PKMN2K10

by Mr. Dynasty

After a crushing defeat, Ash returns home to rediscover his ambitions as a trainer. Friends and foes both new and old surround him on all sides, but can he find the way to forge ahead and emerge victorious, even as the world grows darker and ever more sinister around him? Language/Violence

10. Chapter X

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter Summary: Ash finally makes his return to Cerulean City to reclaim what's rightfully his. But who else will be waiting there for him? A better question might be: With the Invitational just around the corner and issues stacking higher and higher on her plate, will Misty be able to keep her temper from destroying both her career and her friends? Nevermind that, what'll happen to Ash's already fragile ego when he finds out why his friends are really here?

A/N: Could it be? Could it finally be! Yes. It's here. Finally. New Chapter. Trust me, I'm as thrilled as you are.

Although, while you're here let me ask you something: Do you think it's too early to start a chapter with a cliché dream sequence?

Pfft, whatever, Philistine. Watch me flex.

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PKMN2K10

Chapter X

"Hidden Agenda"

He felt his fingers connect with it's silver-plated majesty; a tactile sensation which he so acutely enjoyed, it made shivers run through him. The names of all who'd laid hands on it previously lay engraved in it's wide, ten kilogram mast and a blank gap of metal would soon bear his signature as well... because he was the new Indigo League Champion.

It seemed that everyone in the whole Colosseum had their eyes on him, looking down at the boy who'd just toppled a legend. A once reckless prodigy who'd returned with maximum vengeance and strength to take what he desired. Now a true legend in his own respect. Lance certainly regarded him with the respect due. The whole crowd stood in awe, and amidst a circle of his friends, he thrust the massive cup high into the air. Pikachu, his ever faithful and powerful companion rode triumphantly skyward, perched in it's bowl. The response was electrifying. The crowd roared, an exploded into wild motion, and he added his own victorious scream to the sound.

"You did it buddy!" Brock, yelled, clapping him on the back, his smile wide with enthusiasm.

"Way to go, Ash!" Dawn cried, jumping up and down at his side. She was in her cheering gear, and wore an ecstatic expression that made him feel infectiously good.

"That was an amazing battle!" May said, her expression wide-eyed.

Max was still grasping at the side of his head in disbelief. "I've never seen anything like it," the younger sibling said loudly.

"I never thought you'd make it this far;" It seemed like this had to be some rival of his, so he turned to see who'd spoken. He lowered the chalice gently to his side and as he did, the noise of the crowd dimmed to nothing.

"I didn't think you had what it took." It was Misty, standing tall behind him. Her arms were crossed over her chest tightly, and she looked uncomfortable with the idea of him holding the Indigo League trophy. Like the idea was troublesome; threw some of her notions about what was required to win it into doubt. He felt the hands of his friends leave him.

"You always seemed like such a wannabe." He glanced around. He really couldn't understand why this was happening. Hadn't she seen what happened? He'd decimated Lance. He'd destroyed the Elite Four. He'd crushed every single opponent on his way to the top. There was no more doubt. There was no more uncertainty, either. He was the greatest trainer in Kanto. Maybe the world. This was no longer open to speculation. "I guess I was wrong, though."

He guessed she was right about that! So then, where had his friends gone? Where had Pikachu gone? Where had his trophy gone? He stood alone and empty-handed. Just him and her, in the middle of an empty field. No crowd was gathered. No cheers filled the air. Just silence. Ash tried to say something, but his voice was just a whisper that even he could not hear.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to tell you this..." Misty began quietly, taking a step toward him. "You're always working too hard, or too far away for me to really talk to."

He took a step back as she advanced, his nerves screaming at their proximity. She was practically making contact with his face, nearly speaking the works into his mouth. "The reason I've been missing you so much?" He tried to wriggle away when he felt her hands come to his lapels, but his strength was like that of an infant against her.

She craned over him, and he could not look away. She descended on him but stopped short, just a fraction of a millimeter away, like she were trying to inspect his eyes for some visual flaw or perhaps, more awkwardly, see what his breath smelled like. Needless to say, it was very uncomfortable to him. "It's because, ever since we met..."

He felt his eyes widen in...some emotion. Fear? Panic? It was something like that. Maybe it was more like anger, but who could say? He wanted to break free, he wanted to run away. He wanted to find his trophy and hide in it.

"I've..." He watched her eyes become large cerulean disks of emotion, glassed with moisture.

"Always..." Her eyebrows tilted upward in the center, in a way he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her display before. What was it?

He felt his palpitations slamming against the roof of his mouth, when he watched her lips move to form the final words. Instead of saying them, though, she screamed annoyingly into his face at point-blank range. "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

Ash woke up groggily in bed and fumbled outward for his gear in all directions, trying not to move or open his eyes. It proved to be senseless, since it was on the pillow next to his head, along with Pikachu who was still sleeping rather peacefully unbeknownst to Ash, crammed between his chin and his collar-bone, jagged tail hovering closely over his nose. Once he'd gotten ahold of it, and shut off the piercing alarm, he laid there for a moment, with his eyes clenched shut and tried to recall the crucial components of his dream, which had already faded into the fog of his subconscious. He felt like he was a little troubled. But the dream had seemed sorta awesome at first! What had it been about? As he thumbed at his poke-gear and saw that it was 11:45, he remembered that there was something he needed to do today...

Yeah, that was right, he thought! Ash sprang upright in bed, and sent Pikachu sailing. Today was the day he'd exact his plan for vengeance! He'd spent all yesterday evening pedaling back into town, thinking it over. When he'd gotten into town, however, he'd had only enough energy to get Charizard checked into the Pokemon Center, pay for a room with what little winnings he'd accrued, and pass the hell out. He'd reluctantly had a run in with another trainer on his way back in, (of course managing to get himself made fun of, for riding a pink bicycle) and even though the battle hadn't turned into much, he'd won what would've essentially been a five on six battle without too much trouble. The other trainer had dealt almost exclusively in ground-type Pokemon, though, and he knew Pikachu was itching for a chance to tear it up, after being sidelined in his last two major bouts. Misty would do nicely.

Speaking of which, he wondered, where was Pikachu? His answer came in the form of a jolt, as Pikachu climbed over the edge of the covers, and back onto the bed itself, before loosing a crack of electricity at the trainer who'd flung him off the bed unintentionally in his waking moments.

Thereafter, they were up and at 'em, however unorthodox the transition might've been. Ash didn't see the need to argue, and Pikachu knew there was no point in trying to curb the young trainers exuberance. Ash hardly even noticed Pikachu's electrical shocks anymore, unless they were particularly ferocious, so he was looking for his shoes without so much as a grumble, while Pikachu made ready to leave. They worked an orbit around the room, collecting the strewn belongings Ash had carelessly slung about before collapsing face-first into the pillows last night.

"Keys." Ash noted, looking around, and rummaging through his backpack. "Where'd the keys for the bike-lock go?" he asked, quite surprised when Pikachu emerged from beneath the bed, key-ring clamped between his teeth, before offering it helpfully to his trainer.

"How'd that get under there?" Ash wondered aloud, stuffing them back into his pocket where they belonged. He needed to keep better track of his stuff, he though, with a shake of his head. He shrugged it off, and nodded towards the door.

Nurse Joy met them at the base of the stairs, offering Charizard's poke ball up to him with a smile. He took it back with a smile, and exchanged a few niceties with her, before handing back the card-key to his room, and leaving.

Cerulean City was even more massive and busy than he remembered it, being quite unlike his hometown. Viridian City was a much larger metropolitan area that had expanded so much over the past several years that it seemed to be on the very doorstep of Pallet. Pewter was a small, but densely populated town that was large enough to warrant calling it a City, but both of the aforementioned towns paled to the size of Cerulean, which nearly rivaled Vermillion as a port-city, though Vermillion was aimed toward commercial shipping and public transit while Cerulean was an almost purely tourism-driven port. While the city of flowing water and blooming flowers didn't have quite the same enormity as the commercial or industrial centers of Celadon or Saffron, it was easy to see the appeal. White sand beaches and high-rise glass-bodied resort hotels covered the cape shoreline to the north, and rimmed what was becoming a huge municipal hub.

He unlocked Misty's bike, opting to push it along instead of pedal it, as Pikachu took up a healthy trot alongside him. He was pretty sure he still remembered where Misty's gym was, but he checked it on his gear just in case. It proved not far away at all, barely worth the precautionary check, and he felt more than a little silly following the turn by turn instructions as the gymnasium loomed visibly in the distance. Putting the phone away, Ash and his partner strolled casually down the sidewalk, taking in the local sights as they went on their short journey.

Not so far away, Misty was looking at herself in a full length mirror.

The gym-leader had to hand it to her sisters. If she was reading these routine notes correctly, and had properly understood all the things they'd told her earlier in the day, the three of them had cooked up something really special this year. Which, she supposed, wasn't that surprising. If nothing else, her sisters were natural born performers. They knew just the right combination of classiness and visual appeal, mixing ability and presentation, in way that just outright escaped her. It was why she was not a Sensational Sister, she supposed with a wry smile. But that was okay. She preferred to appreciate her sisters' performances from a distance, anyways. Just because she respected their skills, did not mean she wished to emulate them. Which she supposed was what caused her so much distress certainly. Somehow, her position in all of this, had moved from spectator and administrator, to performer and participant.

Before her sisters had their say, however, she would have her own matters to take care of, those being chiefly, associating herself with the event in the eyes of the attendees, and announcing all of the sponsorship as well as the scheduling in a way that garnered respect for the event, her sisters, and her Gym. It was a simple job, and amounted to little more than a custodial duty, wherein the Invitational itself was concerned. It remained, however, one of the most crucial duties of the day, and she intended to carry it out in the most professional manner she was able.

The Cerulean Gym-leader adjusted herself in the mirror as she regarded her reflection and frowned. It wasn't that she hated the outfit that her sisters had assembled for her, after discovering that her old dress didn't fit anymore... but she was really more of a 'yellow' or 'blue' person. She tugged at the hem of the skirt. It was a little higher than she liked as well. It wasn't important, really. She could deal. Besides, she had prospects far more deserving of getting stressed over than stupid clothes, she decided.

Like, for instance, what she was going to do about her soon to arrive guests. She groaned, and made her way to the front foyer. She wouldn't have traded them for anything, but sometimes, her friends were a huge pain in her butt.

Ash, ever closer, was thinking the same thingas he tried desperately to keep the bike's front wheel in line, against the constant brushing of the fork-post. He elected finally to just carry it, since it was actually quite light, though it proved to be an awkwardly bulky item. Why couldn't Misty have kept better track of her dumb bike?

He heaved a sigh and looked up at the Cerulean Gym, as he humped along. It was different now, just like Misty was. Not in a bad way, he guessed. Just different. The Gym, like his friend, had obviously undergone some considerable physical changes, and while Ash wasn't sure he liked the fact that Misty was so much taller than him (not to mention stronger), her Gym was a sight to behold. Still under construction, with massive jig-cranes to the western-most end of the complex, the glass and steel structure gleamed in the high noon sunlight. Though it's appearance was brand new, a heavy, lighted blue sign that covered the face of the building denoted it as the very same gym where he'd faced off against Misty so many years ago, for his second badge ever. Well, actually, he thought with a frown, the circumstances were a little unusual. He hadn't actually beaten her. Her sisters had given him that badge. He shrugged. He had to get one from her this go-around, right? He didn't think he would be able to accept any less than that.

He stopped to lock up the bike out front and then mounted the steps that lead to the gymnasium. To say that the lobby was far busier than he'd have imagined it would be, would have been an understatement. The moment he stepped through the glass doors, he practically ran smack into someone's back. The entire foyer was standing room only. He wondered if he would be able to get a battle in today, with all these people around. What the heck was going on?

Ash didn't notice the person he'd bumped into turn and face him. If he had, he probably would've been pretty surprised.

"Oh. Ash," greeted Brock, as the Pallet trainer continued to try and look over his shoulder towards the front of the crowd. Beside him, Dawn practically screamed.

Before Ash even had time to fully process what was happening, he was hit with a full-force hug as Dawn propelled herself into him with a straightforward lunge. He stared at Brock and tried to form the beginnings of what he felt. "What? How?" he began, but then decided it didn't matter.

"I was really starting to miss you guys!" he said with a sudden rush of euphoria. He accepted Dawns gesture more completely, and reached out with his unpinned arm, to snatch hold of Brock's vest, and drag him into the hug as well. It seemed all of their in-fighting was that easily forgotten.

"Us too." Brock admitted, though the younger girl seemed more content to remain silent, and blush at initiating the overzealous display of affection, once the trio had given each other some space.

Ash tilted his head back, and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow."

"You look weird without a hat," Dawn noted, finally muscling past her embarrassment. Ash turned to gripe more directly, but she seemed to remember something. Without delay, she removed her poke balls from her belt, and held them clutched between the knuckles of both hands. Suddenly, the crowded waiting room was a lot more crowded. Piplup, Bunneary, Pachirisu, Quilava, Togekiss, and even Dawn's massive Mamoswine practically filled the space to the brim. A dramatic, if a bit abbreviated chase followed, as Pikachu and Ash made a mad sprint for escape, back out the door through which they'd come. This time, he had remembered to push instead of pull but unfortunately, his shoelace had come untied and he tripped down the stairs.

He landed mostly unhurt on the pavement below, with the sky above him, and seven angry faces looking down on him from all sides. Dawn, easily the most intimidating of these, crossed her arms. "You couldn't have at least said goodbye to all my Pokemon. They're all your friends, too."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu, standing just beside his head, gasped as if to admonish his trainer, slyly supporting what was obviously the winning side. Ash frowned.

"You too!" Dawn said snappily at the electric type. Beside the yellow rodent, Piplup and Bunneary likewise crossed their arms, and much like his trainer, Pikachu shrank a bit.

Ash stammered. "I said I was sorry!"

"Pikachu," his partner agreed.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me. Tell them!"

Ash sat up and heaved a sigh. Dawn was right. During his trip through Sinnoh, he'd learned a lot, and become very close with his Pokemon. But he'd also become close to Dawn, and her Pokemon. His quick return home had not only left his friends in the dark, but their Pokemon as well. To someone else, it might've seemed like a simple lack of foresight, but to Ash, who was so invested in his friendship with Pokemon, it seemed like an impossible guilt. He tried to muster up an apology, but it got stuck in his throat. Maybe he really was a bad friend, just like Misty had said. He let his head hang, bringing both sets of fingers together, to mesh behind it, and cradle himself. What was he supposed to say to make that better? Sorry didn't really cut it, here, but he didn't really know what else to say. Should he grovel, should he have thrown himself on his face and begged forgiveness? He didn't know how that would make things better, either. Bringing the clasped hands to his face, he clenched his lips tightly in gloved fingers. He should've made this apology weeks ago. Crow was easier to eat warm, honestly.

He looked at all of Dawn's Pokemon in turn, taking a moment to look each one of them in the eye. He didn't know what his face looked like at the moment, but he guessed it was as pathetic as it felt, when their stern looks softened. He made an inviting gesture then, and was surprised by their surge, when he opened his arms wide. He embraced them all, from Mamoswine's tusk, to Togekiss' wingtip, squeezing them as tightly as he dared with Pikachu crammed in between. The electric type favored everyone with just enough electrical energy to let them know that he was there, and hugged his friends similarly.

There was nothing that needed said.

After a few moments, Dawn helped him back to his feet. Caught up in the relieved smiles they now wore, neither noticed the throng of people departing from the gymnasium behind them. Three sensational sisters led the pack, and somewhere in the middle, a fourth Waterflower wrestled her way through, finally emerging beside Brock.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, innocently, bumping into his shoulder to disrupt the slowly emerging stare he was laying on her sisters.

"Oh, Hey!" Brock said with a friendly wave, as he turned to look at her, once the initial irritation had passed. Truthfully, he was surprised at how tall she was now. She'd really filled out, since he'd seen her last, unlike their younger companion. She wasn't dressed as casually as she usually was, but he knew that even though the occasions were rare. she could get dolled up with the best of them. It was in her genes, after all. Still, he hadn't seen her so elegantly dressed since she'd agreed to assist with Melvin's magic act all those years ago, and this outfit seemed somewhat more sensible than the Goldeen-themed gown she'd wore then. "Lookin' good." Brock gave her a smile and pat on the shoulder, popped his eyebrows in complement, then left it at that.

She tugged at the hem of her darted skirt, which felt much shorter than it had in the dressing room, and then rolled her eyes. "It's not really my style," she admitted with a frown. "So what are you guys doing here? I didn't get a chance to listen to all of your voice-mail message. Things were pretty hectic this morning," she explained.

Brock only shrugged, before turning back to face Ash and Dawn. "Oh, we're here to meet up with Max." Brock explained. "He's going to be our new traveling partner."

"Wow, that was fast," Misty remarked, without pause.

"The plans are kind of rushed." Brock favored her with a serious expression. "You don't even want to know what a no advance-notice plane ticket from Sinnoh costs. The training season starts in Johto about one week from today, though, so it's hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Misty curled her bottom lip in appreciation of the statement, though she'd sort of meant that it seemed like they were moving on from Ash a little quickly. She supposed it was better that he took it that way, since it really wasn't any of her business, anyways. It certainly didn't seem like there was any lack of camaraderie left between them. She nursed a small twitch of frustration as she stood watching Dawn wrap the pallet trainer in another awkward hug. She wondered if she'd betrayed her displeased expression at that, when she felt Brock eyeballing her. Rapidly, she looked out ahead towards her sisters, in an effort to throw him off.

"That's cool," she offered in a hurry, forcing all of the wild and uninvited jealousy out of her features.

"So what's going on here?" Brock nodded dismissively, but misty couldn't decide if there was a knowing quality to it. "I'm guessing it's got something to do with why you're so dressed up."

Misty rolled her eyes. "My sisters are headed for a photo-op, right now. Made a big deal out of it, of course." She crossed her arms. "Without telling me." This was all supposed to be lead-up for the event, later today; a final effort to dredge up the last bit of public support and notice. Even worse, this was not the only detail of the event they had left unmentioned.

Casting the thought aside, Misty waved her hands. "Today is the Invitational. It's not that big of a deal, really."

She was underselling it, she knew. After all, Champion Lance was going be there. All the same, she didn't want to attract too much of her friend's attention to the matter. It'd be better if she could get them all to go on their way, rather than loiter around all day. She'd planned elaborately for the possibility that she would have to deal with Ash today, but having Dawn, Brock and Max around was going to compound the difficulty of a matter that was already quite precarious. She didn't need Brock around, as much as she loved him, because he would needlessly hover around her sisters all day, and creep everyone out with his endless gushing. She certainly didn't need Dawn around because, being oh so like Ash as she'd recognized her to be, meant infinite and untold depths of trouble, especially if Dawn realized who her older sisters actually were. She couldn't rightly expect that the young coordinator would sit on her hands if she knew that two of her older sisters were International Ribbon Cup winners.

She couldn't adequately think of a reason why she didn't need Max around, but she was sure there was one. Although, more likely, she needed Max to show up, so that she could send the new traveling trio on their way.

And all three of them were just minor woes compared to what she'd have to deal with if Ash insinuated himself too deeply in the days events. She mentally resisted the urge to bring a palm to her forehead, when she considered it. Of all the days for him to come to town! First off, Ash was back for his just deserts over this whole Pokemon trade mix-up, which, okay, she was willing to admit, was her fault. Best case scenario, that meant that Ash would pointlessly and frustratingly follow her around all day until she could swap Pokemon back with him, and provide some reasonable degree of compensation for his distress (something she honestly had no idea how she'd accomplish), and that was absolute best-case scenario. Second, the moment Ash found out who was going to be at the invitational, there was absolutely no way he was going to just leave. And that thought alone made her blood run cold. She couldn't imagine the potential damage Ash could do to her slowly building reputation, if she let him run his mouth off in front of the Champ. Greater still was that potential if she allowed him near the champion at all, she considered; for if the young trainer had his way, she was sure the Champion would be spending less time attending the invitational, and more time listening to Ash carry on obnoxiously, to the end result of promply burning next years invitation when it arrived.

No, she decided, she just couldn't have that. She had to find some way to dismiss this issue before it became too much to handle. Misty's scheming proved to be short-lived, though, as Dawn stepped away from her friend and spied who was amidst the assembly over Ash's shoulder. After rapidly collecting her Pokemon, she was away with a squeal. Misty opened her mouth to suck in the required breath to stop Dawn's flight, but before she could, Ash had collected himself from amidst the confusion, and was now astride the steps toward them. Whatever complaint she had was lost when she saw his purposeful gaze, but like before, it lapsed into confusion, as he grabbed Brock by the arm and practically dragged him away, ignoring her entirely.

With a troubled visage of her own, Misty watched Dawn cut through the crowd to her sisters, who were, as always, more than eager to have a new fan, too late to intervene. She couldn't imagine what Ash rounding on Brock meant, but as she watched the two converse with each other just out of earshot, Ash's eyes consistently glancing her way, she knew it couldn't have been anything good.

Brock however, was looking on with nearly as much exasperation as she was, when the young trainer told his story.

"Misty took one of my Pokemon and left me with her Psyduck!" the youth complained in a muted tone.

"That's what I heard," Brock said without much enthusiasm, having been alerted by Forrest earlier in the week and knowing even then where this would lead. Where this sort of thing had led a thousand times in his journeys with the young trainer and their fiery, red-headed companion.

"Well, how is that fair?" Ash asked with a groan.

"I don't suppose that it is," Brock admitted with a sigh.

"Well," Ash said impatiently, "I've been trying to think of a really good way to get her back, but... I'm not sure home I'm going to be able to throw her bike into the deep end of the training pool without her noticing."

Brock, his fears confirmed, dropped his face into an open palm. "I don't think that's the best idea."

Hopeful, Ash's eyes widened. "What, you've got something better?"

Brock ground his brow against the ball of his palm in further distress, "What I mean is," he clarified, "maybe you should just... let it go."

Ash blinked, as though he were at a loss. Wires seemed like they were crossing in his head, as he pointed one hand in one direction, and let his off hand lull about on his wrist helplessly in another. After a moment, he sought clarity.

"Let it go? What, you mean, like, off the diving board? I'm pretty sure she'd notice that!" Ash could hardly see how that constituted a better idea than what he'd come up with. More spectacular, perhaps, but hardly as practical.

"No, I mean, you should try just being nice to Misty." Brock clarified, settling the matter.

This time, Ash just made a face."What, you mean I should be..." Ash murmured, as though the idea were beyond conceptualizing.

"Polite? Courteous? Kind even?" Brock asked pleadingly.

For a long while, Ash didn't say anything, nor did he make any sudden moves, staring back at the breeder's eyes vacantly. Eventually, Brock began to wonder if he'd broken him. "Ash?"

Ash wasn't listening, though. He was thinking of an expression his mother had used once when he and Gary had started coming at odds in their early adolescence. 'Kill him with kindness' she had said, though the tactic had proven ultimately too difficult; he'd eventually succumbed to the same petty name-calling as always. The point was, that it had actually worked for a short time, shaking the impossibly cool Gary off his unflinching game. That's what he'd do!

"Yea, that'll really freak her out." Ash remarked. "When I'm all nice to her and stuff, she won't know what to do!"

The older trainer suspected then that his advice had missed the mark then, but before he could do much to correct it, Ash was already past him and to Misty, pointing wildly to the side parking lot, where he'd left the bike chained up. As the excitable and eerily pleasant youngster lead her onward past Brock, the two older companions shared uneasy shrugs. Brock would've watched them go but his mind was on other things. Namely, finding an excuse to follow Dawn to this photo shoot which he genuinely expected to involve swimsuits. He took the steps down to the awaiting cars, two at a time, rubbing his hands together mirthfully.

Misty, meanwhile was too confused by what was going on and too busy trying to keep her skirt from cresting her thigh, as Ash led her speedily on. Regaining some presence of mind, she roughly shook off his grip, and followed him at a pace more suited to the outfit her sisters had put her in. Turning to regard her, in her sudden thrash, Ash gave her appearance some consideration as well, if only in response to catching her fretting over it. Devoid of its usual yellow, her outfit seemed a little out of place on her, but Ash could easily recognize that she was dressed up. A white half-jacket over a slim black top were well chosen, which was something the often thrown-together ensembles of Misty Waterflower did not often show. That, along with a belted skirt, and simple black flats, rounded everything out in a modern, mature way, that would've went right over Ash's head, were it not being called so blatantly to his attention, with her exaggerated priming.

Ash crinkled his nose. Misty was obviously trying to bait him into giving her a compliment. What was with girls? Why did they always need someone to gush over their clothes? He considered saying something mean or mocking for a moment, such as "Nice clown shoes." or "Where did you find a belt that big?" Frowning, though, Ash remembered what plan of action he'd decided on, and supposed that it would be best just to grit his teeth, and give her what she wanted.

Misty, who of course, had been more concerned with someone catching a glimpse of her underwear, than what Ash thought of her, was a little surprised to glance up and find him staring at her in appraisal. Still, the young trainer tried to pick out something he liked about it, given that he was not all that great at fabrication, and after a while of coming up short, he smiled. It didn't have anything to do with her outfit per se, but he supposed it would do.

"Your hair looks nice," he said, forcing a sweet expression onto his face.

Nearly stunned to the point of physical paralysis, Misty was trapped in her current position for a long moment. She had one hand leveled in an accusing point, to tell him off for dragging her along in the first place, and her mouth locked open in the beginnings of said rebuke. Her hair was down today, something she did not often allow, as her mid-length bangs often got into her face and eyes while she was swimming or training. Though it was not terribly long, in fact being less than shoulder length, it curled naturally underneath her ears and clung to her jaw, giving the illusion of purposeful styling. Ash had only seen it down like that a couple of times, but he did honestly like it that way. She stammered for a reply to the unexpected, if not shocking flattery, or perhaps for the insult she seemed to have lost, but it proved unnecessary as Ash turned away, all too confident in the potential success of Brock's plan, and waved over his shoulder for her to follow. As soon as she was not being surveyed, her hands slapped to her cheeks, in an effort to hide the searing blush that had crept up. Angrily, she stamped her foot to clear her head, then followed, resolutely.

Ash led her to the bike-rack, with a smirk on his face, and then stepped aside so that she could look over the item he'd lead her to. He was pleased greatly when her look of confusion distorted into one of absolutely surprise, then melted into poorly concealed joy. It was her bike, she realized with fervor. She'd expected Ash to lead her out her and show her something gross he'd found on the parking lot pavement, or ultimately lead her into a trap he'd set to gain his promised reprisal. Tempering her happiness with caution, she glanced him and her bike up and down, to make sure he wasn't hiding anything. It didn't seem like he was.

Her excitement bubbled back up from beneath her cynicism, and she flew to him, arms wide, meaning to hug him tightly. Suddenly, though, she stopped short, a vision of Dawn embracing the young trainer tightly knifing into her sensibilities. No, she decided, muscling down the strong desire of her crush with impunity. Her fierce jealousy over watching the younger girl hug Ash tightly, even weighed against her desire to even the score, was more than awkward enough to hold her. What she failed to realized, until her inner struggle was over, however, was that her few short strides had brought her toe to toe with her friend, and she now stood well inside his personal space, leering awkwardly at him. To her horror, Ash seemed just as confused as she was. Rapidly, she glanced around for an excuse.

Escaping smoothly, she grabbed him roughly by his arm, and pulled him aside, out of her direct path, as though he'd simply been blocking her path. Locking her eyes on the bent fork-post, she molded her features into a mask of subdued anger. "What's this?" she asked, rushing past him, and then turning to indicate the damage. She included a gasp for the benefit of the ruse.

"Uh," Ash stammered, "It was sorta like that when I found it."

"I'll just bet," Misty snapped, "Go figure. I should've known that if you were involved, my bike would be wrecked by the time I saw it again." She harrumphed for good measure.

Normally, this was where the fight would've started, but Ash kept his cool, however barely, to the combined surprise of both trainers. Really though, Ash could tell that her fuss was only one part anger, and nine parts bluster. "Sorry. It really was like that when I found it." He offered, again forcing the words out of his mouth, instead of the venomous counter that was trapped in his chest.

Confused, but placated, Misty shut her mouth. She was satisfied that Ash didn't suspect anything, and she didn't want to sound like too much of an ingrate. The fork could be fixed at little to no expense, and more importantly, the bike itself was safe, back in her hands. She'd honestly never expected to see it again, so this was still a marked improvement.

"Thanks, I guess." she offered eventually, trying to restore some civility to her reception of its return. She had been rather surprised (nearly overjoyed, even) to find that Ash had retrieved her bike, damaged though it was, but she was determined not to let it influence her decision-making. She still needed Ash gone. She knew that he deserved a better break than all that, though.

Misty stood, careful not to wipe the grease from her hands onto her skirt, in fact, to keep her blackened fingertips as far from her person as she could. "So do you wanna get this out of the way now, or what?" she questioned simply, hoping to graciously acquiesce to his desire to have his Pokemon returned as some small measure of thanks, or else apology

Not seeming to understand exactly what she meant, though, Ash only spotted the dirt on her hands, and gallantly offered his lucky handkerchief without comment; the one she'd gave him so long ago. Her handkerchief, in truth. Trapped in a memory, she allowed her true emotion at seeing the thing shine through her mask of impatient indifference. A wide, satisfied smile pulled her lips from their forced scowl, and she did not think to hide her blush. A second later, she pulled herself together, diligently. She focused on putting long black streaks into the fabric and reconstructing her expression into one of resigned indignation. It was just as well, since Ash was too busy considering the benefits of the plan to understand what her momentary thrill had meant anyways.

It seemed to Ash, that his plan was working to perfection.

"I meant your Pokemon" Misty clarified, trying to deflect attention from the lingering pinkness in her cheeks, as she handed back the kerchief. "That's why you came here, right? You want Kingler back."

Grinding his train of thought to a halt, the proposed idea gave him considerable pause. He cthought about it for a moment, dropping his wry look to glance down towards his belt in consternation. Really, the thought hadn't been on his mind of late. More the thought of inflicting some vengeance on Misty had brought him here, than wanting his Pokemon back. But, he did suppose that the matter was hardly concluded. Only after a few long moments, did he open his mouth to respond.

"Is Kingler happy here?" Ash asked, as an honest preface to his question. He displayed both hands openly, trying to allay any issue that might be taken.

Misty tilted her head to one side, thinking her own thoughts on the matter. Kingler hadn't shown any dislike at all for her training methods, and had in fact taken to the regiment straight away and with more enthusiasm than some of her own Pokemon, truth be told. If Kingler was unhappy, he certainly had a funny way of showing it. She also knew that what she'd told Kingler before had hit it's mark. And it was true, she knew as well. She really could put Kingler into a far better position to compete than Ash could. Ash was a really excellent trainer, and he was great with Pokemon, but the fact remained that Ash trained and cared for a diverse array of Pokemon, and he could not provide the sort of specialized training she could for a water-type, on a full-time basis. She didn't expect Ash to understand that, so she didn't bother to explain it to him. All Ash would hear would be "I can train Kingler better than you," and she was certain that he wouldn't care much at all for that explanation, anyways.

Instead, she offered a smile, and reached into the left inside pocket of her half-jacket. Kingler's poke ball leaped from her hand and spat red light between them. "You can ask him yourself," she said simply, as the young trainers crustacean Pokemon appeared before him.

Ash looked over his hard-shelled and sharp-clawed companion, looking every bit as fighting fit and battle-ready as he ever head, with all his love for competition and desire to please his trainer with overwhelming combative vigor and in truth, Ash felt some of the locomotion that the last few days of anticipation had lent to him, throttle down. It was an easy thing to see, having traveled for so long with such an experienced breeder as Brock was. Ash didn't even really pay all that close attention to Brock's frequent anecdotes and asides on the matters of Pokemon care-taking, preferring a more straightforward, if less elegant approach in raising and rearing his own Pokemon; methods more based in the group emotions that often swept him and his oft-changing party of six along, than in hard scientific basis. Still, Ash could see it clearly.

The color and texture of Kingler's hard chitinous covering had changed ever so slightly, since he'd seen the water-type a week ago, from a deep orange to a more carmine hue. The leading edge of his massive, dominant claw gleamed with the oily colors of sharpened shell, honed sharp by practiced, repeated use. The crab Pokemon clicked his claws together rapidly, sounding more like the dry, loud cracking of timbers than the clapping of castanets they had formerly reminded him of. None of those things, however, would've given Ash more pause than what he noted next, however. Deeper than any physical attribute Kingler displayed, Ash noted that the Pokemon already looked tougher, more fierce of spirit, than he remembered. Something like a cheerful smile crossed Kingler's foamy mouth at the sight of Ash's expression. Misty, standing off to the side now, could see that while it was not overly boastful, Kingler did seem proud of the reaction he had elicited in his trainer, and she felt that it was rightly so. Still, though, she did not open her mouth to contest Ash when he asked Kingler if he wanted to leave. Kingler was Ash's Pokemon after all. Not hers.

Tentatively, Ash thumbed the seam on the leg of his jeans. "Do you like it here?"

Ash certainly wasn't ready to admit that there was the possibility that Misty was a better trainer than he was, but he didn't want to sound leading and definitely couldn't deny Kingler's right to seek out what was the best for himself. After all, had he been denied such a right, he'd still be moping around Sinnoh, kicking himself, he was sure. If Kingler was getting better training here, more importantly, if Kingler actually liked it here, more than traveling, Ash knew that he had no right to stop him, or to even suggest that he wasn't fully supportive of Kingler.

He still felt a little upset when Kingler bobbed in a nod. It certainly meant that he was happy and relieved, of course, that his Pokemon was in high spirits, but also, It made what he would have to ask next that much harder.

"Do you want to stay here then?" Ash asked, determined not to put any more weight on the question than what was needed to speak it aloud. Unknowingly mirroring the actions and intent of his own mother, just a few weeks before, Ash did not want to voice his query in such a way that might suggest that a positive answer would hurt his feelings, or pain him in any way.

He closed his eyes and nodded in just the same way his mother had, when he'd told her of his intent to leave as soon as was possible, at Kingler's slow bob of approval. He wouldn't say anything, or do anything to make his Pokemon, and his friend change his mind. Besides, it wasn't goodbye forever. Just for a little while. He still didn't like it, just the same as every goodbye but knowing that did make it easier to slap on the facade, to present the supportive thumbs up, and smile warmly at his Pokemon. "Go for it!" he said, just as much to cement his own decision as Kingler's.

As he watched Kingler's return to his poke ball, he invariably looked up toward Misty, who's return stare made it obvious that she could see past the deceptive presentation he'd just given. Sympathetically, Misty held out the poke ball once more for his consideration. "Look, if you really don't wa-"

"I want what he wants." Ash said with finality that was just a tad sharper than he'd meant it to be, but he forced himself to soften. He had rendered his decision just the same as Kingler had, and he would stand by both. His next words came even easier. "It's okay."

Misty blinked a few times to collect her focus, before returning the poke ball to her jacket. This time, her hand went to the right-hand pocket, and from it she withdrew Kingler's opposite number; the Pokemon she'd truly intended to trade. Gyrados' poke ball felt heavy in her hands as she held it out to him. "Here," she said offering a wry smile, "this is what I said I'd give you, right?"

She watched Ash's eyes flash to the poke ball in her hands and she could see fires aglow in them. He was fantasizing, she knew, about the powerful Pokemon within it, and what it could do for him. And she was right- Ash was practically beside himself with the idea of including Gyrados in his team. So it came as a surprise to both of them when the fires died away, and the young trainer uttered a single word, his slowly extending hand, coming to rest not on the poke ball as she'd expected, but on her wrist, pushing it gently downward.

"No," he said, quietly.

Misty felt herself blinking again, this time more rapidly, as she failed to come to terms with what had been said. She jutted her head forward on her neck, thinking she might've misheard. "Huh?"

"I was thinking, I'd sort of like to train Psyduck, for real," Ash stated. "I-if that's alright," he added, after her continued stare of disbelief.

"Er." Misty managed, genuinely taken aback. "Why?"

"Well, It's sort of like how," he paused for a long moment, considering how best to explain. "You can do better for Kingler than I can, because you can train water-types in their own element, with more specific- spessy...spec, uh..."

"Specificity?" She offered, though she didn't see where he was going with this.

"Yea, that," Ash acknowledged quickly. "Well, Psyduck is kind of..." He trailed off, not exactly sure what to say at this point, either. He didn't want to call Psyduck troubled or challenged, but that was sort of what it was. Instead he opted to reconstruct the sentence entirely. "Psyduck has trouble with battles. Because of his headache, right?"

Misty kinked her lips up in a displeased way. They both knew what Ash was getting at. Psyduck was a little touched, by her best estimate, but she couldn't help by love the little quack, as much as he got underfoot with his constant headache. For some reason she didn't really like the idea of a drastic change where Psyduck was concerned, as much as she complained about him. Misty decided to let him continue, in spite of that notion; nodded her accord with his assessment.

Ash's expression magnified into a beaming grin. "I'm really good with stuff like that," Ash said, and they both knew it was hardly a boast. Ash thrived on helping Pokemon surpass their own stigma, and overcome their weaknesses. More than any other facet of his career, he considered this his greatest strength. "I can devote a lot more one-on-one time to Psyduck than you can, because I have fewer Pokemon with me all the time," he mentioned, hoping to make it sound off-handed.

That much was true, she knew. While Ash probably owned far more Pokemon than she did, as a trainer, he was only ever responsible for the direct care of six Pokemon at a time, while she had all of her Pokemon residing with her at the gym, alongside the now not so small collection of her sisters Pokemon whom she frequently cared for. It was easier for her to see the logic behind it, now, admittedly, but she was still uncertain.

Really, she reminded herself. everyone seemed to stand to gain from the arrangement. Ash would get a chance to utilize his greatest aspect as trainer. Psyduck would get a level of training and personal attention that she would be hard pressed to provide alongside the upkeep of the gym. And honestly, as much as she hated to admit it, Psyduck was often what stood between her and pursuing a more rigorous training regiment. A chain could only be a strong as it's weakest link, after all.

Still, a part of her, a strong part of her said 'No!', tugging at her heartstrings in protest. A deep vein of maternal love resided in her, and to that portion of her subconscious, Psyduck was a baby, to be held tightly and protected, from anything and everything. She could deal with the inconvenience, a little voice reminded her. There was no way she could bear to send Psyduck away! A deeply irrational motivation, it welled up so fast that it nearly caused a refusal to fly from her lips before she could think the matter over. Luckily, she managed to forestall the event long enough that it only ever became a clenched hand in front of her chest.

It was a good idea, she told herself. If anyone could be trusted to look after one of her precious Pokemon, it was Ash. Especially Psyduck. Ash didn't have a scrap of patience, normally, but when it came to dealing Pokemon, he was practically a Zen Master.

For her, she knew, it would mean a whole lot less time spent putting on water-wings, and a whole lot more time training all her other Pokemon to the limit. And though she didn't know it, Ash was hoping that maybe, just maybe, if he had a chance to help Psyduck overcome his problems, it would help him over his own hump as well.

Misty swallowed her insecurities on the matter, knowing that they were only that. If she could trust Ash with Gyrados, she could certainly trust him with Pysduck. "I guess that's fine," she said with forced evenness.

Unlike her, Ash showed no such reservations, and pumped his arm rigorously it his side in victorious celebration.

Misty was not the only one perturbed by Ash's jubilation, though. Not far off, a comically large set of eyes peered at them, through convex lenses.

"So what do you think?" Doc asked him, the moment he'd lowered the binoculars from his face. In truth, Holiday had been about to give his opinion on the matter, but now he didn't feel all that inclined to. He favored his impatient partner with an angry glare then shook his head, inadvertently shaking the bush they were concealed in, as well, drawing some glances from the nearby crowd. After a cold second had passed without detection, Holiday let go of a breath and tried not to move too much, lest they cause another rustle in the hedges, and alert the nearby onlookers.

"To early to tell, yet," Holiday offered, finally. "Doesn't look good, though."

They'd done a roundabout and put themselves back on the trail of the young trainer, following their escape from Pokemon Tech, and now were just looking for the sign they'd been told to look for; some indication that Ash had hung up his belt for good. They'd been rather surprised to follow Ash here, instead of shadowing his expected course home. The couldn't be sure of what that meant, yet, but it was no doubt troublesome. Doc moved to his Xtranciever, expecting the need to call the boss and deliver the unfortunate news. Holiday stayed his hand, however.

"Chill, bro." The tall Admin eased. "We can handle this."

Holiday didn't know that his placating motion had caused the bushes to stir again, or that Daisy had come over to peer into their hiding place, much to the bemusement of all.

"Um, excuse me," the eldest Waterflower managed, with a hand strumming her hip. "But do you mind coming out of there? We're inviting the press to the cape now. There's no need to hide in the bushes."

Sensing excitement and intrigue, her sisters were at her side, almost instantly. "Wow, we've got like, paparazzi!" Lily said, delighted.

"We are totally celebrities!" Violet chimed in, as though this event, in and of itself was a solid indicator of her declaration.

Holiday and Doc locked each other in peculiar stares, then took the convenient out. Both stood with embarrassed smiles on their faces and nodded, before extricating themselves from their chosen hiding places. Even though they hadn't planned it this way, soon, having no news-van of their own to climb into, they were graciously swept into the back of a limousine along with all three of the Sensational Sisters, a young Sinnohan girl and her older, spiky-haired friend.

"See," Holiday said with good humor, elbowing his partner. "I told you we could handle this."

Brock, across from them, wasn't nearly so confident with his particular plan. He hadn't exactly expected Ash to be here, after all, and there was no telling how he would take the news. Brock hoped that everything would go off without a hitch, but he couldn't help but suspect that the events of today were going to hurt someones feelings. Tension was not at the same high it had been weeks ago, and if Dawn's welcoming of Ash was any indicator, then things were surely, if a bit tenuously, on the mend.

Ash had indeed seemed surprised to see them, though the matter between him and Misty had him somewhat distracted. How would Ash have reacted if he'd found out why they were really there? If he knew their intent to fill the void he'd left in their traveling party.

He supposed that Ash really had no valid reason to be upset and, in a way, that that was a problem in and of itself. Even if Ash didn't react at all, if he didn't show Max the forthcoming support that the freshman trainer would expect, it would only serve to drag another person into the fray of this melodrama, something he was not keen to oversee. Max would wonder why, at the very least, Ash, the trainer whom he intended to model his career after, did not view his decision to travel with two seasoned partners in a positive light- and that was if Ash didn't out and out explode about it, which Brock had almost every confidence that he would. He was very confident that Ash would have some very strong feelings on the matter, even if he had been the one to depart their company and not the other way around. Indeed, Brock expected Ash to feel a lot of things about his relatively hasty replacement. Betrayal was one of several that came immediately to mind, but happiness was nowhere amongst them. He turned to Dawn.

"I think we should talk to Ash."

"About what?" asked Dawn, overcome with the idea of rubbing elbows with the likes of the two Johto and Kanto Ribbon Cup winners sitting across from her, and thinking, in her haste, that she'd already already spoken with Ash to a suitable extent. "I already talked to him about my Pokemon and everything," she noted, scratching at the side of her hat in the face of Brock's continued stare.

The sudden sight of Lily and Violet Waterflower had disrupted her attention, she realized in embarrassment. She hadn't said anything to Ash about why they were here, or what was going on. Hadn't even said goodbye! Granted, Ash hadn't actually protested, and when she'd glanced back in his direction before getting into the limo, it did seem like he had his hands full with whatever he was talking to Brock's friend about.

Distracted momentarily by that revelation, she turned and pointed at the fast receding figure. "Hey, who is that girl, Brock?" she asked genuinely. "The girl talking to Ash."

Brock blinked for a second, thinking that she was purposefully misleading him for some reason. His answer came out as more of a question. "Thats...Misty?" Apparently, his young friend didn't recognize her from the description he'd given, or even from the close facsimile of Ash's fishing lure she'd seen before. He supposed that things were fairly out of sorts today, with everyone being so dressed up. Misty especially, was almost a different person with her hair down.

Violet and Lily, who'd caught wind of the hushed conversation, spoke across to the traveling pair, from the bench seat on the other side of the cabin.

"That's totally our baby sis."

"She's like, the youngest Waterflower."

Daisy, interjecting sharply on her littlest sisters behalf, found it necessary to add a slight addendum; "Misty is the Cerulean City Gym Leader."

Truthfully, Dawn did not think her shame in the outburst she'd had over the phone could've become more complete, and she tried to keep that behind her. There was the fact that now she'd gone from insulting the integrity of a perfect stranger, to now having insulted the youngest sibling of amazing coordinators, whom she practically idolized, and also a well respected member of the Gym-leaders, a fraternity shared not only by Brock, but many others she respected.

She was very thankful when the breeder from Pewter turned his renewed attention to her, again. "We really need to talk with Ash when we get back."

Dawn nodded. "Well, what should we tell him?"

Doc and Holiday, like any good spies, sat and listened, and did little else besides smile and nod so as to not seem out of place. And so it went, on the short ride to the cape that they overheard everything they could've wanted to hear about Ash's red-headed friend, as the pair batted ideas back and fourth, and Misty's three older sisters commented as they saw fit. As far as Holiday was concerned, Brock and Dawn were next to useless, talking about some other kid named Max, but each and every one of the Sensational Sister's asides, though he recognized them for what they were, mostly the teasing of elder siblings, contained at least a small kernel of truth. Misty's high-strung nature. Her crush on Ash. The importance of today's events. The pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely, as far as they were concerned.

When they arrived at the section of the Cape the Sensational Sisters had cleared for the event, a long stretch of white-sanded beach, the two undercover Nebula thugs made themselves conveniently scarce once more as the remainder of the party were treated to a rather pleasant sight.

Several white tents and awnings were set up, with various tables and chairs underneath them in arrangement, and from every corner, white and blue streamers ran to the ground along the tethers. In front, out near the lapping tide was a glass podium, where they all assumed that someone would be giving a speech.

All in all the setup was pretty classy, but amounted to little more than an outdoor picnic. What really iced the cake, was that out in the surf, roughly twenty yards from the shore was a huge pontoon, on top of which, was constructed a stage, albeit with a circular hole in the center, where the floor gave way to the surf beneath. Like it's land-side accompaniment it was decorated with white and blue; silhouettes of various water-type Pokemon and nebulous shapes that suggested the sea were prevalent on the rather impressive structure.

The design seemed prefabricated, but in truth, the Sensational Sisters, more than a little resourceful, had assembled it on their own. Daisy had collected the necessary components, the party pontoon and diving port, as well as the raw materials for the stage itself. Violet had brought some rather impressive welding and carpentry skills to bare, and Lily had conceptualized and realized the design, putting many hours of work into painting and hanging the scenery.

Most who knew the sisters personally, thought they were a bit on the lazy side, and they probably would've admitted, with the possible exception of Daisy, that they were, wherein things they were uninterested in were concerned. The Sensational Sisters had never had much interest in running the Cerulean City gym, that much was true, but their passion, their true love known as performance, had always brought out the best in them. No one, but no one had ever accused them of putting on a poor showing. Ever. And by extension, none of the three had ever been accused of poor coordinating, either. The Sensational Sister staked their reputation on every show and every appeal.

Brock and Dawn turned to ask the coordinator sisters what exactly the cape was set up for, but they were already being surrounded by the media, who were re-emerging from their trailing vehicles with renewed intensity.

---

Ash felt his eyes darting around wildly as he stepped into Cerulean Gym proper, and saw what it had to offer. The complex itself had been one of the larger gyms in the Region on his first visit and now it certainly had to have surpassed even the sprawling Viridian City Gym, in terms of sheer size. The battle center alone contained two fifty-meter pools, complete with diving platforms and shallower wading pools off to either side, in addition to the normal boundary markers and podiums associated with Gymnasium battles.

Even though the intent of this little tour hadn't originally been to entertain Ash, or even really to show off, (merely to get him to stop inundating her with awkward niceties) she did have an immense amount of pride in this Gym and she could hardly keep herself from feeling cheeky. Still, while she doubted that this would actually work, and in spite of all that had happened, she still wanted Ash to leave. So Misty only casually indicated a few items for his benefit: The custom filtration system Professor Oak had designed for her last fall, the sound, lighting and overhead CCTV system that took up the majority of the high, steel rafters, And, as an afterthought, the stadium seating that as of now rested hidden, folded in it's recess within the wall on motorized actuators.

Then she led him down a hallway to the north, into what was, and would soon become even more areas of the gym. Huge banks of glass-fronted tanks that contained rare and interesting water Pokemon on loan from the Cerulean City Aquarium. One in particular, a large, frilled jellyfish Pokemon that wobbled past the front of the tank as he passed, caught Ash's eye. With no hesitation at all, he halted, and flipped out his Pokedex.

"Jellicent, the Floating Pokemon. The fate of the ships and crew that have wandered into known Jellicent habitats remains unknown as all are believed to be sunken, or simply lost. Though it is uncertain, many sailors believe that Jellicent feed on the life-energy of humans."

Ash stifled a small gasp, as he looked back up from the device, to regard the Pokemon, who was now gone from sight, having floated away from the glass. Misty simply laughed, and shrugged. He didn't step away in fright or anything, but she could tell that the boy was on his guard now. Ash had spent a lot of time with a lot of different Pokemon on his journeys, and so while not scared, he knew more than most just how dangerous some could be, in spite of harmless appearances.

"Don't worry, Jellicent is nice enough. It does like to scare trainers that come through, though," she mentioned with a wicked smirk, before pointing at his pokedex. "They're ghost types too and very territorial, so your Dex may still be right."

Misty let that sink in while he continued to regard the now seemingly empty tank. Hesitantly, Ash laid his hands on the ledge and tried to peer into the corner of the aquarium. "Jellicent wont let anyone else in there with her. I have to feed her from the outside and move her out when I clean the tank," Misty shrugged, as though the thought didn't trouble her much.

As another bulbous shape floated by the glass unexpectedly, Ash reared away, startled. "Well, what's that, then?"

Misty smiled, trying to hide her own satisfaction at seeing him shaken. "That's my sister Lily's Jellicent."

"But it looks different." Ash clarified.

"Yeah?" Misty deadpanned. "I mean, you and I look different, don't we?" Misty asked, leadingly, hoping that he could put the rest of the pieces together himself.

"Well, yeah." Ash said, after a moment. "I mean, boys are different from girls." he surmised finally, and Misty held in a guffaw when it seemed like he was saying so for his own affirmation, rather than hers. This must be a species of Pokemon where the male and female look very different from one another, he thought. Sort of like a Gastrodon. Still, though, something bothered him.

"I thought you said it wouldn't let anyone else in there with it," he remembered.

"Well, this is a special circumstance."

"Why?"

Taken aback, Misty huffed. "Because it's a boy Jellicent, dummy."

"So?" Ash asked, as though the explanation was incomplete.

Misty had already decided she's strangle Ash to death before she would make an analogy for Pokemon mating though, and simply crossed her arms and said nothing, staring openly at him.

"Why would that make a difference to Jellice-" A subtle pink on his cheeks made it all the more difficult to contain a laugh, as he realized why the company of another Jellicent was tolerable mid-sentence. "I guess that makes sense," he admitted finally, with a warbled tone in his admission.

Ash watched the two balloon-like Pokemon converge near the middle of the tank, and float lazily around one another. He noticed that the pink female Jellicent was frillier, and therefore appeared slightly larger than the other. The male, it's arboral veil resembling that of a regal mustache rather than the couture of royal vestment it's counterpart wore, fixed the blue-eye female in his piercing red gaze. Though their movement was not purposeful in any way he could comprehend, otherworldly in both direction and reasoning, the two spun tight orbits around each other, slowly, then rapidly, then slowly again. Clockwise, the courting Pokemon turned at first, then counter-clockwise, then clockwise once more, in a way that was hypnotizing.

He felt a tug on his shoulder, while Pikachu had a cherubic cheek pulled by clasped thumb and forefinger. "Jeeze, ever heard of a thing called privacy?"

"Huh," Ash answered stupidly, while Pikachu still sat mesmerized by their dance. Misty was hauling them away, just a few seconds later, towards the area where the gym was undergoing expansion. She led them through a door, into the half-constructed northern wing of the complex. Feeling the transition from the cooled air of the inside, to the return of the tropic breezes of the coast, Ash guessed that this portion of the structure did not yet have complete walls.

They came out into a huge, skeletal construction of steel and concrete bigger than any they'd seen as of yet, but with distinct features that she quickly pointed out, careful not to step out into the work area itself, wherein they would need hardhats and vests.

"Working on one great big performance pool in here." she indicated, pointing to the deep pit in the floor, half-filled in with concrete with the beginnings of a plastic retention wall on the far side for subsurface viewing. "High-rise seating." Ash could see clearly the cut-away, rising levels of steps that lined all sides of the huge room, which theater-style seating would soon occupy. "And they haven't started on it yet, but there's going to be an underwater viewing dome, through there." Ash followed the line of Misty's finger as she pointed to a huge circular passage-way that seemed to lead into the floor, to the south of the huge open pit that would become the pool. "So people can watch the Pokemon from underneath the water."

Ash didn't bother denying that he was impressed. He and Pikachu regarded the construction site and tried to picture the ambitious plans brought to reality. Even without the help of their imagination, the undertaking alone was more than a little humbling. After turning and sharing some words with his partner, Ash nodded respectfully toward Misty. "You've put a lot of hard work into this Gym."

"Of course I have." Misty said with a heaved breath, taking the declaration as a presumptuous lack of faith. Normally, Ash would've been all too ready to rise to the occasion, even past his own sincerity, but that would've ran contrary to his plans after all. Instead, he let out his sudden desire to argue as a strange laugh, which caught her completely off guard, yet again.

"Of course you have," he repeated warmly, offering nothing else on the subject but a smile. Misty felt her face heat up as she stared at him dumbfounded and Ash, smirking, self-satisfied Ash, struggled not to maniacally wring his hands.

Changing the subject, Ash turned on his heels, and walked back toward the main complex, past his stunned guide. "So, I told you what I've been doing, since you saw me last."

Misty, tonguing the inside of her cheek in uncertainty, followed him. They worked their way back through the exhibits and training areas, back to the main foyer. "What have you been doing?" he

Why do you care? Misty considered asking, with a huff of frustration. Two parts of her were at war now. A large, loud-mouthed part of her wanted, necessitated Ash's departure. Having him here right now was a risk to her career that she didn't need. Ash had a knack, a real penchant for digging up the worst kind of trouble. Trouble she could do without. Ash can come back another day, that part of herself reminded her, just send him on his way!

The other, albeit a quieter part of her, was somewhat more deeply seated, and every bit as insistent. Mostly because she wanted, actively desired to listen to it. She didn't really want to send her best friend away. She'd honestly wanted him to come back to see her, even if she'd preferred it not be today. That was what this was all about, after all! Don't you dare! The tiny voice shouted Ash brought your bike back, and he's been nothing but nice to you. You should be ashamed of yourself!

Misty rubbed the back of her head, and frowned. It was pretty unusual for Ash to be so nice to her, wasn't it? Ash was profoundly kind, and a sweet a person as you could ask for, really, but they brought out the worst in each other, at times. Still, it wasn't exactly like he'd never been this nice. Just not all at once, and not nearly this complacently. Ash was the impulsive type, and that meant that if he had something nice to say, he said it just as readily as he would insult, and just as suddenly. His behavior was more than a little manic. Still, she couldn't say that she didn't like it, even if that was probably what was bothering her the most about his presence. Maybe he was just in a really good mood. She sort of hoped that was it.

Confusingly enough to Ash, she let out a tiny growl of frustration, as she shunted aside her internal debate and led him outside once more. She told him about how the last week had become a whirlwind, what with her having to take time off to come and give him a piece of her mind. She was surprised that he didn't offer sharp rebuttal, even offered to help wheel along her bike, as they walked around the northern face of the Gym, towards Misty's house. She let him, of course. She finished the recollection of all her administrative duties in preparing for the upcoming gym event, a little bothered by how short a summary it proved to be, without any back and forth argument to lengthen its retelling. She glanced over nervously, but Ash didn't seem bothered at all. When he sensed that she was done telling her story, he just nodded, and smiled, as though he was quite pleased. Between them as they strode up the driveway, the wheel rubbed noisily against the inside of the bent fork, but the silence was so uncomfortable that Misty found herself jingling her keys in her pocket, just to avoid talking, long before she withdrew them and opened the automatic garage door.

"Lift it up and put it on the bike-rack, would you?" Misty said, pointing to a set of rubber-coated shepard hooks hanging from an open rafter near the back wall, just beside her punching bag and weight-set.

Ash eyeballed it. The hooks themselves were at least seven feet off the floor, not so easy a height for him, to be honest. The bike itself was light and that was a definite plus, but he would practically need to stand on his tip toes, to hook the rims of the wheels over them, all without dropping the bike or falling over. He should have complained, should have groaned about how it was her bike, and how she could put it up herself with her freakishly long arms and ridiculously tall legs if she wanted it up so damn high. Under any normal circumstances, he most certainly would have. The huge rise he got out of the face Misty made when he flashed a huge smile, and turned to wheel the bike over, seemingly pleased with the idea of doing her the favor paid the price of the task and more, though.

"No problem."

He was glad she quickly excused herself from the garage, because this time, he failed to hold in his laughter. A long snort turned into wracking chuckles and eventually, he felt himself crying in mirth at how beautifully Brock's plan was working. Misty didn't know what the hell to do with him behaving so out of sorts, it seemed! Ash rarely, if ever seemed to have a leg up in their back and forth game of friendly antagonizing and right now he was loving it.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu queried, seemingly confused by his trainer's reaction to the goings on, evidently failing to find the humor in it.

Ash just smiled and waved the rodent off, before getting control of himself again. He heaved the bike up and thought for a moment that he would get it on the first try, but a snag on his sweatshirt stopped him short of the mark by a few inches. As he tried a few more times, Misty stood dumbfounded on the opposite side of the threshold, door sealed behind her. She stared into the empty living room, and rubbed the side of her face. Something was off here. She knew it. She closed her eyes and tried to think. Tried to replay the last half hour in her head. What was she missing here? Ash was not this polite. Not this nice. Not this... She felt the corner of her mouth curl up when his huge smile, his toothy, hot-shot grin that she'd seen so many times since he'd shown his face today come prominently to mind. Through her fingertips she felt the heat of blood rushing under her cheeks yet again. Angrily, she tried to massage away the blush, determined that it would be today's last, before storming up the stairs to get her notes.

Luckily for Ash she was too preoccupied to hear the series of muffled thuds and crashes coming through the heavy garage door, as he either overshot and bumped the wheels hard into the rafter, or failed to reach far enough and had to overcompensate to keep his balance, bringing the bike back down to the floor again hard.

"Help me out, would ya?" Ash asked, indicating the hooks to his partner, who rapidly complied, taking the trip from floor to rafter in four rapid springs: one to the back of Ash's leg, then to his shoulder, next to the post of the slowly and shakily rising bicycle, and finally, to a perfectly balanced perch upon the beam where Ash needed him.

From there, it was simple to steer the front wheel into place with a bump of his jagged tail Ash got it close.

"Thanks, buddy." Ash smiled up at his friend, before easily putting the much easier rear wheel into place. "You're the best."

The trainer held out his arms, and let Pikachu jump down into his grasp. He wondered, as he and his Pokemon shared a moment of simple laughter together, what sorts of cool stuff he could do if he had a tail. His balance would probably be so amazing, he could climb telephone poles and walk along the wires. Jump from hood to hood on moving traffic, easy. Maybe he could even hang from it like a Mankey! That'd be awesome. His thoughts of swinging from limb to limb with the Primeape was cut short though, when something heavy clinked to the ground. He screwed up his face as he caught himself staring into the distance, and snapped his gaze down to it.

Misty's bike-lock. Letting Pikachu retake his typical perch, Ash knelt to pick it up. He tried to put it back over the saddle, but it kept wanting to fall off, and he couldn't figure out how to get it to stay up. Besides, at that point Misty was already calling his name from inside the house. Without thinking, he threw the heavy chain over his head and headed through the door to see what she was yelling about.

He stopped himself from snarling "What?" and instead managed a meager "Yep?"

"What are you still doing in there?" Misty asked, with the exact inflection he'd strained to avoid.

"Just, uh, putting your bike up." He coughed a little to clear his throat.

"I've been upstairs for ten minutes," she explained in a deadpan that was quickly becoming tiresome.

Ash kept his cool, though. "Is that so?" He must've been daydreaming about having a tail for longer than he thought. "Sorry about that."

Misty's frown let him know that he'd made a judgment error. Sorry twice in one day was just too much for her to buy. He'd laid it on too thick.

"Is there something going on with you today?" She asked suspiciously, favoring him with a lengthy glance over her raised nose.

Ash scrambled desperately for a reply. Something that would bail him out, but still keep his charade intact. Impulsively, as though guided by something that he did not consciously understand, his hand lurched out to catch hold of the white pamphlet tucked between a stack of index cards and her keys clutched in her left hand. The movement was surprising, but he knew he had very little hope of taking it from her before she stopped him. Instead of trying to steal it, he just gave it a tug, to see what it said. As expected, she pulled it away from him. Not before he could read it, though.

"Maybe I should ask you that," he stated smugly, indicating the piece of paper. "What's that for?"

With a groan of displeasure, Misty ushered him out the front door, and did her best to ignore him as they left the Waterflower home, to return to the Gymnasium and rendezvous with her sisters following the soon approaching conclusion of the photo-shoot.

"The Magikarp Catching Invitational." Misty found herself explaining with a shrug, trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to the issue, when Ash's curiosity did not relent. "We've been holding it here for the past few years. It's just a little thing my sisters put together." The Cerulean Gym Leader waved her hand back and forth, flapping the pamphlet about, as they entered the lobby "There's a fishing competition and then my sisters put on a water-show."

"Cool. Sounds like fun." Ash said after digesting her words for a moment, once they stepped into her adjoining office. She expected him to turn and start digging in his backpack for his collapsible rod, proving positive her suspicion that he'd only actually heard the word 'competition'. "The last time I went fishing was almost six months ago, with Brock and Dawn."

Misty heaved a long sigh, as she plopped into the chair behind her desk, relieved to find that he was still standing patiently, but still unhappy with the way things were going. "Ash," she muttered. "It's an Invitational, so...you sort of have to be invited."

"Oh." Ash blinked for a second, then unperturbed, he shrugged as though remembering something. "Well, no problem, just invite me."

She pushed her index and thumb across the bridge of her nose. "Ash," She rubbed furiously. "You're not listening to me."

"Hmn?" He lifted his head, slightly, and bit his bottom lip, to display that he was all ears. Pikachu likewise perked, mimicking his trainers pose with little fault.

"This is an Invitational Event! It's held for fund-raising purposes. A lot of well-off people will be there, and we're hoping that the Gym will see big time contributions from some of those in attendance." She let her hand fall into a swaying position at her side, as her other took up position on her waist, completing the expectant look/tapping foot/hand to hip trifecta.

Ash's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything, or give any indication that he understood. "So...you want me to make a donation?" He scratched his head. "Is the Gym hurting for dough, or something?"

She tilted her head back and groaned. "No, Ash. The Gym isn't hurting for anything." She looked around briefly, trying to construct a scenario that he would understand. "Surely you've noticed that we're able to do quite a bit more than just run a League Gym around here, though, right?" She held out her hands toward the additional wings of the building, the sections that hadn't been here during his first go-around. "The aquarium exhibits, The water-shows my sisters have always put on, and all that?"

He tilted his head slightly in either direction, and then nodded, not really sure what difference it made, but willing to agree just for the sake of his plan. "Well...yea." He looked down at Pikachu who shrugged in response, igniting a short, whispered discourse Misty couldn't hear, but suspected had something to do with her.

"The money the League provides for the upkeep of the Gym doesn't cover any of that." She stated, crossing her arms. "So the money has to come from somewhere. My sisters put on these sorts of events, and use their fame and popularity to draw in high-profile attendees willing to be benefactors of these additional activities and facilities. Since those things help make the Gym a fun part of the Cerulean City community, and more importantly, very successful, It's my job to make sure that these events run as smoothly as possible."

"Bene...fact..." Ash looked at her with a clouded expression, filling her with a desire to strangle him. She should have known better than to use a word with more than three syllables in front of him. He waved his hands, dismissing his current train of thought, before she could act on that desire, though. "So, what you're saying, is that, I should ask your sisters, then?" He asked, hopefully.

No. What I'm saying, is that you should NOT go!, she thought angrily, You milling around, trying to brush elbows with the likes of Champion Lance and scaring all the Magikarp away with your big MOUTH isn't going to help my Gym build any rapport, you numbskull!

"Ash, why don't you just-" She began, formulating a way to put it to the trainer gently that she'd rather he not come, but was cut short, as she opened her eyes to find him gone, the sound of sneakers and Pikachu paws echoing from around the corner. "ASH?"

She barreled after the intrepid trainer, but was too late, as she came across Ash standing in the lobby, talking to her sisters as they re-entered the building.

"-And so, she said I should ask you guys if it was okay," Ash finished, just as she was about to cut him off. She opened her mouth to launch a hideous rebuke, but was cut across by the voice of her eldest sister, Daisy.

"Like, of COURSE your boyfriend can go, Misty!"

Misty felt her eye twitch in flash-boiling rage, as she unconsciously made claw-like motions at her side. She was going to snap, she knew it. She just had to decide who to scream at first! If It wasn't Ash driving her up the freaking wall, it was one of her sisters, constantly sticking their noses where they didn't belong. She locked her eldest sibling with a death glare so powerful, that she, like her namesake in the face of a dry blast of heat, should have withered away. Daisy, who was far too resistant to such ploys, just winked at Ash, and stuck her tongue out at her hot-headed baby sister, before departing.

Misty thought to turn and follow her three older sisters, as they left with giggles and jeers, to do one final rehearsal in the pool before the event began, or at least round on Ash and scream at him until he shattered to pieces, but three others walked into the lobby before she could, leaving her standing there dumbfounded.

"Look who we found!" Brock quipped, his voice slightly edged by what Misty recognized as nervousness. Max had spotted them out on the beach on his way into town and joined up with them, before they'd had the chance to lay the groundwork for this reunion, no doubt.

Dawn stepped aside then, to reveal a young boy, who stood taller than Ash had last seen him. To Ash, aside from the hair, which was a somewhat darker shade than Dawn's, Max seemed a younger reflection of himself. His glasses were just a big and thick as they had ever been, but it was Max's attire that seemed the most strikingly new; nearly an exact replica of his own traveling outfit through most of his trip through Hoenn, though it was comprised of articles somewhat more green than his had been. Max had shot up considerably, and now nearly looked Ash in the eye as the pallet trainer approached and observed him.

The grin that crossed Ash's face was one of true felicity, as he grasped the newly ten-year-old boy's shoulders with gloved hands and gave him a firm shake. "Max!"

Max laughed, and returned the gesture, just as thrilled to see the ace trainer, as Ash was to see him.

Brock and Dawn's collective sigh of relief caught in their throats as Ash's curiosity instantly took a dive for worst case scenario. "What are you doing here?" he questioned Max.

The younger trainer blinked once, the action comically enlarged by the thick lenses of his spectacles. "I'm here to start my journey. May called me from the road, and asked me if I wanted to travel with Brock and his new friend Dawn." Max said with a smile, which might've seemed to be growing on his face, as it slowly drained from Ash's.

"She said she couldn't because she was already busy, but that I should definitely go, if I wanted to become a strong enough trainer to battle you." Max puffed out his chest. "I haven't forgotten, you know. You said we'd battle once I became a trainer."

Ash hadn't said anything through Max's explanation, and didn't say anything following it, for several seconds. Max didn't seem like he was bothered, but Dawn and Brock over his shoulder were beginning to sweat.

"So, you three are going to be training together, now?" he said at last, "Why didn't anyone tell me?" and Max, thankfully mistaking his connotations for some more along the lines of the recipient of a surprise party, smiled broadly.

"That's the plan! We're going to travel through Johto, just like you did!" the junior trainer said confidently, taking out his Poke balll, the one that held the Raltz he'd promised to take with him years ago and displaying it prominently. It was a Nest Ball; a birthday gift from his sister. "What do you think Ash?"

Ash sat staring at the trio, and Max thought it in earnest consideration but in truth, he was paying them very little attention.

He felt stupid. Ash really didn't need to be told why nobody had told him. He knew exactly why. It was the same reason nobody'd told him that Paul had won the Sinnoh League tournament. He was easy to slight right now and he was aware of that. Perhaps more self-aware now, than he'd ever had to be. But still, he felt a roiling anger, and beneath it, a wounded, saddened feeling. Deeper still, a sensation of acute fear gripped him, and he could not shake any of it away. He was angry that they had so quickly come up with another friend to travel with. Angry that they had so quickly found something that worked for them, while he was still going on the words of Gary Oak, and grasping for strings in the dark. It was stupid and ugly and unfair and everyone in the room knew it, some even so obviously expecting it, that he felt no guilt at all for feeling it. He was also sad. Though that feeling too was unfair and rash, their admission hurt him, honestly. That they would even want to travel with someone else, aggravated such childish sensibilities that were now laid bare like painful nerve-endings in the sudden turmoil of his life. And the fear, like tiny ice-cube in his gut, insisted that perhaps his own uncertainties, his own misgivings about leaving them behind and going his own way had been a mistake, or worse, the pair had been waiting for him to leave, in order to draft more preferred companionship. That perhaps was the most irrational thought of the bunch, but he was hardly rational right now.

He could see Brock bracing for the worst, and Dawn looking worried, and that just made him even more upset. Max was looking as confused as he would probably ever let on to being, as he clutched tightly to his lone poke ball and still, Ash felt his jaw unhitching without his consent. He would tell the two turncoats exactly what he thought of their new plan. Tell the rookie trainer just exactly what he could expect with two such rotten friends, and then maybe, just maybe, he could stop himself, before the told Max exactly what would lay at the end of his fruitless and pointless career, if he intended to mirror it after Ash's own! Even though he was certain that he could not stop himself, something did prevent his outburst. Stepping in sharply, Misty crossed just far enough into Ash's periphery, that he could see her strong look of disapproval.

"I think that's great, Max." she said simply, careful to shape her features back into a warm smile for Max's sake, when she turned to face the trio across from him. She was also careful to keep her stance relatively wide, and unobtrusive, so that nobody would notice that she was standing on Ash's foot. "Don't you?" she asked him, without looking back.

Ever susceptible to a push in the right direction, Ash shut his mouth. He knew he was just getting bent out of shape, and that that he had no reason, no right to be as upset as he truthfully was, he had known that. He'd just gotten so...so... He sighed. It didn't matter anymore. It was done and over with. Slowly, almost timidly, he nodded his head, and everyone's obvious sigh of relief, along with Max's intense grin, made the feelings dissipate somewhat. "Yea. Great, Max," he said finally and with true, if reluctant honesty.

Misty glanced back and him and chose to offer him only a neutral expression and the relief of stepping off of his foot, though he didn't seem to notice either. There was a look on his face made her very afraid that he was going to cry. It was not immediately apparent, underneath the facade of encouragement he was showing his old traveling companions (miserable and incomplete though it was), but the bitter feelings were still very evident to her and probably to Brock as well. Fortunately, it was then that the eldest male pointedly chose to remind them that they were on a very tight schedule and needed to be off. Whether it was out of actual necessity or identical fear, she didn't know. Dawn and Max both raised voices of complaint, of course. Dawn whined that she had hoped to see the water-show later in the day and Max, of course, still had a battle with Ash on his mind.

Brock soothed them both quickly, by reminding Dawn that their hasty pace had been necessitated by her to begin with, and likewise reminding Max that it would be best if he caught a few more Pokemon yet, before going up against a seasoned trainer such as Ash. Dawn grudgingly agreed and Max, having heard hints from her sister that Ash was not in the best of mindsets at the present and appreciating what was happening here for what it truly was, offered very little resistance. One by one, they approached Ash, offering words and tight hugs, and with each passing well-wisher, Ash's plastered on mask became less and less stable.

"No need to worry, right Ash?" Dawn teased, wrapping him in the same tight-by necessity embrace she had earlier, encircling his wide-set shoulders in her thin arms and squeezing reassuringly. "Wish me luck, though!" She requested in excitement that Ash failed to convincingly match when they shared a signature high-five. "And you too!" she cried over her shoulder on her way out. Ash nodded.

Max was next and though his hug was considerably more punctuated and reluctant, their handshake following was more convincing. Misty recognized that Max wanted to be something like Ash's rival at this point in his life, and so it would not do to go hugging him. They had to act tough and manly in front of one another if they were to be rivals, after all. Typical boys. "We'll meet up and have that battle sometime later, Ash! Count on it!" the younger boy offered in parting. Ash only nodded.

Misty thought that Brock would have something wise or eloquent to say in parting, but instead, Brock had Ash off the floor in a crushing hug and shook him powerfully, wet droplets dotting the corner of his eyes. Ever the parent figure, it seemed like this parting, the actual face-to-face departure was taking a heavier toll on him than on the young trainer. Still, though, she could see Ash gripping him back just as tightly, in farewell. "Take care of yourself Ash!" Brock warbled. Ash smiled, but again, only nodded when he was put back on his feet.

She followed the departing trio outside, where they all regrouped with one another on the steps as Ash lingered in the lobby. She figured that he would need a little time alone and so she tried not to look back at him through the glass doors. When she'd descended the steps she and Max shared a wave, while Brock and her patted each other on the arm in silent recognition of what the other had done to smooth the situation over. Curiously enough, Dawn hesitated to walk away, waiting until the others took a few steps off, to stand within range of the Cerulean Gym Leader. Misty wasn't really sure what to expect.

"Ash is pretty upset," Dawn noted, with a clarity that Misty had not come to expect from the young coordinator, given their short but turbulent history with one another.

Misty wanted to say something sharp then, to the younger coordinator. Tell her to "Let me worry about it. You've done enough," and cast the matter aside, but the sheer honesty of the girl's next statement caught her guard and stole her callous deflection.

"I know you'll look out for him," Dawn said confidently. She had nearly begun the sentence as a request but then decided against it, when she'd caught Misty unconsciously looking over her shoulder towards the lobby.

It was Misty's turn to say nothing and nod. She didn't feel the blush rush to her face this time but there was a warmth in her chest that brought a smile there instead.

"I owe you an apology," Dawn said after a long silence paused between them, "for how I acted."

This time Misty did reply sharply, shaking her head and regaining her composure. "Nah," she offered simply, before changing the subject. "You battle any?"

Dawn shrugged noncomittally, not really having expected to have the tables turned so sharply. Technically, she battled all the time. Battling was part of the appeals process, after all. Still, the sort of thing Misty was talking about was something she'd only done just a handful of times. "A little," she admitted, certainly not wanting to sound so versed in the matter.

"You owe me one of those, then," Misty said while poking the smaller girl in the chest with an extended fingertip. "You and Max have all year to train," she added boastfully, shaking a thumb between herself the glass door behind her, as if to indicate Ash.

Dawn frowned at first, but then smiled when she saw the friendly smirk on the older girls face. Each regarded her counterpart as though sizing the other up. Perhaps even more so than Ash and Max, Misty and Dawn had firmly cemented their position with one another, here and they both felt it keenly, as they left each others company.

Misty waved the trio into the distance before turning around. She let out a profound sigh upon coming back inside, though. She didn't find Ash in as nearly a fragile, emotional state as she might've imagined, but still, it was easy to tell that he'd lost all of...whatever it had been that had him acting so precocious earlier. He was sitting deflated in a stuffed chair typically used by awaiting challengers, and though he was not teary-eyed, his visage was locked into a contemplative forlorn stare that seemed to bore through the opposite wall. She stood there, for a long while, just watching him, seemingly so unaware of anything around him, one hand absently patting Pikachu in his lap, the other lethargically fingering the seem of the chairs upholstered arm. Just when she was going to open her mouth to tell him off for moping around her gym, he told her exactly what she'd been wanting to hear all day. Exactly what she'd been telling herself to accomplish since she'd seen him.

"I'm gonna go ahead and leave too," Ash admitted somberly, chancing a glance her way before slowly standing and making his way to the door. Like with his other three friends, he nodded, simply because he didn't have the heart to say goodbye. Then, he just trudged away.

Misty's pride in herself was no small thing. No easily overturned stone, being more like a mountain in proportion. She supposed that it was chiefly her pride that made her want to dispense of Ash and his friends. Her friends. Just so they would have no chance to embarrass her, which Ash, and they, like him, were all so prone to do. Without them here, she could be just as professional, and mature as she was expected to be, without having to deal with Ash's constant trouble-making, Brock's constant creepiness and whatever flavor of distractions Max and Dawn would be bringing to the table. That's what her good sense had told her, and that's what her pride had likewise demanded. She had responsibilities to fulfill, and reputation to uphold. Her career, unlike theirs, depended on more than just day-to-day traveling from place to place. People remembered her and the things she did. For Ash and his troupe, it was okay if they did something that made them look like fools in a particular place. The next day, they would move on. If something went wrong at the Invitational, she would have to deal with the consequences and continue to, through tomorrow and next week, maybe next month and possibly much much longer. This wasn't a game, this was her life.

Now though, she could see the severity of that lie, and what it would cost her, if she stuck to it.

Ash had left his friends and now they, finally coming to terms with that, had left him. Who was the more miserable? Who'd been stung more? They, being forced to move on, or him, knowing that they had? No, she told herself, one day, that sort of thinking would've gotten her into the same trouble. Today, she supposed, that if she had sent them all away, they would have gone, and she could finish her business in peace. Which would've been good and all, until she wanted them to come back. And that, in truth, had never taken long. As much as she loved her job, it did make her pretty lonely sometimes. As it was, she was pretty certain she wouldn't see Brock, Dawn and Max again until the end of the training season, maybe a little longer than that, with the coordinating overlap. And if she sent Ash away now, who even knew how long it would be before he showed his face again? He was always traveling, always moving ahead and she guessed that eventually, this melancholy that had fallen over him, would have no choice but to turn itself into wanderlust. If she sent Ash away, like she'd told herself to, if she let him walk away now, there was a good possibility that his next visit would be orders of magnitude more distant than his last, if it ever came.

Her hand snapped out to intercept his arm as he strode past her, catching the smaller trainer and spinning him about to face her.

She really had wanted to say something nice at first. Something that might make him change his mind and maybe flash a smile at her, but that idea alone made her mouth dry up, so for several seconds, she was just standing there holding his arm, staring purposely at him, trying pitifully to put together what she wanted to say.

Ash's eyes continued to widen and gradually, became a look so incredulous that she exploded, both in response to his mocking look and to hide her own flustered state. "After you made such a fuss to get yourself invited, you're just going to up and leave?" she roared into his face. "I don't think so!"

---

A/N: Oh, the angst! I gotta turn this failbus around for Ash. Even I'm starting to feel bad, here.

Yes, I know this took forever and it was mostly due to laziness. So, if you want an apology for it, here it is: The next chapter is almost finished. As in, I decided at the last minute, to split this chapter in half, and post it as a two-parter.

Also, if that was way too little Max for you, (and rest assured, it was for me as well) fear not. He'll get some more screen time eventually, I promise.