"This sucks." mutters the redhead sitting by the river. The very pond she hates the most.
"Tell me about it." her ex replies laying beside her on the blanket. After Misty had narrowly lost to Ariel in a 3v3 Pokemon battle earlier, Ariel led them to the river she knows her parents met at. The same one they got engaged at. Of course, Misty was subjected to listening to Ariel brag about beating her.
Ariel is smart, and a great battler. She practices weekly with Ash and the Oaks. Therefore, she used the type advantage of PIkachu and Sceptile against Misty's water type Pokemon. Misty really wasn't trying to lose this bet with Ash, so she mega evolved Gyarados. Nevertheless, Pikachu packs a powerful volt tackle.
After arriving at the pond, Ariel and her mother's Pokemon decided to take a swim, leaving the parents to set up the picnic. Ash had made sandwiches after breakfast while Misty helped Delia clean up. The parents have been calling Ariel over to eat, but she says she's not hungry yet. Plus, she's having too much fun in the water. She really got that from Misty.
"I'm surprised you haven't started eating yet." Misty remarks. He does have a huge appetite.
Ash shrugs and places his hat to cover his face. "I can wait for Ariel."
"That's a first."
"What're you trying to say?" he snaps.
She rolls her eyes at his tone. "I'm saying, your appetite always has you eating without thinking of waiting for others."
"I'll wait for Ariel."
Misty glances back at the river with her daughter and the Pokemon. Some of Ash's pokemon are in the river too, with the exception of Charizard who is basking in the sun's rays as he takes a nap. "I'm gonna suggest something…" She's surprised when he doesn't give her a snarky response. Continuing, the redhead adds, "Can she travel with Charizard next year?"
"Why?" Ash doesn't move, and Misty can't see his face under his hat.
Sighing, she says, "Kleon's right. People won't stop trying to use her to get to us. You are the champion."
Ash closes his eyes. Misty had brought this up the other day, but Ash told her Kleon's threats mean nothing now that he's behind bars. "There's more good people out there than bad."
"I know, but there's still bad people! I'd feel a lot better if she had Charizard so that she and Jace can safely fly away when there's trouble. Charizard is strong too." If Misty had a strong flying type, she'd give it to Ariel. However, Gyarados can't fly.
"She's not gonna like it. She wants her own starter pokemon to form a bond with."
"I'm not saying she take Charizard." Misty frowns. "She should just have him until she and Jace are strong enough to fend for themselves. It'll take time for them to train their own pokemon."
After a few silent minutes, Misty assumes Ash is choosing not to argue or he fell asleep. Nevertheless, he soon says, "Fine. But what's your plan if she doesn't agree?"
"She can't travel next year."
Ash now sits up abruptly, causing his hat to fall. Glaring at his ex, he exclaims, "We took care of the problem! I understand that you're scared about her too, but we can't make her unhappy!"
"Weren't you the one saying she shouldn't travel at all last week?" Misty recalls.
"Because of Kleon! Now that he's gone, and we took down all those Rockets in Diglett Cave, then she's safe!"
"She's never gonna be safe as long as we're in our positions!" How thick is his skull?
A part of Ash knows Misty is right. Mew, she is. But he won't admit that. He can't let his daughter venture out into the world with a beginner Pokemon. She'll have to take Charizard. He wishes she could take Pikachu or some other Pokemon he trusts, but he knows it'll be hard enough getting her to take Charizard. Moreover, Ash doesn't want to spy on her for her protection. She'll hate him for it.
With his glare still on her challenging orbs, he says, "You're supposed to tell me about Rudy." Ash hates saying that name. It makes him want to vomit.
Misty now looks away awkwardly where she sees Ariel is still happily playing, like the girl hasn't noticed her parents arguing. "What do you wanna know?"
"You're the one who said you'd tell me about him. I don't know what you guys did behind my back." Ash mutters with disgust. He can't even look at her anymore because the emotions from back then are coming back. Laying on the ground again, he replaces his hat on his face.
"We did nothing." Misty rolls her eyes. On the other side of the blanket, she decides to lay down too. She's tired, and lately, she's been having nightmares about someone taking Ariel away. Moreover, sitting on the blanket with no back support is annoying.
"That's all you ever say."
"Because that's all there is to say?" Misty snaps. She closes her eyes in exhaustion. "Do you want me to tell you all the times Rudy and I hung out?"
"Sure." It'll remind him why he hates her so much. Lately, Ash feels like he doesn't hate Misty like he should, and that's been irritating him. He wants to resume hating her because she deserves it. Years can't replace the amount of pain she put him through.
"He first came around when Ariel was 3. He was in Cerulean City for a conference, and he asked me to hang out. I'm the only one he knows in the city."
"He knew you were married." Everyone knew they were married.
"Yeah, so I turned him down." Misty frowns. "I loved you. I wouldn't hang out with someone else who likes me romantically."
"But you somehow did and then dated him after our divorce."
"Are you gonna let me explain myself or what?" When Ash doesn't respond, Misty carries on. "One of the conference days involved touring Cerulean City. The group stopped by the gym, and I couldn't be rude to them. I was talking to them, and Ariel happened to strike a conversation with Rudy."
"Why was she at the gym?" Ash angrily asks. He hates knowing his daughter ever interacted with Rudy.
Misty shoots him a glare. "Because you were never around! I was her only parent! She had to be watched by me!"
"I left Pikachu!"
"Letting a pokemon raise your child is not the same as you raising her!"
"You raised her around another man!"
"Because he came around! I didn't invite him at first!" Misty continues speaking before he can cut her off again. "She really liked Rudy, especially when he introduced himself as my friend." Misty closes her eyes again as she faces the sky. "Ariel and I were lonely." The woman softly says. "We were happy to interact with someone new, so she always asked about Rudy. We went out to eat with him a few times before the conference ended."
"You should've said no." Ash clenches his fists.
"I wanted to, but you try saying no to a 3 year old! She missed you so much, and we were so lonely waiting for whenever you'd remember you had a family."
"I was working on trying to come home!"
"But you never did!" seethes the woman. "Anyway, after that, she saw Rudy as an uncle and he'd drop by whenever he was in the region. They formed a bond-"
"Stop." huffs out Ash, making Misty curiously look at him.
"You're the one who wanted to know."
"I don't wanna hear how my young daughter was clinging onto another man."
"She wouldn't have to if her father was there."
Ash turns his head, making his hat fall off as his pained angry eyes meet her annoyed ones. "What do you want me to say? Huh? That it's okay for you to let some other guy act like her dad?"
"He never acted like her dad!"
"He was sitting on the porch swing next to her! I fucking saw it!"
"Again." Misty hisses. "If you were there, it'd never have happened."
"You let it happen."
"I let my daughter be happy." Misty closes her eyes again. "But I never cheated on you. All Rudy and I did was hang out with Ariel in public or outside."
"It's emotional cheating."
"I never did any sort of cheating on you, and you admitted to knowing that too." She reminds him.
"I wanna believe you. But when I think about it, it's hard." he mutters with his eyes closed too.
She knows she's going to regret this, but she needs to clear her name. Their divorce went sour because of him. Not her. Not both of them. No. Just him. Thus, she will let him know she never did anything to ruin their marriage. "I never loved Rudy. I only dated him because he kept asking…" She sighs. "And I was hoping it'd help me get over you."
"You filed for divorce." Ash reminds her. What does she mean 'get over him?' She was done with him long before filing for divorce. Or so he thought.
"I still loved you, idiot." Misty whispers. "Mew, I was still so in love with you. The divorce hurt a lot."
"Then why'd you do it?" he snaps. He knows he was still madly in love with her too. It's what made the divorce so painful and him very angry.
She lets out a breath. "Just because I love you, it doesn't mean I need to stay unhappy. I know it's wrong, but you were never around. Ariel barely knew you except for the pictures I'd show her. So I was hoping Rudy could be that father she deserves."
"I'm her father."
"I know!" Misty quickly says. "I know! Believe me, all I want is for you to be the dad she needs, but you were never home!" Misty hates the painful ache in her heart right now. "Think about it from our perspective. If you love Ariel, you'd want her in a two-parent household."
He can't listen to this right now. It just hurts too much, especially because he knows she's right. He hates that she's right. Mew, he hates her so much! He hates that she filed for divorce. He hates that she thought Rudy would be a better father than him! He hates that she let Ariel get attached to Rudy. He hates that she was unhappy with him for all those years. He hates that she loved him.
"You're the only one I've ever been in love with." She defeatedly tells him. "So don't worry about me bringing another man into Ariel's life. It's not gonna happen."
"You never know." Ash manages to say through his aching heart.
She shakes her head. "No. I know." The woman is sure of it. After a few minutes of silence, she mutters, "If you have nothing else to say, I'm gonna take a nap."
"Go for it." He's still thinking about everything she just told him. He knows her words are true. She's never lied to him, even after the divorce. Mostly that was because they never talked to each other post-divorce.
After a while, he finds himself dozing off too. He was up late last night because he was having trouble sleeping. Ash was not looking forward to this day. Moreover, he always wakes up throughout the night due to his nightmares, and he ever woke up early today. He's still very exhausted. To his surprise, he finds himself falling and staying blissfully asleep.
Flashback
"Go to sleep, Ash." the tired redhead groans at her pacing fiance. It's very late, and Ash won't turn off the lights to go to sleep. He has a very important battle tomorrow, which is keeping him awake.
"I'm just so nervous, Mist! Tomorrow's the day!" The day he's always dreamed of is now here. He's so close to his goal, and it's making him very anxious.
"I know, but you can't battle if you stay up all night."
"But I can't sleep!" It's not like he wants to be up right now. On the contrary, Ash knows he needs a good night's rest to be at his best tomorrow. He'll be battling Lance for the Kanto Champion title in front of the whole world.
Sighing, the woman reluctantly gets off the bed. They're currently in Ash's hotel room at the League. Walking over to the pacing man, she stands in front of him, stopping him. Misty grabs his clammy hands while looking into those shifty brown eyes he rarely dons. "Ash." She softly says his name.
"Hm?" Mew, he's so nervous!
Taking a step closer so that she's directly in front of his chest, Misty brings a hand up to cup his warm cheek. "You're ready for this. I've watched you train for years now."
"I know! It'll make it worse if I lose!" he panics.
Shaking her head, she tells him, "A reason I love you is because you're so resilient. Every loss makes you stronger."
He lets out a shaky breath as he rests his forehead on hers. With his eyes shut, he tries to calm down. Misty is always best at calming him down, especially with her touch. "I won't lose though."
"You will if you don't sleep." She knowingly remarks and pecks his lips. Dragging him to the bed, she sees he's still hesitant on sleeping. "Ash, at least let me fall asleep first. Then you can do all the pacing and staying up you want."
Reluctantly laying in the bed with her as Misty rests her head on his chest, Ash quietly asks, "I thought you wanted me to sleep?"
"I wanna sleep more." lies the woman. She knows that Ash will fall asleep eventually. It just takes the push to put him in bed. Plus, with her body on him, it'll be harder for him to leave the bed. Misty loves falling asleep in his arms, especially to the sound of his quickening heartbeat slowing down.
To Ash's surprise, he finds himself drifting to sleep. Misty is always great at calming his nerves. Maybe that's why he's able to sleep so blissfully on a night like tonight? Whatever the reason, he knows his fiance's support will always be what's best for him. It always has been.
Flashback Over
"I'm hungry now." the girl tells Pikachu.
"Pi." Pikachu agrees as his stomach grumbles.
"Race ya back!" Ariel giggles and she starts swimming with the Pokemon back to shore. They had a lot of fun playing, and now they're ready to replenish themselves with food. Ash and Misty had set out food for the pokemon while Ariel's food is on the picnic blanket with her parents.
Leaving the Pokemon by their food dishes, Ariel makes her way over to the blanket. She knows her father doesn't like swimming or being in water. Even if he did, he can't go in due to his stitches. For some reason, Ariel's mother didn't want to go in either. Ariel figured her parents would want to stay away from each other, but they've been on the picnic blanket together this whole time. She's hopeful that they're getting along well.
Once at the blanket, she curiously eyes her parents. Just what is going on. As much as she wants to jump for joy right now, she's more confused than excited. The girl looks back at the pokemon in hopes of getting Pikachu's input, but he's happily eating. She won't bother him. Instead, she takes out her pokenav to snap a picture of her parents sleeping in each other's arms.
Misty had somehow rolled over to rest her head on Ash's chest. Ash's arm is wrapped around her. If people didn't know they hate each other, they would expect Ariel's parents are a loving couple. It looks so natural the way they're cuddled together, and Ariel is very happy. Maybe that's why her father broke up with Melody? He had fallen back in love with Ariel's mother!
Deciding not to wake up her parents, the girl grabs a sandwich from the basket. She then walks back to the pokemon to eat with them rather than in silence with her sleeping parents. The pokemon are curious about her eating with them, but when she shows them the picture on her pokenav, they understand. Politoed and the rest of Misty's pokemon, minus the oblivious Psyduck, aren't happy about it. Nevertheless, they will always support Ariel.
Out of playfulness, Totodile sneaks off towards the blanket. He loves having fun, which is why he always plays with Ariel, especially when water is involved. The moment he sees the arch rivals sleeping in each other's arms, he starts laughing hysterically while rolling on the ground. Totodile just knows his trainer is going to be so upset when he wakes up.
Due to being a light sleeper, the redhead slowly opens her eyes at the noise. When did she fall asleep? And how come she slept so deeply? Moreover, it's warm for being late autumn. And it's soft. The ground was harder than this. Why is her head elevated? And what's this weight on her shoulder?
Misty spots the blue gator laughing while kicking his little feet in the air. No. She instantly remembers where she is because Totodile only comes out of the lab with his trainer. Her eyes shift to the black fabric directly in front of her, and where her face is resting. Shooting away from the dozing man causes him to groggily wake up in confusion.
"What're you doing?" She shrieks at him.
"What?" he still has no idea what's going on.
Misty's shriek gets the attention of Ariel and the other Pokemon. "Oh no. Sounds like mom's awake." Ariel and Pikachu then start running towards the blanket where they see her parents sitting up on the blanket and Totodile laughing nearby.
"You were cuddling me!"
"No I wasn't!" exclaims the man. Why would he cuddle her? He hates her.
"Then why was your arm on me?" the redhead blushes deeply.
Ash, with his own dark blush, motions to the blanket where he's still seated. "I fell asleep on this side! If we were cuddling, then that means you came over to me!"
"But your arm was on me!"
"I don't know!" Exasperates the man. The last thing he wants to do right now is cuddle her. He was in such a deep sleep, the first time since he woke up in the clinic a few days ago, that he didn't notice. He's missed being able to blissfully sleep. "All I know is that we fell asleep separately! And I woke up on my side of the blanket."
"Mom! Dad!" Ariel interjects her bickering parents. "Let's have lunch!" She opens the basket in hopes of changing the subject and ending their argument.
Due to both of their embarrassments, the parents begrudgingly grab a sandwich and sit as far away from each other as possible. Like always, Ariel does all the talking so they don't have to. Mew. They all still have a couple more hours together before having dinner and then Ariel and Misty leave for Cerulean City. This really is an exhausting day. Misty can't wait to leave this town. She's spent more time than she'd like with her ex this week.