My mouth was agape, as I awed at the fact he was perfectly unharmed.
Confusion, and utter confusion. I just couldn't understand what was going on!
This had already happened, and now it was happening again! Did I get another
chance? That was defiantly what it appeared to be. This time would be different,
but unfortunately that meant it had to be the same as the first time, the very
first time. The beginning would have to be the same, Ash would have to find out
a little bit, but not all.
"Ok Ash, I'll race you there!"
Brocks voice was cut short but the gun shot. It was sounding all too familiar,
almost just like it was part of the scenery, no different than a Spearow's cry.
That distinct sound of a last breath, you can always tell by the sorrowful
screech it leaves in your head. Almost screaming "And there will be no
more." Then there's the falling, the thud of a lifeless form against the
living ground. I could never bear to watch.
"Misty...he..he's....dead."
"Ash, we have to get out of here!"
"We don't stand a chance! Don't you see that? Even if we did find them they
have guns and we don't!"
"Well then what do you propose we do? Just stay here in the forest and hide
forever? Never knowing anything or getting any answers?"
We were both lying down but propping ourselves up with our hands. Oh if only Ash
knew what the future was! If only he could see that knowing nothing WAS really
the best! I knew he was too stubborn to convince now, when he had just witnessed
everything and was enraged. So I neutralized the situation.
"Lets just stay here awhile. We can think about it and get a plan, this
isn't anything to mess with!"
With that his voice softened, he turned away with his head down.
"I thought I knew you better Misty, I thought you would want to get back at
whoever did this. But I see you're just a coward."
Oh that hurt, especially coming from him. I really hadn't been this way, I had
been just as fiery as he had been, maybe more. HE had actually been the one to
come up with the idea to wait, and settle down, but that had been after another
attack.
I turned my head. His back was towards me, and his right hand drifted against
his face then returned. Wiping tears probably. Ash had a lot to cry about;
Pikachu, first Pokemon and ever faithful friend. He trusted Pikachu, Pikachu
trusted him. There were no secrets. Brock, the brotherly figure. Advised,
directed, and taught. And now me, acting totally out of character. I was making
this harder.
I saw his head turn at my voice. Bloodshot eyes met mine.
"I said 'I'm sorry.'"
With a shaky voice, and through clenched teeth he replied, "I heard what
you said."
This was definitely wrong, he looked.....furious. So I moved a little closer,
slithering in my sleeping bag.
"What's the matter?"
His eyes narrowed and gleamed glassy like a cobra, "I want revenge
Misty."
It had happened so fast, he had cried already, drenching the ground below to a
soggy state. But now it was anger, a great hatred towards those who had brought
all the suffering upon him. And who could blame him? I had felt the same way;
the two of us had harnessed it, and controlled it, together. But I cannot act that
way now! Is it required that I act? I can't burst out in tears, I can't fake a
rage. I'm only human: Unable to call upon these great inner emotions at
will.
Finally a response, he turned his head slightly to stare monotonously at me,
"But I want it now. I want to track them down and assault them with my bare
fists."
I ran my tongue across dry lips, "You wouldn't get revenge by killing
yourself." He didn't respond, so I kept going, "They're sure to come
back, so why don't we be ready? A plan to find out who they are, exactly."
Or I could just tell you Ash, but......that wouldn't be fair, and you wouldn't
want to know.
His head moved in a gentle nod, "I think I have an idea...."
"Didn't you hear that voice?" I whispered back, but immediately felt
stupid. It had been Ash. But he laughed and cleared it up in the open,
"That was only me." What a relief the sound of his normal voice was,
and the sound of laughter again. He just sounded so different when he was
serious, almost like someone else I had known not too long ago. The image of him
was almost clear in my memory when Ash spoke again, snapping me back to reality.
"I really do have it Misty."
There was a pause, as he closed
his eyes and clenched his jaw. "I have to get them myself. So I've decided
that we should stay here. My Pokemon could help us build a small house,
and.....and I will learn to fight."
How do you respond to such a determined, well, command? I suddenly realized at
how little I'd done to change anything, because this was almost exactly what had
happened the first time. But, what could I do? Now was not the time to rack my
brain for ideas though. "I...well...if you think that's the only
way..?"
"It may not be the only way, but it's the only path I'm going to
follow."
There was pure determination gushing through his veins, I could sense it by the
look in his eyes. He always got that whole intimidating aura around him whenever
he was about to battle. Even though this wasn't involving Pokemon it was a
battle non-the-less. Everything around me seemed to turn yet a shade darker of
black. Oh how I was beginning to loathe the night. It
gave me time to think, and time to worry, and time to wonder what I could've,
should've, or might've had. The night just lasted too long.
I thought I saw a trace of a smile before he sat down in the chair beside my
bed, so I sat up too and smiled back. Apparently I looked as silly as I felt
because he raised an eyebrow in puzzlement and asked, "Uh, are you sure you
know who I am?"
"Sure! You're Ash Ketchum, from the town of pallet.." I started to
recite his own speech but my voice suddenly began to grow softer. It was
lowering in the same speed that my eyes were clearing. The speech had become an
indecipherable whisper when I suddenly stopped and gasped. Apparently I also
inhaled some saliva in the process because I started coughing
uncontrollably. He quickly stood up and patted my back inquiring, "Are you
okay?" The shock of his touch caused me to scoot away like an abused puppy,
"You're.....you're....real?" Tears were coming down my cheeks, but I
wasn't crying; the coughing had caused my eyes to water.
"Did you think I was a ghost?" His voice was certainly real; I
shivered.
"Yes! I......well, you were dead. Weren't you?"
"Not quite." He took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long
explanation, so I made myself more comfortable by moving into a cross-legged
position and adjusting the sleeping bag over my bare legs.
"I'm not exactly sure myself, but I have a guess. I was dying when you went
back - but....I wasn't dead."
He looked like he was about to continue, but I'd heard all I needed to hear. I
could feel tears of joy coming on as I rushed to hug him, whispering into his
chest, "Ash....you're alive!"
It must've looked weird: A girl hugging a full grown man. But I didn't care; it
was still him, and I was still me.
I was enjoying his unique feeling again, totally absorbed in unexpected
happiness, when it hit me that he wasn't hugging back. He actually felt quite rigid;
almost like I was in the wrong. Just as I was pondering, I felt his hands rest
carefully on my shoulders; but nothing else changed.
"What's wrong?" I asked, gazing way up at him. I could see he was
upset and almost guilty. He pushed me back so that I sat on the bed, and he
again sat in the chair. Yet he didn't answer, he merely looked away and closed
his eyes. So I asked again, "Why do you seem so sad? This is wonderful! Now
we can work together, and-"
"NO!" His head had turned so quickly black hair was completely
covering one eye, but the remaining one felt like it was looking right through
me.
"But why?"
"Don't you see? I'm not alive, I'm just not dead! And what about the other
Ash? What will happen to him if we run off to destroy what he doesn't even know
about?"
He wasn't making sense, not alive?? Why couldn't we run off and destroy
our enemies?
"Then just what should we do?"
The chair squeaked as he scooted it towards me, then it appeared he changed his
mind because he moved it back.
"That's why I came in the first place. It would be best if you stayed
here...with Ash. You can live here you know, and you'll be happy, and be able to
live out your life as close to normal as possible. If you're careful, you can
make sure he doesn't learn anything."
I couldn't believe what he was saying, stay here? Permanently??
"What do you mean, stay....forever?"
The conversation became softer, and reverent, compared to the almost
heated argument before. And his reply was close to a whisper, "Yes. And
you'll need to tell him..." The last part seemed hard to say; it looked
like he cringed.
"Tell him? Tell him what?"
"How you feel about him..."
I replied almost instantly, "But-" and he interrupted quickly, "I
know there was something between us then. And, and I'd have loved to hear you tell
me..."
And that brought us both into a deep uncomfortable silence, not to mention a
tension growing between us that I'd never felt before. I started biting the edge
of my bottom lip; everything was just too unbearable, and sudden. Finally, I
broke the sickening silence, "What about you?"
"I'll be around. Don't worry about me." Tons of questions arose at
that, but one seemed to stick out; one that still hadn't been answered.
"How exactly are you not alive, yet here?"
And I saw a smile, finally. It was one that made me melt.
"I'm not sure exactly, I'm not sure about anything anymore. But I figure
I'm like an object: I'm here, but you wouldn't call me alive."
It took awhile for me to process it, but I just nodded in response.
"You should get some sleep." Ash stood up and looked down at me with
the caring eyes I knew. "Just......tell him tomorrow."
I was silent as he walked out and latched the door. It was like someone had just
dumped ice cold water on me and I hadn't gotten past the shock. And for some
reason it didn't seem right to tell the other Ash that I loved him. I did,
didn't I? My mind was just too set on the Ash that had walked out my door....
Get real girl, it's not that simple. The door creaked a little as it opened and
Ash came walking in. He looked rather disheveled as he seated himself across
from me and popped a few berries into his mouth. I stared at him a bit,
pondering yet again.
"Well, the walls are all water tight now."
It took me a couple blinks to drag myself out of a partial trance, "That's
good."
"Yea."
Apparently he too was only halfway in reality. I snatched the final berry and
swallowed. Good thing I did too, because Ash suddenly stood up, which would've
caused me to choke if something had been in my mouth.
"We're learning to fight now Misty."
And my body was hauled out the door.
We were standing, face to face. I didn't want to, but I knew that he'd
eventually make me. No use in wasting energy, right?
I threw a punch with my right directly at his left shoulder. Ash made no effort
to block, so he absorbed all the shock. I was probably in more pain then him
though, my now scrawny arms and muscles weren't used to this foreign force. Yet
my mind knew more punches, jabs, and blocks, than I could list, or at least
attempt to. My fighting skills weren't exactly what you'd call 'normal', since I
never learned from someone who actually knew how.
This time I struck with my left, the weaker of my hands, aiming directly under
the collar bone. But, unexpectedly, my fist met his hand. He'd moved it in front
of the blow, but the momentum dragged his palm back so it was sandwiched between
my fist and his chest. We then both stepped away from each other, and Ash shook
his hand a bit.
"Keep going, I have to learn."
"Are you okay?"
Ash shook my body a bit, latching his hands around my shoulders.
"Never been better."
I snaked my hand entirely around his neck; encircling it. And I could feel his
palms moving closer together. It seemed that I stood there forever, waiting. I
knew he'd eventually give in, but I never expected it to take this long. 'But
he's young', I reasoned, suddenly feeling out of place. Yet then he moved down,
capturing my lips. He was cautious, so I returned the kiss gently, trying to
savor the moment. But for some reason my mind kept me at bay, constantly
thinking, planning.
Ash then pulled away, and I smiled at him contentedly.
"We'll get revenge Misty, there's no doubt in my mind now."
An awkward smile crossed his lips before he quickly placed them on mine. It was
a short kiss, because he pulled away almost immediately after and ran out the
door. I could tell he was happy though, he was acting like a little kid in a toy
store, or a 10 year old who just got his first Pokemon.
"So that's where you were. Why...why did you come?"
But I instantly regretted it. His head turned and full eyes narrowed at me. I
could see fear, guilt, tiredness, and hate concentrating in those eyes. How
could he always managed to get so much emotion into them?
Reprimanding, firm, and....did I catch a trace of sorrow?
Thank-You to Nintendo and Game Freak for letting me use their characters (even
though they don't know it).
All original Pokemon characters, etc. are © Nintendo and Game Freak, not me!
