just taking the time to amuse myself," he responded, gesturing to Brock who was now on his knees practically proposing marriage to a girl he had known for all of three minutes. Ash seriously hoped she declined – he was hoping that their speed date fifteen minutes from now would be the only interaction he had with a woman of her 'calibre'.

"I'm Misty," she smiled, offering her hand across the one-meter square table.

Ash frowned and then in a rare moment of suave, brought the hand she offered to his lips, giving her a friendly wink. "Ash," he responded, hoping that the whole thing came off as smooth as he thought it did.

She giggled, a light blush hitting her cheeks. "I hope all the girls don't get this treatment," she teased, another perfectly pitched giggle escaping her lips. Ash just shrugged, letting the perfect opportunity for total suaveness slip through his fingers.

She rolled her eyes, not really expecting more. "Ash and Misty," she mused. "I guess we're perfect for each other."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, curious about her conclusion.

"Well, you know the saying," she shrugged. "Opposites attract."

"So you're saying we're opposites?" he asked, his tone suggesting that he didn't really agree.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I mean, just look at us. I'm a girl and you're a boy. You don't get more opposite than that."

"I don't think that's what they meant."

"How about our names then?" Misty suggested. "You're fire, I'm water."

"Actually I think I'm named after the tree," Ash corrected. "Apparently it's like 'the thing' in Pallet to name your kids after trees."

"What about Gary?"

"Gary Oak," Ash replied, particular emphasis placed on the last name.

"Never mind."

"Trees and water aren't opposite at all," he said, returning to the previous point in the conversation. "Water gives life to trees. Without water, we wouldn't have trees or at least they'd be really shrivelled and not as good as they could have been if they had water there to support them."

She missed his point entirely. "Ok, what about Pallet and Cerulean. They're opposites."

"How?" Ash asked.

"They're on opposite sides of the peninsula," she offered.

"I guess," he shrugged, "but I still think you're pushing it, Myst."

"Fine," she said, seemingly conceding that one. "What about Pokémon then?"

"What about Pokémon?"

"Well my starter is dual type while yours is single," she offered.

"Misty, Staryu is by no stretch of the imagination a starter," he argued back. "You even got him before you were ten. You don't have a starter."

"But he was my first Pokémon, so I still say Staryu and Pikachu are opposites," she argued. "Electric and water are opposites."

"I thought you said fire and water were opposites," he laughed, watching her trying to backpedal.

"In general, but not in Pokémon," she pouted.

"I don't think Pokémon have opposites."

She almost growled in response, glaring fiercely in a way that made her look stunningly beautiful. "Careers then," she tried. "You're a trainer, I'm a gym leader."

"But you still battle, Myst," he told her. "The opposite of a trainer is a co-ordinator."

He saw her visibly flinch at that one. "What's all this about, Myst?" he asked gently, taking her hand across the table and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Nothing, nothing," she waved off with false cheer. "Can you believe it? The first night out we get in ages and it's speed dating with Brock," she said, trying to change the subject before he delved any deeper.

"Misty," he said lowly, warning her he wouldn't be swayed.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping forward as she lowered her eyes to their hands. "I was just reading one of those stupid gossip magazines today and they all seem to think you'd be much better suited to someone like May or Dawn."

"Why?" he asked.

"Well because you're so different from them," she almost whined in response. "It makes it more fun and exciting. I'm just more of the same."

"So," he shrugged. "I wouldn't say we're exactly the same, Myst, and it's the things which are 'the same' that make us work."

"Like what?" she scoffed.

"Like the I lost my dad," he suggested. "May could never understand that, and I love that you do, Myst. I mean, I hate that something like that happened to you, cause I don't like the thought of something upsetting you, but it means a lot to me that you understand."

He saw her features soften slightly and decided to continue in the hopes of future rewards. "And as a gym leader, you get how important training and stuff is and how you need to be close to your Pokémon in a way that is different from co-ordinating," he told her. "And cause you're from Kanto, I know you're never gonna make some big cultural faux paux in front of all the big wigs. Do you remember how bad it was when Dawn tried to eat the Obon offering?"

"Yeah, but anyone could make that mistake," Misty offered. "In fact, I think you did."

"I was four," he protested. "People expect it of kids that age."

She shook her head, letting a few chuckles stray from her lips. "How about we blow this popsicle stand and get something to eat?" she suggested with a smile. "Leave speed dating to the single people."

"You read my mind, Myst," he smiled, jumping out of his chair and racing towards the door before Misty had even got up from her seat.

He smiled as she caught up to him, helping her into a light jacket.

"You know, even if they're right, Myst," he said, alluding back to the gossip magazines that had begun the strange interaction. "I think I'd rather be with you."

She smiled softly, happiness in her eyes as she took in his words. "I guess opposites really do attract," she sighed contentedly, curling her body towards his as she uttered her conclusion.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, almost certain she was going somewhere good with it this time.

"Well, you're a boy. I'm a girl."

"I think you might be right, Misty," he told her, gently kissing the top of her head. "I think that's all it takes.

"No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as love?"
~ Albert Einstein

~FIN~

For some reason I pictured this with a married Ash and Misty out for a date night while Grandma Delia watches the baby. Not really sure where this fic came from - I think it might be a die for your ship attempt to torpedo any Ash with co-ordinator ships hanging around.

Right.

And for anyone wondering, an obon offering is a offering for the dead so it would be pretty bad to eat it. It's a buddhist thing, but a lot of cultures have a similar sort of offering - most of them around Halloween - but that was the first named one that came up in my google search and it seemed the most appropriate to go with the Japanese reference.

And . . . for anyone who thinks Misty should have known that Ash was named after a tree, maybe she assumed it was Ash like that stuff that's left over after fire because of Pokemon 2000. Or maybe she was just desperately grasping at straws. That one seems more likely.