Unresolved Resentments
By ~Sapphire Espeon~
----
Author Note: This is my first attempt at fanfiction. Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo.
This chapter has undergone a massive overhaul. I hope you enjoy the new and (hopefully) improved version. Now with 33% more content!
----
Chapter 7
Resolve
In the last chapter…
He progressively reached up to turn on the light, but paused slightly when he heard the almost silent sob from the corner…
*
Against the wall, a figure was cowering. The form seemed to be shrinking into itself, attempting to disappear from the room. The ginger tresses that sat atop her head fell in soft waves around her pallid face. Her eyes were large and shimmering, with tears that were yet to fall. Ash stepped tentatively towards her, and crouched on his knees so that he was at eye-level to Misty, the lingering silence was louder than sound.
Her voice quavered she spoke in a soft, fearful voice. "What if he comes back? What if he won't leave me alone? What if he does smething like that again?" Still huddled against the wall, grateful for its stability, she was too emotionally weary to say more. Ash was her friend…she knew that much at least…even if he didn't love her, he was genuinely concerned.
"Misty, I'm not going to just leave you here like this, you of all people should know that." A lone tear fell across her cheek. His hand lightly grazed her face, wiping it away. Still she embraced the silence, ignoring Ash's plea. He knew now was the time to clear the air.
Ash's heart pounded in anticipation and nervousness. He stared down at the floor, then, deciding that wasn't the ideal thing to do, forced himself to look directly into Misty's sea-blue eyes. He knew it would not be easy, but it ended up being a more arduous task than anticipated. As soon as he did, he wanted to bolt out of the room as fast as humanly possible and never look at the pain he saw opposite him ever again.
Misty's mind was in turmoil. She could not believe that Ash was acting in such a caring way towards her. She was truly terrified of Rudy returning to wreak further havoc, and made this apparent to Ash. Though, despite it all, she found more pressing thoughts jumping to the forefront of her mind. She knew Ash would protect her, he was an extremely loyal friend. He was the type of person who would risk his life for those he cared about without a second thought. Delilah, Brock, her…
She had been receiving strange signals from Ash. Being so attuned to how he acted and his emotions, she was able to sense when something was amiss. And she was sensing it now. Misty knew it had to be Ash who set things in Motion. She had loved him for some time, and knew that he had, either no feelings for her, or had not come to terms with them. Raising the topic would only force him to consider things he wasn't emotionally ready for.
*
Ash opened his mouth, attempting to form a sentence. "I.." He faltered. Trying again, he was able to speak in a clearer tone this time, able to say what he had held in for a long time, much longer than he had expected to. "Misty, I never wanted you to be hurt. I know lately everything seems have been turned on its head, but I didn't mean to make you sad….I was too afraid to tell you anything because I thought you might not have wanted to hear it. So I just kept quiet."
Misty raised an eyebrow in confusion. Her eyes were clear now, although her face was still blotchy from the tears. "Ash, just say what you intend to say." She never took her eyes off his.
Ash was stalling for precious seconds, closing his eyes momentarily. Say it aleady! You don't want to wreck everything again do you? Or maybe Misty isn't your soulmate…. His eyes flew open. She WAS, and he wasn't going to let the doubts in his mind tell him otherwise. He knew the truth, and he was going to tell it to her.
Misty was starting to show signs of impatience. She tapped her fingers on the table which stood next to her, and her foot was falling asleep from sitting this way for so long. Ash looked like he was about to say something important. So she focused her attention on him, fully and completely.
Ash took a deep breath and forced the words out. "Misty…I really do like you…" The floor suddenly seemed to be the most fascinating thing in the world. Looking at her was not an option. He just wished that she would show a response, anything at all. He was beyond caring whether it was a good or a bad reaction; he wanted her to show some sign that she had comprehended what he had said. And she did. Subtly at first, staring in disbelief. Had she just heard the words she had been craving for so long? She had. And it shocked her more than anything else. Her smile was so broad, there was no wiping it off her face. She was ecstatic! She pinched herself, ascertaining that this was no dream.
Ash's words were greeted with…a smile? For a moment there he had been worried that he had imagined what she had said earlier, thinking he had misinterpreted her reaction. But he hadn't. The glee and happiness radiating from Misty's face left him lost for words. He took her in his arms and hugged her tight, never wanting to let her go. He was slightly embarrassed, but his eyes were aglow with happiness.
*
The next morning at breakfast, Delilah noticed a change in the demeanour of the two children, who were seemingly growing up right before her eyes. In her eyes, it seemed like only yesterday Ash was a child. For Delilah, nothing ever seemed to change. Ash would always be her little boy. But he was old enough not to be mothered anymore. Words between the two had been exchanged, she knew that much. They must have been of significance, because Misty was gazing into oblivion, and Ash was observing his cereal intently.
Pikachu bounded into the sunny room, expected to be greeted with a response. But there was none. Even Delilah was caught up in her own little world. The kitchen lit up with a yellow glow and the fried trio hastily muttered a brief good morning to the yellow creature.
Outside, Ash and Misty slowly strolled through the paddock that the Ketchum residence overlooked. The silence in the air was heavy and awkward, and both knew the only way to break it was to speak. "Ash?" She whispered, "Where do we stand?" The anger and pain I felt when we were fighting was bad, but this silence is so much worse…" Ash shrugged. He wished he had the words, but alas they were escaping him. If only he could have pulled them from thin air! He looked back to Misty for an answer, hoping she would have one. But she did not. He had to gather up his courage again and find words that made sense, not only to himself, but to her as well. "Misty, this isn't really easy for me to put into words, but as I said before, I do really like you, and if I didn't, then, well, I wouldn't have said anything. I like being with you, and I know that sounds lame, corny, whatever you want to call it, but that's the truth. Being with you makes me happy." He took a deep breath and filled his lungs with air. After a moment's hesitation, he gently took her hand in his.
Both thought it was just right. So right.
But Misty had other things to worry about. He had said he liked her, sure, but he didn't love her. And the more she thought about it, the more of a difference she saw between the two. Like. Lust. Love. Which one? The one thing that Misty hated more than the awkward silences was not knowing what he really felt. He could love her, but be too afraid to say so, or he could just genuinely like like her. To her, either one was a blessing. But she didn't want Ash to like her, she wanted him to love her, just as she did him.
Ash was confused. He had no idea how to tell her, or how she would take those words. So he kept silent. Misty, on the other hand was not going to let this go without a fight. "Ash…" she whispered, "I..I don't like you." Ash's jaw dropped. He was not hearing this. "Why didn't you say so?" The sadness was apparent in his eyes. "Why Misty? You just don't do things like that! You made me believe that you liked me, and now you're saying that you don't?" An expression of pain was evident on his face. "Ash, you didn't let me finish what I was saying!" Misty exclaimed. But Ash was reluctant to listen. If she didn't like him, then what was the point of listening to her words if they were just going to bring him anguish? "Ash, listen!" Misty lowered her voice to a whisper that was barely audible. "I love you…" She faltered. "You do?" was the astonished reply. She nodded to confirm her words. "Me too!" Ash said, jumping up and down with delight. "I mean..I love you too Misty." And he smiled back.
He leaned in towards her, the uncertainty rising again. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
Misty had been thinking about this day for years. She finally couldn't believe it was happening. Her first kiss. It was perfect, just as she had imagined it to be. She could tell he was nervous, but the moment his lips brushed against hers, she thought that nothing could have felt more right. Nothing. Slowly she broke away and opened her eyes, still caught up in the moment, breathless. She tried to preserve this moment in her memory, although she knew she would not forget such a thing so easily. Ash looked a bit stunned, yet the blush was still evident on his face. And he was still smiling.
Misty smiled to herself. It was true. Everything had worked out in the end, just as she had hoped it would. Life is good, she thought. Actually no, it's was more than that. Life is perfect. Except…
Ash beat her to it. "Don't worry, leave Rudy to me."
*
Ash had a strong hunch Rudy had not yet left Pallet, however, no proof to support it. He had been searching for several hours. Pallet may have been a small town, but even the smallest community held a number of places one could reside. Marching doggedly down the road near Professor Oak's, he locked eyes on his target. "You!" Ash exclaimed, sprinting towards the tall young man. "I can't believe you have the gall to remain in Pallet after what you did to Misty!"
Rudy laughed lazily. "I have relatives in Pallet, Ash. I'm Gary Oak's cousin, and have been invited to stay with his family for as long as I wish. And let me inform you, I have no intention of leaving, and every intention of pursuing a certain pretty girl." The threat in his words hit Ash hard. "You will battle me" Ash growled in a low voice. When you lose, you will leave Misty alone forever. and never return here to Pallet Town. Got it?"
Rudy smirked. "And if I win?"
Ash glowered. "I will forfeit any further Gym challenges and pokemon league competitions". Rudy appeared satisfied. "Very well then" he drawled. "We will battle. One pokemon each. No time limit."
*
The wind whistled through the emerald field. Ash stood grimly, facing the overconfident jerk who had hurt his Misty. He would pay.
Ash reached for a pokeball at his belt. "Go, Grotle!" he yelled. The leaf-laden pokemon bellowed out its battle cry. Rudy pulled out an identical pokeball. A Cradily appeared, also voicing its intent to battle.
Rudy set the battle into motion. "Cradily, ancientpower!" He commanded, and the tentacled monster sprung into action. Grotle didn't have time to react, as boulders rained around it, draining HP.
Ash retaliated. "Grotle, crunch attack!" The leaf-laden creature hurtled forward with unnatural speed, clamping its jaws down upon Cradilly's neck; causing deep scratches to the creature. It looked a little unsteady.
Rudy shouted to Cradily "You can do it Cradily! You have to defend my honour! If you can't do that you're not worth having as a pokemon - use your energy ball attack!" This guy is twisted, thought Ash grimly, as a massive ball of dark and electric energy sped towards Grotle. The poor monster bore the full brunt of the attack, and was knocked to its knees.
Grotle was in obvious pain. Ash quickly took action. "Grotle, hang in there! Use synthesis, and then your leaf storm attack!" The wounded pokemon shimmered for a moment, quickly reversing the majority of damage it had incurred. Then, a cyclone of leaves pelted down on Cradily, who was being driven into the ground by the impact.
"Use your wring out attack!" Rudy demanded of the poor creature, which was all but immobilsed. Cradily attempted weakly to stand and launch the attack, barely conscious. Ash knew it was time to finish this. "Grotle, Giga drain!" The remaining HP was drained from Cradily, who fainted in a heap.
Rusy stood, gaping, for he was not used to losing. He kicked the unconscious pokemon, cursing its weakness. He then turned to Ash, obviously seething. Fine Ash. I'll leave you and your precious Misty alone. She's not my type anyway." Ash suspected by that he meant that she was a girl who stood her ground and didn't bow like a puppet to his whims.
*
Ash bounded back to his home, where Misty was frolicking around with her newly acquired Marril. She laughed with glee as it fired a water gun 10 metres into the air, the water raining down upon both of them. Seeing Ash, she turned to him, a warm expression on her face. "It's been a while stranger" she said, smiling. Where did you wander off to?" Ash bowed his head. "To settle a score" he replied. I challenged Rudy to a battle. He agreed if he lost he would leave you alone and never return to Pallet." Misty looked stunned. "And what of you Ash? What did you wager?" "I would have stopped taking gym challenges and subsequently my eligibility to compete in the pokemon league". He stated simply.
Misty's eyes were wide. "And…the outcome of the battle?" Ash stared back intently. "I won. Rudy will not bother you again. It was sad to see how he treated his pokemon…he kicked it after it had fainted and just left it there. He held up a pokeball. "Obviously I couldn't leave it behind. I thought that I would ask when it has recovered if it wanted to join my team, and if not, set it free."
Misty walked up to Ash with admiration in her eyes, and put her arms around him. "Thank you Ash. For everything."
The scene faded out, as two teenagers shyly let their lips meet in a gentle kiss. The breeze spoke two silent words, that only the couple could hear:
Soulmates forever…
*
I would like to say a huge thank you to all who have taken the time to read 'Unresolved Resentments'. I would love to hear your thoughts, so don't hesitate to submit a review!
~Sapphire Espeon~
