DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, Nintendo, Gamefreak, yada yada yada...don't sue me! :)

A/N: I don't know why I made Ash do what he does in this chapter, but I did it, I can't change it cos the rest of the story will be ruined, but here it is, chapter ten. Ash's huge mistake. :( Remember, he is dense, nothing will change that!

"One day to go, one day..." Misty muttered nervously as she swept the spectators stands.

The last performance had been two days ago, when three promising girls had made their debut in Cerulean. The crowd had been massive, not to mention lazy.

"Misty!" She looked down as her name was called. Ash was below her, near the pool. Over the last two weeks they had sort of started from where they had left off, but things weren't exactly the same.

"Ash, now is not a good time..." Misty started as she went back to her sweeping.

"Happy Birthday!" Ash yelled, and Misty stood bolt upright. Ash now had a mischevious grin on his face.

She blushed. "Thankyou. But my birthday is tomorrow." Her sixteenth birthday was the very next day, and Ash wasn't the only one who had remembered. She had gotten a phonecall from her sisters, who were arriving in four days, parcels from various friends, including Brock, but so far Ash had given her nothing, and she wasn't surprised if he had forgotten. It had been five years.

"Your present will be here tomorrow!" Ash declared.

Misty sighed. "That's great, Ash, but I'm kinda busy right now, so could you...you know..." She didn't have a nice way of saying buzz off.

Ash nodded. "You got it!" And with that he walked out of the gym, much to Misty's confused stares.

"That was odd..." she murmered, then shook her head. "You've only got one day!" she reminded herself, and frantically began sweeping again.

It took her three hours to finish sweeping the stands, and by that time her staff had done everything else - cleaning the pool, taking extra special care of the pokemon, and hanging a special banner, saying "Welcome Inspector."

"Finished" Misty sighed with relief. She took a last minute check over everything, and then, satisfied, she retreated back to her house, to find Ash playing with her pokemon.

"I think Togepi remembers me!" he exclaimed as soon as she walked through the door.

Misty smiled, vivid memories flooding her mind. "Ash, you're not easy to forget" she said quietly.

"Huh?" Ash half-queired, more interested in the pokemon than her comments.

Misty shook her head. "Nothing. I'll get dinner started" she offered, and headed to the kitchen.

"You finish cleaning the gym?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, pretty much, I've just gotta go over everything tomorrow on my checklist" Misty shrugged, holding up a clipboard with a neat checklist.

Ash marveled in silence. How did she do it? How did she run a gym all by herself for five years? How did she stay so organised in the midst of it all?

"Misty, I think I'll be leaving soon." He said it so calmly and suddenly that it scared Misty. She discreetly clung to the kitchen bench.

"R-really? Why?" she inquired.

Ash shrugged. "I've got badges to win and pokemon to catch, y'know? I think I'll go in about a week."

He couldn't do this to her again. He couldn't. Misty saw some sort of charm in him that no one else could see. That's why she was attracted to him, and why she was falling for him all over again.

She felt like saying something like, stay a bit longer, but she restrained herself. If he stayed longer she would fall faster, and then when he left she would be hit with the same pain that occured the first time around.

"Okay, that's fine, do you need somewhere to stay? I get discounts on motels and stuff cos of my position" she offered politly.

Ash smiled. "I can find my own way round, but thanks, anyway." He then resumed to playing with the pokemon, and Misty resumed to dinner.

The next day, Misty was frantic. She was not the cool, collected, organised Misty everyone in the gym knew. She was panicking, she was rattling instructions off so fast it was almost as if she were speaking in a foreign language, and she was dressed tidily for once.

"Mitch! Do your tie right! Jo...where is Jo?!" She started wheezing, and pulled her inhaler out for relief.

Ten minutes later, everything was in order, and all the employees were lined up with Misty at the front entrance, nervous for the arrival of the inspector.

A black, impeccable looking car pulled up with tinted windows. It was almost like a star had arrived.

As he stepped out, he took in his surroundings. Neatly trimmed grass, shiny windows, and neat staff.

"Hello, welcome to Cerulean Gym. I'm Misty, the gym leader" Misty politly introduced herself, shaking hands with the inspector and not showing one trace of the nervousness that was mounding inside her.

"Thankyou, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm Lionel Hutchings" the inspector smiled warmly, not surprised by Misty's young age.

Without any furthur hesitation, Misty took Lionel into the gym, followed discreetly by her staff, and showed him every inch. The pokemon had been instructed to be on their best behaviour, which they were, and everything was going according to plan.

An hour later they stood back outside, Lionel with an even warmer smile.

"I do believe this is one of the finest gyms I've seen yet" he announced.

Misty smiled politly, leaping for joy inside of her. "Thankyou very much. We put a lot of work into..." She trailed off at the end of her sentance. She could hear something.

So could Lionel. And all her staff. And they all turned their heads to witness Ash Ketchum driving up the gym's driveway in a hot-rod convertible with a blaring sound system - that was blaring some of the latest rap and dance tunes.

"Happy Birthday, Misty!" he yelled, unaware of the mayhem that was certain to unravel at any minute.

Misty went numb. She stared at Ash, and the car, then at the shocked face of Lionel. That was when her heart broke in two. Lionel didn't look amused. In fact, he looked angry.

"What is this?" he demanded, pointing to the car in front of them.

Misty tried to regain herself. "Um, I really...really don't know..."

"What do you think of your pressie?" Ash grinned, obviously very proud of his efforts. "It needs a little mechanics, but..." He never finished his sentance. Misty excused herself and walked up.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly through clenched teeth.

"Delivering your present!" Ash exclaimed.

"Go. I thought you had grown up Ash, but I was so obviously wrong. And take that crap piece of metal with you!" Misty nearly screamed, but controlled herself, for the sake of the inspector.

Ash's face fell. "It was just..."

"Now!" Misty ordered, pointing down the driveway. Ash silently reversed the car and drove off, Misty not really caring where he drove to.

"Is that settled?" Lionel asked in obvious annoyance.
Misty was on the verge of tears, but she swallowed them.
"Yes, it's settled."

The scenario was her worst nightmare come true. The Pokemon League inspector was angrily taking notes, her staff were looking at her sympathetically, and somewhere in the distance, she could tell her mother was scolding her in spirit.

"Well, that will be all. Thankyou very much" Lionel said, shaking her hand.

Misty shook her head. "No problem" she whispered. The inspector left the situation, promising a report within a week, and Misty collapsed to the ground as soon as he left.

"Misty, it's okay, the gym was fine, it was Ash who ruined it, not your gym" Mitch offered.

"I'm done for. I am so done for" Misty whimpered, face in hands.

"You are not. Ash is done for" Mitch commented angrily, punching his left palm with his right fist.

Misty said nothing. She just stayed kneeling on the grass, begging her mother's forgiveness, and figuring out what she was going to say to Daisy, Violet and Lily.

A/N: Woah, Ash, that was stupid. Reeeeally stupid. It was stupid of me to write that, but if I didn't, the story wouldn't work out the way it does, so please bear with me. All will be explained in chapters eleven through fifteen, coming soon!