Hello again! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far ::counts reviews::
I've got 2 right now! Seriously though, that's not sarcasm. I'm really excited.
Anyway, enjoy, and the last chapter is coming very, very soon!
~*~Months Later~*~
Brock walked into the Viridian City Pokemon Center and found Ash
and
Pikachu in a chair reading a newspaper. "Ash, they gave the verdict
today.
You should have been there."
"I hope Misty gets the death penalty," Ash said coldly without
looking up.
"Ash!" Brock exclaimed. It broke his heart to hear the mean
things Ash
had said about Misty over the past few months. He didn't go to any of
Misty's court dates, and he refused to talk about her. He hadn't seen
her
since the first night she had spent in jail. "Just in case you're
wondering,
she isn't getting the dea..." he cleared his throat, not wanting to say
'death penalty'. "She's coming home. Tomorrow."
Ash threw the newspaper down. "What?! How could they let her?
She
killed someone!"
"Yes, but she did it in defense. If she hadn't killed him,
Giovanni
would have killed her. They're letting her go because she was
defending
herself. And Team Rocket haters all over the world donated the money
for her
bail." Brock told him.
"I don't care if she was defending herself. She shouldn't be
walking
free," Ash said.
"Pika," Pikachu said to Ash. It hurt him too that Ash said bad
things
about Misty.
"I'm going to the police station tomorrow to pick her up," Brock
said.
"She'll want to see you. You should come."
Ash pretended he didn't hear. Instead he stared into his
newspaper.
Brock sighed. "Don't be so hard on her. She's been through a lot
in the
past few months."
Ash continued to ignore him.
Brock wondered what was going to happen between Ash and Misty when
she
came home tomorrow. It wouldn't be good, that's for sure.
"It's good to be outside again!" Misty exclaimed happily as she
skipped
beside Brock. "No fences, no barred cells, just fresh air and flowers!
And
I can't wait to see Starmie."
Brock smiled to himself. She hadn't changed as much as he feared
she
would. The harshness of prison seemed to have no effect on her. "I'm
glad
you're back, Misty."
"I can't wait to see Ash again. Maybe he won't be so angry after
we're
together awhile," Misty said optimisticly.
"Don't count on it," Brock said. "Ash is still really upset."
Misty didn't hear him. She had run ahead to the Pokemon Center.
Misty opened the door to the Pokemon Center and entered the lobby
timidly. She found Ash right away. He sat on a couch with Pikachu in
his
lap.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed when he saw Misty. He leaped into her
arms.
"Hi Pikachu! I missed you so much!" Misty cried as she hugged him
tightly. She looked down at Ash, who stared at her unwelcomly.
"Um...Hey
Ash." Misty smiled slightly. "How have you been?"
Ash spoke in a low, angry voice. "Don't waltz in here and pretend
nothing's happened. You can't forget the past."
Misty cleared her throat and replied calmly, "I understand that
you're
angry. You have every reason to be. I'm not going to bug you into
talking
to me. When you're ready to talk, come find me."
Ash rolled his eyes. He glared at her and said flatly, "Go away."
Misty coughed and said cooly, "I'll see you later." She turned to
walk
away with Pikachu in her arms.
"Where are you going with my Pikachu?" Ash called after her.
"Pikachu,
get away from her."
"Pi," Pikachu sighed, then unhappily obeyed his master's command.
He
jumped from Misty's arms and into Ash's lap.
Misty left the room and went to find Brock.
"Can't you just try to talk to him?" Misty asked. "He won't listen
to me."
Brock shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, Misty. I've tried. I've
been
trying for months. He isn't buying anything. Maybe we should just
leave him
alone. He has a right to be upset and everything. Maybe we should
just give
him time to think."
"You're not taking Ash's side, are you?" Misty accused.
Brock was clearly frustrated. "I'm not on his side. I'm not on
your's
either. I'm just trying to stay out of this mess. I want to be
friends with
both of you, not enemies."
Misty nodded and said, "I can't blame you, I guess, but everything
would
be so much easier if Ash wasn't making it so difficult."
Over the next few days, life struggled on for Ash, Misty, Brock and
Pikachu. Ash wouldn't go near Misty, and if he had to he never made
eye
contact. Misty tried talking to him, but he never listened. Brock and
Pikachu ran around between the two of them so they could still be with
each
of them. The days melted into weeks.
Ash walked into the bedroom that he still shared with Brock and
Misty.
He had complained to Brock to get a separate room for Misty, but Brock
refused to unless he was willing to pay the extra rent.
He walked to his side of the room to get something from his bag
when he
heard the door slam behind him. He whirled around and saw Misty
grinning
slyly at him. She locked the door and stood in front of it. "There!
Now
you HAVE to talk to me! I'm not letting you out of here until we work
this
out."
Ash rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed. "Fine. I'll wait it
out."
He stared at the wall and crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Ash, I don't know why you're so upset about your dad. It's not
like you
knew him or anything," Misty told him gently.
Ash couldn't keep up his silence. "I don't get it. You were upset
about
Dad killing your parents, but you expect me to forgive you for killing
my
dad?"
"This is a different situation! I didn't even know it was your
dad!"
Misty protested.
"That doesn't change the fact that you killed him!" Ash shouted
back.
"You ought to be apologizing instead of nagging me!"
"Apologizing?!" Misty exclaimed. "I'm not apologizing for
anything!
Giovanni would have killed me if I hadn't defended myself! I'm not
sorry
that I killed him!"
"How can you say that?" Ash shouted. "Think about how I feel! My
best
friend killed my father! Wouldn't that make you angry?"
Misty forgot her fury for a second. Her anger melted from her face
and
she looked at Ash hopefully. "...I'm your best friend?"
Ash's anger seemed to worsen. He said coldly, "You used to be.
Not
anymore. Never again."
Each syllable of Ash's statement seemed like a slap in Misty's
face. She
fought back her tears and said flatly, "Fine. If that's the way you
want to
handle this, fine. Two can play at your stupid game. I'm never
speaking to
you again!"
"Same goes for me!" Ash shot back.
Misty stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
Brock noticed Misty pacing angrily in the lobby when he entered the
room.
"Oh no, what happened now?" he asked.
"He is SO stubborn!" Misty exploded. "All he thinks about is
himself.
He doesn't care about how I feel. He only cares about his stupid
father. He
thinks I should be upset and sorry. I'm not! If he'd take a look
around
him, he'd notice that he's not the only person on Earth!"
Brock smiled. "Feel better?"
Misty crossed her arms. "No. I thought that if I give him some
time,
he'd come around. But it's only gotten worse. I'm not going to keep
after
him like I really care about what happens with us. I give up."
"Try to be a little understanding. I mean, you were upset when you
lost
your parents, right? Ash deserves to be angry about his dad," Brock
said
gently.
"But he hardly even knew him!" Misty exclaimed.
Brock cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I promised Ash
I'd go
to the Poke Mart with him to get some supplies. I'll see you around."
"Oh, don't go!" Misty protested. "Stay here with me. I don't want
to be
alone, and there's no way I'm going you and Ash."
Brock sighed. "Misty, I still want to be your friend, but you have
to
realize that I'm still friends with Ash too. If you can't compromise
with
him and be together, than I have you be with you two separatly."
"Okay, I understand. I'll see you later," Misty replied glumly.
Brock smiled. "Thanks for being such a good sport."
Brock, Ash and Pikachu walked together in silence. Brock wanted to
use
this time to talk to Ash, but he had trouble coming up with something
to say.
"So...um, when do you think we should leave on our journey again?"
"I don't care when, as long as SHE doesn't come with us," Ash
replied.
"You mean Misty?" Brock asked.
"Duh."
"You know, Ash..." Brock started to say. He paused to come up with
the
right words. "Did you ever think that maybe you're being a bit too
stubborn
with this whole thing? Misty is trying hard to make things right, but
you
won't let her."
"Not anymore. She's not talking to me, and I'm not talking to
her," Ash
told him.
"You can't do that!" Brock exclaimed.
"Why not?"
"Because...well, you can't!"
"Things aren't the same anymore. They never will be," Ash said.
"Don't you wish they were, though?" Brock asked.
"No. Why are you always on my case about Misty? Why don't you
just
forget about her like I did?" Ash asked.
"Because," Brock answered, "I'm not as cold-hearted as you've been
acting
lately. I want things to be the way they were."
"Forget it, Brock. I'm not apologizing to Misty, and Misty better
not
come close enough to me to say she's sorry," Ash said stubbornly.
"Pika pi," Pikachu said with a sad look on his face.
"No Pikachu. I'm never talking to Misty again, and nothing you or
Brock
say can change my mind."
That evening, Brock sat in one of the hallways of the Pokemon
Center
reading a magazine. Misty sat in a chair nearby leafing through a
catologue
of Pokemon stuff.
Ash walked in, then stopped when he saw Misty. Misty looked up at
him
and stared at him coldly. He decided to just ignore her presence. He
picked
up a magazine from the table and began to read.
Misty thought, "Who does Ash think he is, coming in here like he
owns the
place and just sitting down with us? I'm sitting with Brock now. Ash
can
have his turn later."
Ash thought, "She's been hogging Brock all evening. I hope she
leaves
for bed soon. I wish she'd just disappear for good."
Brock tried to concentrate on his reading, but found it impossible.
You
could cut the tension in the room with a knife.
Ash and Misty both looked at each other. They began a stare-down
contest. Ash could vaguely remember when he and Misty used to have
these
contests for fun. They'd glare into each other's eyes, trying not to
blink.
Ash always lost; he'd burst out laughing after a few seconds.
This was different. Misty stared at Ash so hard, she swore she
could
pierce through him. She wished she could. She refused to blink as she
squinted her eyes slightly.
Brock coughed purposly. Ash and Misty both jumped and looked at
Brock,
who shrugged at them as if to say, "What? It was just a cough."
Ash stood up silently and walked away. Misty had won.
Brock looked at Misty and said, "This is getting rediculous."
"Tell me about it," she replied. "I don't want to be angry
anymore. I
want things to go back to normal."
"Maybe you should apologize to him," Brock said. "I know
apologizing
would be like sacrificing your dignity, but maybe that's what you need
to end
this."
"You're right. I'm putting a stop to this. Tonight," Misty
declared.
"I'm proud of you, Misty," Brock told his friend with a smile.
"It's
very chivalrus of you. Good luck."
"I'll need it," she answered as she headed out to find Ash.
Ash sank onto the couch in the lobby. Pikachu jumped onto his lap
and
grinned. Pikachu was always trying to make Ash happy; he was hurt
because
Ash never smiled anymore. He jumped up and down, trying to force a
smile
out of his friend.
"Go away," Ash mumbled as he gently pushed Pikachu off his lap.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said, clearly offended. Ash acted like he
didn't hear
him.
"Um...Ash?" a meek voice asked. Ash looked up to see Misty,
standing
with her hands behind her back and her head looking down.
Misty's confidence rose a bit. She stood up straight and looked
him in
the eye, saying boldly, "We need to talk, Ash."
Ash said crossly, "You do realize I left that hallway just now to
get
away from you, right?"
"Don't walk away Ash. Hear me out," Misty demanded.
Ash stood up and said, "See how long you can hold my interest."
Misty took a deep breath and spilled out everything on her mind.
"Ash, I
know that you're still really upset with me. I understand why and I
don't
blame you. I don't know exactly what you want from me, so all I can
offer
you is this: Ash, I'm sorry I killed your father. I wasn't thinking at
all,
but that doesn't give me any excuse. I can't justify what I've done.
I
deeply regret everything, and if I could go back in time I wouldn't
have done
it again. I'm begging you to forgive me. I just want to be friends
again.
I want everything to be the way it was before." Misty stopped talking
and
bit her lip, praying Ash would accept her apology.
There was silence for a moment as Ash took in everything Misty had
said.
He replied in a low voice, "You don't think an apology's just going to
change
what happened, do you?"
Misty cringed. He hadn't bought it. She became angry again.
"There's
nothing else I can do! I just gave you everything I could! Now I know
where
you get your mean stubborness from. It's from your father, the worst
man in
the world! You know what, Ash? I'm glad I killed him. More people in
the
world are happy he's gone than not."
Ash breathed deeply has he raised a fist.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead Ash. Hit me. That's probably
how
your father got started on his meaness when he was your age. He didn't
just
start murdering little girls' parents right away. He started off by
hurting
the people he was closest to. If you want to end up a heartless
barbarion
like him, than go ahead and hit me." Misty knew that if Ash had any
heart
left, he would listen to what she was saying and not hit her.
Hopefully he'd
fall into her trap of reverse psycology. "Your father was a cold,
heartless,
friendless, sick, terrible-"
WHACK! Ash's hand flew into Misty's cheek so hard that she
stumbled
backwards.
Misty held her hand to her cheek. She didn't think Ash would ever
go so
far as to hurt her. Her heart hurt more than her cheek. She glared at
him
and said in a sharp, fierce voice, "I was wrong about you, Ash. I
thought
that you'd come around eventually. I thought you weren't as heartless
as you
look. I thought that you could accept an honest apology. I thought
you
weren't like your father at all. I thought you would never stoop down
to his
level. I thought maybe we could save our friendship. I was wrong."
Ash tried to stare into Misty's eyes to intimidate her, but she was
right
and he knew it. They both held their ground for a few seconds, then
Ash was
forced to look down at the ground. A quiet gasping-like sound made him
look
back up just in time to see Misty run out of the lobby and up the
stairs,
wiping tears from her eyes and crying softly.
Ash was half amazed. "She's finally cracked," he said to Pikachu.
I've got 2 right now! Seriously though, that's not sarcasm. I'm really excited.
Anyway, enjoy, and the last chapter is coming very, very soon!
~*~Months Later~*~
Brock walked into the Viridian City Pokemon Center and found Ash
and
Pikachu in a chair reading a newspaper. "Ash, they gave the verdict
today.
You should have been there."
"I hope Misty gets the death penalty," Ash said coldly without
looking up.
"Ash!" Brock exclaimed. It broke his heart to hear the mean
things Ash
had said about Misty over the past few months. He didn't go to any of
Misty's court dates, and he refused to talk about her. He hadn't seen
her
since the first night she had spent in jail. "Just in case you're
wondering,
she isn't getting the dea..." he cleared his throat, not wanting to say
'death penalty'. "She's coming home. Tomorrow."
Ash threw the newspaper down. "What?! How could they let her?
She
killed someone!"
"Yes, but she did it in defense. If she hadn't killed him,
Giovanni
would have killed her. They're letting her go because she was
defending
herself. And Team Rocket haters all over the world donated the money
for her
bail." Brock told him.
"I don't care if she was defending herself. She shouldn't be
walking
free," Ash said.
"Pika," Pikachu said to Ash. It hurt him too that Ash said bad
things
about Misty.
"I'm going to the police station tomorrow to pick her up," Brock
said.
"She'll want to see you. You should come."
Ash pretended he didn't hear. Instead he stared into his
newspaper.
Brock sighed. "Don't be so hard on her. She's been through a lot
in the
past few months."
Ash continued to ignore him.
Brock wondered what was going to happen between Ash and Misty when
she
came home tomorrow. It wouldn't be good, that's for sure.
"It's good to be outside again!" Misty exclaimed happily as she
skipped
beside Brock. "No fences, no barred cells, just fresh air and flowers!
And
I can't wait to see Starmie."
Brock smiled to himself. She hadn't changed as much as he feared
she
would. The harshness of prison seemed to have no effect on her. "I'm
glad
you're back, Misty."
"I can't wait to see Ash again. Maybe he won't be so angry after
we're
together awhile," Misty said optimisticly.
"Don't count on it," Brock said. "Ash is still really upset."
Misty didn't hear him. She had run ahead to the Pokemon Center.
Misty opened the door to the Pokemon Center and entered the lobby
timidly. She found Ash right away. He sat on a couch with Pikachu in
his
lap.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed when he saw Misty. He leaped into her
arms.
"Hi Pikachu! I missed you so much!" Misty cried as she hugged him
tightly. She looked down at Ash, who stared at her unwelcomly.
"Um...Hey
Ash." Misty smiled slightly. "How have you been?"
Ash spoke in a low, angry voice. "Don't waltz in here and pretend
nothing's happened. You can't forget the past."
Misty cleared her throat and replied calmly, "I understand that
you're
angry. You have every reason to be. I'm not going to bug you into
talking
to me. When you're ready to talk, come find me."
Ash rolled his eyes. He glared at her and said flatly, "Go away."
Misty coughed and said cooly, "I'll see you later." She turned to
walk
away with Pikachu in her arms.
"Where are you going with my Pikachu?" Ash called after her.
"Pikachu,
get away from her."
"Pi," Pikachu sighed, then unhappily obeyed his master's command.
He
jumped from Misty's arms and into Ash's lap.
Misty left the room and went to find Brock.
"Can't you just try to talk to him?" Misty asked. "He won't listen
to me."
Brock shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, Misty. I've tried. I've
been
trying for months. He isn't buying anything. Maybe we should just
leave him
alone. He has a right to be upset and everything. Maybe we should
just give
him time to think."
"You're not taking Ash's side, are you?" Misty accused.
Brock was clearly frustrated. "I'm not on his side. I'm not on
your's
either. I'm just trying to stay out of this mess. I want to be
friends with
both of you, not enemies."
Misty nodded and said, "I can't blame you, I guess, but everything
would
be so much easier if Ash wasn't making it so difficult."
Over the next few days, life struggled on for Ash, Misty, Brock and
Pikachu. Ash wouldn't go near Misty, and if he had to he never made
eye
contact. Misty tried talking to him, but he never listened. Brock and
Pikachu ran around between the two of them so they could still be with
each
of them. The days melted into weeks.
Ash walked into the bedroom that he still shared with Brock and
Misty.
He had complained to Brock to get a separate room for Misty, but Brock
refused to unless he was willing to pay the extra rent.
He walked to his side of the room to get something from his bag
when he
heard the door slam behind him. He whirled around and saw Misty
grinning
slyly at him. She locked the door and stood in front of it. "There!
Now
you HAVE to talk to me! I'm not letting you out of here until we work
this
out."
Ash rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed. "Fine. I'll wait it
out."
He stared at the wall and crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Ash, I don't know why you're so upset about your dad. It's not
like you
knew him or anything," Misty told him gently.
Ash couldn't keep up his silence. "I don't get it. You were upset
about
Dad killing your parents, but you expect me to forgive you for killing
my
dad?"
"This is a different situation! I didn't even know it was your
dad!"
Misty protested.
"That doesn't change the fact that you killed him!" Ash shouted
back.
"You ought to be apologizing instead of nagging me!"
"Apologizing?!" Misty exclaimed. "I'm not apologizing for
anything!
Giovanni would have killed me if I hadn't defended myself! I'm not
sorry
that I killed him!"
"How can you say that?" Ash shouted. "Think about how I feel! My
best
friend killed my father! Wouldn't that make you angry?"
Misty forgot her fury for a second. Her anger melted from her face
and
she looked at Ash hopefully. "...I'm your best friend?"
Ash's anger seemed to worsen. He said coldly, "You used to be.
Not
anymore. Never again."
Each syllable of Ash's statement seemed like a slap in Misty's
face. She
fought back her tears and said flatly, "Fine. If that's the way you
want to
handle this, fine. Two can play at your stupid game. I'm never
speaking to
you again!"
"Same goes for me!" Ash shot back.
Misty stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
Brock noticed Misty pacing angrily in the lobby when he entered the
room.
"Oh no, what happened now?" he asked.
"He is SO stubborn!" Misty exploded. "All he thinks about is
himself.
He doesn't care about how I feel. He only cares about his stupid
father. He
thinks I should be upset and sorry. I'm not! If he'd take a look
around
him, he'd notice that he's not the only person on Earth!"
Brock smiled. "Feel better?"
Misty crossed her arms. "No. I thought that if I give him some
time,
he'd come around. But it's only gotten worse. I'm not going to keep
after
him like I really care about what happens with us. I give up."
"Try to be a little understanding. I mean, you were upset when you
lost
your parents, right? Ash deserves to be angry about his dad," Brock
said
gently.
"But he hardly even knew him!" Misty exclaimed.
Brock cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I promised Ash
I'd go
to the Poke Mart with him to get some supplies. I'll see you around."
"Oh, don't go!" Misty protested. "Stay here with me. I don't want
to be
alone, and there's no way I'm going you and Ash."
Brock sighed. "Misty, I still want to be your friend, but you have
to
realize that I'm still friends with Ash too. If you can't compromise
with
him and be together, than I have you be with you two separatly."
"Okay, I understand. I'll see you later," Misty replied glumly.
Brock smiled. "Thanks for being such a good sport."
Brock, Ash and Pikachu walked together in silence. Brock wanted to
use
this time to talk to Ash, but he had trouble coming up with something
to say.
"So...um, when do you think we should leave on our journey again?"
"I don't care when, as long as SHE doesn't come with us," Ash
replied.
"You mean Misty?" Brock asked.
"Duh."
"You know, Ash..." Brock started to say. He paused to come up with
the
right words. "Did you ever think that maybe you're being a bit too
stubborn
with this whole thing? Misty is trying hard to make things right, but
you
won't let her."
"Not anymore. She's not talking to me, and I'm not talking to
her," Ash
told him.
"You can't do that!" Brock exclaimed.
"Why not?"
"Because...well, you can't!"
"Things aren't the same anymore. They never will be," Ash said.
"Don't you wish they were, though?" Brock asked.
"No. Why are you always on my case about Misty? Why don't you
just
forget about her like I did?" Ash asked.
"Because," Brock answered, "I'm not as cold-hearted as you've been
acting
lately. I want things to be the way they were."
"Forget it, Brock. I'm not apologizing to Misty, and Misty better
not
come close enough to me to say she's sorry," Ash said stubbornly.
"Pika pi," Pikachu said with a sad look on his face.
"No Pikachu. I'm never talking to Misty again, and nothing you or
Brock
say can change my mind."
That evening, Brock sat in one of the hallways of the Pokemon
Center
reading a magazine. Misty sat in a chair nearby leafing through a
catologue
of Pokemon stuff.
Ash walked in, then stopped when he saw Misty. Misty looked up at
him
and stared at him coldly. He decided to just ignore her presence. He
picked
up a magazine from the table and began to read.
Misty thought, "Who does Ash think he is, coming in here like he
owns the
place and just sitting down with us? I'm sitting with Brock now. Ash
can
have his turn later."
Ash thought, "She's been hogging Brock all evening. I hope she
leaves
for bed soon. I wish she'd just disappear for good."
Brock tried to concentrate on his reading, but found it impossible.
You
could cut the tension in the room with a knife.
Ash and Misty both looked at each other. They began a stare-down
contest. Ash could vaguely remember when he and Misty used to have
these
contests for fun. They'd glare into each other's eyes, trying not to
blink.
Ash always lost; he'd burst out laughing after a few seconds.
This was different. Misty stared at Ash so hard, she swore she
could
pierce through him. She wished she could. She refused to blink as she
squinted her eyes slightly.
Brock coughed purposly. Ash and Misty both jumped and looked at
Brock,
who shrugged at them as if to say, "What? It was just a cough."
Ash stood up silently and walked away. Misty had won.
Brock looked at Misty and said, "This is getting rediculous."
"Tell me about it," she replied. "I don't want to be angry
anymore. I
want things to go back to normal."
"Maybe you should apologize to him," Brock said. "I know
apologizing
would be like sacrificing your dignity, but maybe that's what you need
to end
this."
"You're right. I'm putting a stop to this. Tonight," Misty
declared.
"I'm proud of you, Misty," Brock told his friend with a smile.
"It's
very chivalrus of you. Good luck."
"I'll need it," she answered as she headed out to find Ash.
Ash sank onto the couch in the lobby. Pikachu jumped onto his lap
and
grinned. Pikachu was always trying to make Ash happy; he was hurt
because
Ash never smiled anymore. He jumped up and down, trying to force a
smile
out of his friend.
"Go away," Ash mumbled as he gently pushed Pikachu off his lap.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said, clearly offended. Ash acted like he
didn't hear
him.
"Um...Ash?" a meek voice asked. Ash looked up to see Misty,
standing
with her hands behind her back and her head looking down.
Misty's confidence rose a bit. She stood up straight and looked
him in
the eye, saying boldly, "We need to talk, Ash."
Ash said crossly, "You do realize I left that hallway just now to
get
away from you, right?"
"Don't walk away Ash. Hear me out," Misty demanded.
Ash stood up and said, "See how long you can hold my interest."
Misty took a deep breath and spilled out everything on her mind.
"Ash, I
know that you're still really upset with me. I understand why and I
don't
blame you. I don't know exactly what you want from me, so all I can
offer
you is this: Ash, I'm sorry I killed your father. I wasn't thinking at
all,
but that doesn't give me any excuse. I can't justify what I've done.
I
deeply regret everything, and if I could go back in time I wouldn't
have done
it again. I'm begging you to forgive me. I just want to be friends
again.
I want everything to be the way it was before." Misty stopped talking
and
bit her lip, praying Ash would accept her apology.
There was silence for a moment as Ash took in everything Misty had
said.
He replied in a low voice, "You don't think an apology's just going to
change
what happened, do you?"
Misty cringed. He hadn't bought it. She became angry again.
"There's
nothing else I can do! I just gave you everything I could! Now I know
where
you get your mean stubborness from. It's from your father, the worst
man in
the world! You know what, Ash? I'm glad I killed him. More people in
the
world are happy he's gone than not."
Ash breathed deeply has he raised a fist.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead Ash. Hit me. That's probably
how
your father got started on his meaness when he was your age. He didn't
just
start murdering little girls' parents right away. He started off by
hurting
the people he was closest to. If you want to end up a heartless
barbarion
like him, than go ahead and hit me." Misty knew that if Ash had any
heart
left, he would listen to what she was saying and not hit her.
Hopefully he'd
fall into her trap of reverse psycology. "Your father was a cold,
heartless,
friendless, sick, terrible-"
WHACK! Ash's hand flew into Misty's cheek so hard that she
stumbled
backwards.
Misty held her hand to her cheek. She didn't think Ash would ever
go so
far as to hurt her. Her heart hurt more than her cheek. She glared at
him
and said in a sharp, fierce voice, "I was wrong about you, Ash. I
thought
that you'd come around eventually. I thought you weren't as heartless
as you
look. I thought that you could accept an honest apology. I thought
you
weren't like your father at all. I thought you would never stoop down
to his
level. I thought maybe we could save our friendship. I was wrong."
Ash tried to stare into Misty's eyes to intimidate her, but she was
right
and he knew it. They both held their ground for a few seconds, then
Ash was
forced to look down at the ground. A quiet gasping-like sound made him
look
back up just in time to see Misty run out of the lobby and up the
stairs,
wiping tears from her eyes and crying softly.
Ash was half amazed. "She's finally cracked," he said to Pikachu.