The match was passing by in a blur of color, rushed commands, and adrenaline. Meanwhile, two Kanto competitors stood in the bleachers watching their friends battle.
"Misty is battling really well today. She's improved a lot," the Pewter City gym leader said to his friend as Misty's Corsola landed a critical hit on Heracross.
"Yea, I guess," Ash said morosely, averting his eyes from the ensuing battle.
"You're still in a funk? I thought you'd lightened up a bit once the battling started." Ash didn't respond. "Well, you must be excited to see Misty again. You scarcely talked about anything else since you heard about this tournament."
"Things change," Ash said, glancing at his former rival, his body tensing subtly. He then averted his eyes and sat down in a huff.
Brock laughed. "You two fought already? Ha. Some things never change."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked sending a glare at the tanned breeder.
"Just that you two can't help but fight. No matter how happy you two are to see each other, you fight. It's just how you seem to relate to each other."
"So, this is just some fight? Just us over-reacting?" he asked disgruntled, the bill of his cap covering his eyes.
"I don't know. You tell me. Is it worth being mad at her for the short amount of time we're all together?" Brock asked before returning his attention to the battle.
"Spike Cannon!" Misty called.
"Quick attack!" Gary cried.
Bugsy's Pupitar and Ritchie's Pikachu, Sparky, both fainted, leaving Corsola and Umbreon panting on the field, victorious.
/
Misty, Gary, Duplica, Flannery, and Winona were having lunch in the plaza outside of the Pokémon League Stadium. The group was talking excitedly about Gary and Misty's victory. Gary was soaking up the praise from all of the passing females who were more than happy to congratulate him on his victory. Eventually talk turned to the upcoming battles.
"I'm so nervous! W-what if I blow it? I'm just now starting to get things right. What if they take the gym away? I would be a disgrace to my grandfather if that happened. And even worse, my failure would be televised. Everyone in the surrounding regions would know just how badly I blew it!" Flannery babbled nervously. Flannery was a bit of a puzzle to Misty at times. Most of the time she seemed so confident, yet she clearly housed strong insecurities.
"Flannery, calm down. You'll be fine. Just relax and enjoy the battle whenever it happens. That's all you can really do. Freaking out about it won't make any better. And you know your grandfather would love you, regardless of the outcome. Besides, they won't take away the gym. They know you're working really hard and are newer to being a leader," Winona calmly explained, clearly used to dealing with such outbursts.
"How do you know?" Flannery cried, jostling her best friend, making her drop her lunch.
"I am the representative of the Hoenn League. I understand how the League works. You'll be fine. And I knew your grandfather. He just wanted you to do your best and go after your dreams. You know that. Now, I think you owe me a new lunch."
Flannery laughed nervously. "Oh, yea. I'll go get you another one of those…" she said before running to the other side of the plaza.
"Why is she so worried about the League taking away her gym?" Duplica asked.
"She inherited the gym from her grandfather and she hasn't quite figured out how to make the position her own and forget about the pressure," Winona explained picking up her ruined lunch as best as she could.
"It's a lot of pressure to run a gym, especially when you have a family name to maintain. I understand what she's going through," Misty said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.
"Misty!" Brock called, Ash plodding behind him. "Great battle. You too Gary. I must say, I'm surprised you guys were able to work so well together."
"We've been training together lately," Gary said.
"We really lucked out being paired together," Misty said with a grin.
"It would have been great had I not been carrying the team. You know you only won because of me," Gary replied with a devious smirk.
"As if! I saved your ass plenty of times last battle!" Misty retaliated.
"That's only because my amazing battling skills have started to rub off on you."
"Whatever. We won and that's all that matters in the end."
"Granted, it's hard not to win with me battling."
"I seem to recall beating you several times," Ash mentioned with a hard gaze, stopping the comeback Misty had just been about to voice.
"Well," Gary said turning his attention to his ebony-haired childhood friend and rival, "those losses never really mattered. Let's face it, when it matters, I don't lose."
Misty looked back and forth between the two boys. The tension was palpable. It was apparent to her that Ash hadn't forgiven her yet. Sure, Ash over-reacted a lot, but Misty couldn't help but notice that he had yet to say a word to her, let alone spare her a look. Any time he was mad at her, he could go blow off some steam and be willing to make amends. They usually never stayed mad at each other for more than a few hours, at least regarding one topic. This blatant defiance of their norm concerned Misty. It made her wonder if she should apologize.
Granted, this wasn't some inconsequential spat about who the better trainer was or how badly Ash read maps. This fight actually meant something. She had meant what she said the previous night. But, it felt wrong to have Ash mad at her. It didn't matter how much he had hurt her, he was still her best friend. Just because she was finally doing what it took to move on, didn't mean she had to sever all ties with him. She still wanted him in her life. But, he had to understand that her life didn't revolve around him anymore. But, old habits are the hardest to kick and right now Misty was wrestling with her's.
The boys finally broke their staring contest. Ash shot a betrayed glance at Misty before storming off. He paused before Brock where Misty thought she heard him say, "It is worth it, this time," before leaving the food court.
"What was that all about?" Winona asked.
"Nothing," Gary said nonchalantly.
Flannery came running up to the group, Winona's new lunch in her hands. "They were all out of the Swiss, so I got you Pepper Jack instead. Woh… what did I miss?" Flannery asked picking up on the remaining tension.
"Wait… Pepper Jack? Flannery, how many times have I told you I hate Pepper Jack?" Winona asked, trying to restrain her frustration.
"Uh, Misty, could I talk to you for a minute, that is, if these beautiful ladies don't mind?" Brock asked, flashing a wink to Winona in particular, who happened to be too busy berating her friend to notice.
"Sure Brock," Misty said grabbing Brock's ear as they walked away from the group.
"Ow. Do you have to be so rough, Misty?" Brock said, nursing his injured ear. Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Fine, I get it. Can't blame a guy for trying."
"I think you'll find I can."
Brock chuckled nervously. "Anyways, what was with Ash just now? I'm not sure I've ever seen him this upset over something."
Misty's features hardened. "It was Ash being a spoiled little brat."
"Now, now Misty. I'm sure he has a good reason, I'm just trying to figure out what that might be."
"A good reason?" Misty asked incredulously. "A good reason for snapping at me for having my own life? Is there ever a good reason for accusing your supposed best friend for having a life outside of them?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"He's the one who started all of this! He brought it all on himself! I don't have to apologize, because for once I'm doing something with my life that has nothing to do with him! It's my life! I can be friends with Gary if I want to!"
"Wait, this whole fight is about Gary?" Brock asked.
"No! It's because Ash can't accept that I have friends outside of him that have absolutely nothing to do with him!" Misty yelled.
Brock sat and pondered this new information.
Meanwhile, Misty was coming back to the low part of her emotional roller coaster. All the doubts she'd had while Ash and Gary had confronted each other only a few minutes before came rushing back full force. Could she deal with having Ash absent from her life? He wasn't going to let this fight go very easily. He had made that quite clear. It seemed he wasn't leaving her any choice in the matter. Yet, she knew she was right. This time she wouldn't be the one to apologize. She shouldn't have to just because he always got what he wanted. But…
"Brock…" Misty said timidly a few minutes after she'd fallen silent, breaking the breeder out of his reverie. "What if he never forgives me?"
She felt the ache in her chest start up again. She liked being a constant in Ash's life, even if he was constantly in another region. There was a good chance this fight would change things drastically and despite the fact that Misty knew she needed to make some changes in her life, but she never thought that cutting Ash out of her life completely was even an option to be considered. It had started consuming her thoughts. What if they didn't make up? What if he refused to see that she had a right to be upset?
"He'll come around, Misty," Brock said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"But what if he doesn't?" Misty asked, unshed tears building up behind her eyes, asking the millions of questions Misty was too proud to ever voice aloud.
"Don't worry about the 'what ifs.' This is one of those times when it's better to just let things play out the way they're supposed to. Worrying won't change anything. It will only make you more miserable."
"Brock, I'm scared."
"Don't be. Everything will work out. You'll see."
/
Jessie stumbled out into the alley from the service entrance, her uniform askew and covered in food stains. "Uh, that woman has no fashion sense. She didn't have to be so sensitive when I told her as much."
"Jessie, we need to keep dese jobs to keep our cova. You can't go letting ya yap run like dat!" Meowth said.
"It's not my fault she couldn't take constructive criticism."
"Hm… This is turning out even better than expected," James said as he watched Brock and Misty from his spot at the mouth of the alley beside the hotel.
"What is?" Jessie asked.
"Yea. You mean da fact dat Jessie is going to blow our cova or da fact dat we haven't gotten near da Pokémon yet?" Meowth asked facetiously.
"I mean the twerps are falling apart at the seams. With them so distracted, now's our time to strike!" James elaborated.
"That's right! I'd nearly forgotten about the twerps!" Jessie said.
"But foist ting's foist. We needs ta figure out how to get inta da stadium."
"He's right. We've been here several days and we're still no closer to getting inside that place than we were when we started," James said, visibly deflating.
"Oh ye of little faith," Jessie said. "I happen to have gotten a key from one of those boneheaded guards."
"How did ya manage dat, Jessie?"
"Never underestimate power of manipulation a woman has at her control," Jessie said, flippantly waving her hand through the air. "Now let's go catch some Pokémon!"
"Yes! Then the boss will finally like us!" James squealed.
"And I'll finally be da top Meowth!" Meowth said dreamily.
The trio snuck towards the stadium through the crowd. Jessie unlocked the service entrance with the key she had acquired and snuck inside. "So what exactly are we looking for?" James asked as they made their way through the maze of corridors.
"The Pokémon Center of course. They're required to have one here considering all of the Pokémon that are competing," Jessie explained.
"Surely not all of da competitors will leave dere Pokémon dere dough," Meowth reasoned.
"Don't you nitwits know anything? All competitors are required to leave their Pokémon at the Center for several hours a day to make sure they stay healthy under the harsh battle conditions," Jessie said.
"But Pokémon Centers only hire Nurse Joys and Chanseys," James said.
"You think I don't know that?" Jessie snapped.
"Den why are we looking for da Pokémon Center, Jessie?" Meowth asked.
Jessie was about to respond when the trio rounded a corner they running into a cart, spilling a fair amount of its contents onto the ground. "Watch where you're going you imbecile!" Jessie screeched.
"You're one to talk nitwit," a blonde woman countered back.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. You aren't hurt are you?" another woman asked, which the trio quickly recognized as Nurse Joy.
"We're alright," James replied.
"Well that's a relief. I hope the medicine is all okay," Nurse Joy said checking the boxes that lay scattered across the floor.
"Yes, It would be such a shame if any of it was ruined on account of a silly accident," Nurse Joy's companion replied, picking up stray pieces of gauze.
"Ah, yes. We're sorry about all of the trouble we've caused you. We wouldn't want any of those Pokémon to be hurt because of our clumsiness," Jessie said with a bright smile, her voice higher than usual.
"You better be going. It'd be a shame for you to miss any of the action, don't you think?" the blonde asked the trio, her voice dripping with venom.
"Actually, we had some business with Nurse Joy, if you'd be so kind to excuse us," Jessie shot back, her voice still falsely sweet.
"Very well. I really had to be going anyway. It was nice to see you, Nurse Joy!" the blonde called as she sauntered down the hallway.
"She looked familiar," James said absently.
"Never mind about her," Jessie said with a growl. "Oh Nurse Joy! Could I have a word with you for a few minutes?"
"Well, I don't see why not," Nurse Joy said with a demure smile.
Why is it that now that I'm to where the story actually starts, I feel like I'm still setting stuff up? Oh, probably because that's how stories work. It's constant buildup until the denouement. Sigh… Oh well. It comes with the territory. For those who were looking forward to a Pokémon battle this chapter, sorry to disappoint, but there will be one, eventually.
Sorry about how long this has taken. I've had a lot on my mind this summer. I'm also trying to make sure this story has an actual plot rather than pure fluff. I've had it in the works for awhile, but it's ironing the kinks out that are proving to be a bit harder than I'd originally planned. I'm trying to write consistently, but I'm having trouble keeping up on anything other than work this summer. I'm still not unpacked, believe it or not. But I'm working on getting better at it and hopefully I'll regain some of my steam with this story.
Sorry this chapter is short. I feel bad since you waited for awhile to get it, but this felt like a good stopping point, before switching perspectives again. See you guys next chapter!
