"Misty." Delia called. "Dinner's ready."
"Be down in a minute." She called back.
Misty lapsed into silence, mentally calling out her prayer that had become her routine before leaving the room. 'Please Ash. Come back to me."
She followed the trio of Pokèmon that had become her 'watchers' downstairs and gave Delia a smile before sitting down.
"Misty dear." Delia said as they began eating. "I know you wish to stay here and wait for Ash to return, but you can't become a Shellder of yourself waiting. Ash wouldn't want that."
She paused when Misty looked up. "I know." The girl answered.
"You should get out and live life." Delia continued. "I hear Pewter is having a dance in a few weeks, you should go."
Misty began to shake her head no until she met Delia's eyes. "Alright. I'll go." She sighed.
****
Delia had really gone all out getting her prepared for the dance. She had made Misty sit in front of a mirror for half an hour as she put on and took off makeup, looking for the right look. Misty had chosen to wear her normal, pale blue t-shirt and had her hair up in its normal ponytail, though her hair nearly reached the middle of her back when left it down. She had chosen a skirt of a slightly darker blue color that reached to her knees and she had to admit to Delia that the makeup actually did make her look alive.
Delia and May had used her as leverage to convince Duplica to come as well and now Misty was waiting for the two to finish preparing.
Duplica and Misty were silent for most of the trip as May drove and sang over the radio. Misty made a mental note to compliment her singing if she ever heard found a chance.
**
The three girls split as they entered. Misty and Duplica headed to tables in opposite corners of the room, while May headed straight to the dance floor.
Misty sat at an empty table and looked about. Delia had told her, in no uncertain terms, that she was ordered to have at least one dance while she was there, so she searched for an interesting figure. Her eye quickly noticed a familiar shape and she jumped as her mind fitted the shape to a person she had known.
"Todd?" She called, surprising herself when he turned.
"Misty." He answered excitedly. "What are you doing here? Where's Ash?" When he saw Misty's expression, he immediately lowered his mood to fit. "They're still not back." He answered, not even considering the alternative.
"I'm here because Ash's mom convinced me to come." She answered his first question. "Duplica and May are out there too."
"Well. Since you're here, and I would guess Ash's mom wants you to interact, would you dance with me?" He asked.
Misty nodded and followed him out onto the dance floor. As they danced, Misty caught sight of May dancing with who she thought was Drake.
She was surprised when a slower song came on and Todd asked if she wanted to continue. She nodded and smiled as he placed his hands on the small of her back.
She thought that she could imagine it was Ash she was dancing with, but she quickly pushed that idea away. This was Todd, a friend. He wasn't Ash, and she couldn't place someone who wasn't there in someone else's place.
She just enjoyed dancing for a few songs. Todd was a better dancer than Ash was, she noticed with a smile. He held her close enough so as not to draw stares but distanced enough to let her know he wouldn't dream of trying to take Ash's place in her heart. This actually made her more at ease and moved closer to him.
He was surprised as she placed her head on her shoulder when a new song started and nearly pulled away, but noticed her comfort and when she looked at him, he could tell he was only helping her to return to life.
She paused for a second as she recognized the next song. Her and Ash's. She nearly pulled away but Todd's hold was only friendly in its comfort, so she settled back and allowed her mind to drift as he moved her softly to the music.
Her mind drifted back to the championship dance when Ash had sung this song to her. She could even hear him singing it.
As the last line repeated, she lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled and he smiled back. "I'm all about you." She sang with him. She surprised even herself when she leaned up and kissed him. "I love you Ash." She whispered as they broke off.
As she opened her eyes again, the dream fell away. Todd stood there, expression halfway between happiness and shock. She immediately pulled away fully and led him back to the table they had met at. "Todd. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She blurted until he cupped her arm with his hand.
"I know." He answered dreamily.
She jumped back when he leaned forward as if to kiss her again. "Todd." She hissed.
He broke out of whatever trance he was in and shook his head. "Misty." He gaped for a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He said, repeating her earlier words, but with a bit of unwillingness hung to them.
She returned to the table and began to cry into her arms. Todd placed a hand on her exposed cheek and she looked up. The two communicated through their eyes for a moment before Misty turned to listen to the lyrics of the playing song.
_____________________
Is he gonna stand by your side?
Does the man even know you're alive?
I got an idea
Why don't you be my girlfriend
__________________
"No!" Misty yelled, voice carrying over the music. The entire room stopped and grew silent other than the music as she ran from them.
****
"Misty." Duplica called.
"Where are you?" May added. Both girls had set out almost immediately once their friend had run from the room.
"Come on Misty. Todd said he was sorry." Duplica called.
"I'm over here." Misty answered. Her friends hurried over to the sound and quickly sat down beside her. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"It's not your fault he did that." Duplica answered.
Misty paused and looked her friend in the eyes. "Yes. It was. I kissed him first." She whimpered and dropped her head to her knees.
May looked to Duplica in astonishment. "What?" She asked quietly.
"I kissed him first." Misty repeated. "When they played, 'I'm all about you' I kissed him. I was daydreaming and I saw Ash." She stopped and cried again.
May and Duplica moved beside her and hugged her together. They sat there, huddled in a group while Misty cried for a bit.
"When you're ready, we'll leave. Ok Misty?" May suggested.
Misty lifted her head and gave a watery smile. "Thanks." She answered. "But you can enjoy yourselves in there. Don't let me get you down."
"Uh uh. We're all missing someone who left on that trip." May said with a smile. "I may be the least affected, but I'm not going to have fun while you are down. We're all in this together."
Misty looked to Duplica and smiled. "Thanks you two. I feel better. Let's go." She said and stood.
******
"Can I stay here?" Misty asked as the girls pulled up at the laboratory.
"Right. We don't want Delia to ask how the dance went." May answered.
The girl's moods had greatly improved during the ride, Duplica and Misty even adding their voices to the chorus of songs May played. Once, 'Girlfriend' started and May flipped the channels so quickly that the girls had to pause and listen to the song before starting up again.
They gathered in May's room and spent the night giggling about all the men each of them had seen.
**************
James smiled when the team exited another base. "Not there either?" He asked upon seeing their disappointed faces.
"No." Brock answered. "Onix, go." He said as he dropped the ball to the ground. Jasmine took over demolition as the others watched.
"I really wish we could help, but even if we were told, the boss could have moved again." Jessie offered.
"We know Jessie." Misty answered caringly. The two had grown close the few weeks they had been together and would often leave the campground to talk together.
Koga had warned against doing that, thinking Jessie was laying a trap, but Ash destroyed that argument by saying 'the only traps they set are pits. They're almost as good as most non-ground type Pokèmon.' This had been answered with a round of laughter.
"Hey, what's happening to Onix?" Falkner asked.
They all turned to see Onix glowing. "He's evolving." Jasmine answered.
"But don't Pokèmon stop moving when they evolve?" Ash asked.
"Yea, and it's usually shorter than this. I don't think he is evolving." Lance spoke.
"Onix, stop." Brock called. Onix stopped mid dive and turned to his master.
"He's not evolving, he's reflecting the sun." Gary called.
As everyone could eventually see, Gary was right. Onix was reflecting the sunlight from every angle.
Brock stepped beside the snake. "Onix has become real onyx." He informed the group. "His body has taken so much pressure from taking these buildings down that his rock changed. Ok, Onix do you want to stay out and finish?" He asked. Onix barely gave him time to step away before he tunneled back underground.
"I've never seen an onyx Onix before. Congratulations Brock." Bruno said.
"Thanks." The younger man answered and turned to watch his Onix continue the demolition.
************
"No one get up when you finish." Lance ordered during breakfast. "There's a base not to far from here and we need to plan. But we need to try to figure out these nightmares."
Everyone nodded and finished quickly. "First off, can anyone see a pattern in the appearances of the dream?" He asked.
"No, the only thing that's constant is that it happens almost every night, but there's no telling who it'll strike next." Koga answered him.
"I'm the only one it hasn't struck." Ash nearly whispered.
Lt. Surge stood and pointed at Ash. "You're the one causing these things, aren't you?" He accused.
"No, why would I do this to my friends? And why would I do it to Rikka first. She was my girlfriend before we had to leave on this trip." Ash answered.
"Hey, calm down." Will ordered them both. "Both Sabrina and I have stayed up on nights that someone had the nightmare. There was a connection to something alive, but whoever it was wasn't in the camp."
"Who was it then?" Chuck yelled.
"I don't know." Will yelled back before Lance and Bruno forced them to sit and clam down. "Neither of us was able to track it all the way back before the person woke up."
"Then next time, we should leave whoever it is alone?" Falkner asked.
"No." Sabrina answered. "The reason we can't track it is because they've set up a wall we can't get past. More time wouldn't help much."
"So, what are we going to do?" James asked.
"We can't really do anything except try to figure it out like this." Sabrina responded.
Everyone sighed. "Then let's gather the clues we do have." Suggested Bugsy.
"Ok, everyone but Ash has had them." Lance offered.
"It was the girls first. I wonder why." Karen added.
"Girls are more into mushy stuff, they're more likely to react." Ash told her. "The real question about that is why did it start affecting the guys too."
"And why only Gary and I can recognize the other person." Brock pointed out.
"For both of you, it was someone you cared about, and she seemed to care about you." Koga commented. "But those that are married can't tell that it's them."
"The only reason I can see for that is if the 'thing' had seen Duplica and Suzy, but hadn't seen the others." Whitney suggested.
"Maybe." Lance answered. "Then there's only the question of 'why doesn't it come to you, Ash'"
"I wish I knew." Ash told them. "I'd almost wish I had them too."
_______________________________
Sorry about posting this later than usual. I wanted to add another 'nighmare' scene since you seemed so interested in it.
I wanted to create a slight sense of mystery around it that will continue until I give the answer in a coming chapter.
I'm beginning to write another story and I need characters, which I would like you guys to be. E-mail me if you're interested and I'll send you a doc. I created of info I need to even add you to the list. Then I would like it if we could have some way to communicate since your character will be you as much as I can make them.
Have I kept you in suspence long enough? The next chapter will answer the question of 'which Misty?' With a single song and if you don't pick up the answer from that, by the end you will know.
Disclaimer: See Author Profile
"Be down in a minute." She called back.
Misty lapsed into silence, mentally calling out her prayer that had become her routine before leaving the room. 'Please Ash. Come back to me."
She followed the trio of Pokèmon that had become her 'watchers' downstairs and gave Delia a smile before sitting down.
"Misty dear." Delia said as they began eating. "I know you wish to stay here and wait for Ash to return, but you can't become a Shellder of yourself waiting. Ash wouldn't want that."
She paused when Misty looked up. "I know." The girl answered.
"You should get out and live life." Delia continued. "I hear Pewter is having a dance in a few weeks, you should go."
Misty began to shake her head no until she met Delia's eyes. "Alright. I'll go." She sighed.
****
Delia had really gone all out getting her prepared for the dance. She had made Misty sit in front of a mirror for half an hour as she put on and took off makeup, looking for the right look. Misty had chosen to wear her normal, pale blue t-shirt and had her hair up in its normal ponytail, though her hair nearly reached the middle of her back when left it down. She had chosen a skirt of a slightly darker blue color that reached to her knees and she had to admit to Delia that the makeup actually did make her look alive.
Delia and May had used her as leverage to convince Duplica to come as well and now Misty was waiting for the two to finish preparing.
Duplica and Misty were silent for most of the trip as May drove and sang over the radio. Misty made a mental note to compliment her singing if she ever heard found a chance.
**
The three girls split as they entered. Misty and Duplica headed to tables in opposite corners of the room, while May headed straight to the dance floor.
Misty sat at an empty table and looked about. Delia had told her, in no uncertain terms, that she was ordered to have at least one dance while she was there, so she searched for an interesting figure. Her eye quickly noticed a familiar shape and she jumped as her mind fitted the shape to a person she had known.
"Todd?" She called, surprising herself when he turned.
"Misty." He answered excitedly. "What are you doing here? Where's Ash?" When he saw Misty's expression, he immediately lowered his mood to fit. "They're still not back." He answered, not even considering the alternative.
"I'm here because Ash's mom convinced me to come." She answered his first question. "Duplica and May are out there too."
"Well. Since you're here, and I would guess Ash's mom wants you to interact, would you dance with me?" He asked.
Misty nodded and followed him out onto the dance floor. As they danced, Misty caught sight of May dancing with who she thought was Drake.
She was surprised when a slower song came on and Todd asked if she wanted to continue. She nodded and smiled as he placed his hands on the small of her back.
She thought that she could imagine it was Ash she was dancing with, but she quickly pushed that idea away. This was Todd, a friend. He wasn't Ash, and she couldn't place someone who wasn't there in someone else's place.
She just enjoyed dancing for a few songs. Todd was a better dancer than Ash was, she noticed with a smile. He held her close enough so as not to draw stares but distanced enough to let her know he wouldn't dream of trying to take Ash's place in her heart. This actually made her more at ease and moved closer to him.
He was surprised as she placed her head on her shoulder when a new song started and nearly pulled away, but noticed her comfort and when she looked at him, he could tell he was only helping her to return to life.
She paused for a second as she recognized the next song. Her and Ash's. She nearly pulled away but Todd's hold was only friendly in its comfort, so she settled back and allowed her mind to drift as he moved her softly to the music.
Her mind drifted back to the championship dance when Ash had sung this song to her. She could even hear him singing it.
As the last line repeated, she lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled and he smiled back. "I'm all about you." She sang with him. She surprised even herself when she leaned up and kissed him. "I love you Ash." She whispered as they broke off.
As she opened her eyes again, the dream fell away. Todd stood there, expression halfway between happiness and shock. She immediately pulled away fully and led him back to the table they had met at. "Todd. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She blurted until he cupped her arm with his hand.
"I know." He answered dreamily.
She jumped back when he leaned forward as if to kiss her again. "Todd." She hissed.
He broke out of whatever trance he was in and shook his head. "Misty." He gaped for a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He said, repeating her earlier words, but with a bit of unwillingness hung to them.
She returned to the table and began to cry into her arms. Todd placed a hand on her exposed cheek and she looked up. The two communicated through their eyes for a moment before Misty turned to listen to the lyrics of the playing song.
_____________________
Is he gonna stand by your side?
Does the man even know you're alive?
I got an idea
Why don't you be my girlfriend
__________________
"No!" Misty yelled, voice carrying over the music. The entire room stopped and grew silent other than the music as she ran from them.
****
"Misty." Duplica called.
"Where are you?" May added. Both girls had set out almost immediately once their friend had run from the room.
"Come on Misty. Todd said he was sorry." Duplica called.
"I'm over here." Misty answered. Her friends hurried over to the sound and quickly sat down beside her. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"It's not your fault he did that." Duplica answered.
Misty paused and looked her friend in the eyes. "Yes. It was. I kissed him first." She whimpered and dropped her head to her knees.
May looked to Duplica in astonishment. "What?" She asked quietly.
"I kissed him first." Misty repeated. "When they played, 'I'm all about you' I kissed him. I was daydreaming and I saw Ash." She stopped and cried again.
May and Duplica moved beside her and hugged her together. They sat there, huddled in a group while Misty cried for a bit.
"When you're ready, we'll leave. Ok Misty?" May suggested.
Misty lifted her head and gave a watery smile. "Thanks." She answered. "But you can enjoy yourselves in there. Don't let me get you down."
"Uh uh. We're all missing someone who left on that trip." May said with a smile. "I may be the least affected, but I'm not going to have fun while you are down. We're all in this together."
Misty looked to Duplica and smiled. "Thanks you two. I feel better. Let's go." She said and stood.
******
"Can I stay here?" Misty asked as the girls pulled up at the laboratory.
"Right. We don't want Delia to ask how the dance went." May answered.
The girl's moods had greatly improved during the ride, Duplica and Misty even adding their voices to the chorus of songs May played. Once, 'Girlfriend' started and May flipped the channels so quickly that the girls had to pause and listen to the song before starting up again.
They gathered in May's room and spent the night giggling about all the men each of them had seen.
**************
James smiled when the team exited another base. "Not there either?" He asked upon seeing their disappointed faces.
"No." Brock answered. "Onix, go." He said as he dropped the ball to the ground. Jasmine took over demolition as the others watched.
"I really wish we could help, but even if we were told, the boss could have moved again." Jessie offered.
"We know Jessie." Misty answered caringly. The two had grown close the few weeks they had been together and would often leave the campground to talk together.
Koga had warned against doing that, thinking Jessie was laying a trap, but Ash destroyed that argument by saying 'the only traps they set are pits. They're almost as good as most non-ground type Pokèmon.' This had been answered with a round of laughter.
"Hey, what's happening to Onix?" Falkner asked.
They all turned to see Onix glowing. "He's evolving." Jasmine answered.
"But don't Pokèmon stop moving when they evolve?" Ash asked.
"Yea, and it's usually shorter than this. I don't think he is evolving." Lance spoke.
"Onix, stop." Brock called. Onix stopped mid dive and turned to his master.
"He's not evolving, he's reflecting the sun." Gary called.
As everyone could eventually see, Gary was right. Onix was reflecting the sunlight from every angle.
Brock stepped beside the snake. "Onix has become real onyx." He informed the group. "His body has taken so much pressure from taking these buildings down that his rock changed. Ok, Onix do you want to stay out and finish?" He asked. Onix barely gave him time to step away before he tunneled back underground.
"I've never seen an onyx Onix before. Congratulations Brock." Bruno said.
"Thanks." The younger man answered and turned to watch his Onix continue the demolition.
************
"No one get up when you finish." Lance ordered during breakfast. "There's a base not to far from here and we need to plan. But we need to try to figure out these nightmares."
Everyone nodded and finished quickly. "First off, can anyone see a pattern in the appearances of the dream?" He asked.
"No, the only thing that's constant is that it happens almost every night, but there's no telling who it'll strike next." Koga answered him.
"I'm the only one it hasn't struck." Ash nearly whispered.
Lt. Surge stood and pointed at Ash. "You're the one causing these things, aren't you?" He accused.
"No, why would I do this to my friends? And why would I do it to Rikka first. She was my girlfriend before we had to leave on this trip." Ash answered.
"Hey, calm down." Will ordered them both. "Both Sabrina and I have stayed up on nights that someone had the nightmare. There was a connection to something alive, but whoever it was wasn't in the camp."
"Who was it then?" Chuck yelled.
"I don't know." Will yelled back before Lance and Bruno forced them to sit and clam down. "Neither of us was able to track it all the way back before the person woke up."
"Then next time, we should leave whoever it is alone?" Falkner asked.
"No." Sabrina answered. "The reason we can't track it is because they've set up a wall we can't get past. More time wouldn't help much."
"So, what are we going to do?" James asked.
"We can't really do anything except try to figure it out like this." Sabrina responded.
Everyone sighed. "Then let's gather the clues we do have." Suggested Bugsy.
"Ok, everyone but Ash has had them." Lance offered.
"It was the girls first. I wonder why." Karen added.
"Girls are more into mushy stuff, they're more likely to react." Ash told her. "The real question about that is why did it start affecting the guys too."
"And why only Gary and I can recognize the other person." Brock pointed out.
"For both of you, it was someone you cared about, and she seemed to care about you." Koga commented. "But those that are married can't tell that it's them."
"The only reason I can see for that is if the 'thing' had seen Duplica and Suzy, but hadn't seen the others." Whitney suggested.
"Maybe." Lance answered. "Then there's only the question of 'why doesn't it come to you, Ash'"
"I wish I knew." Ash told them. "I'd almost wish I had them too."
_______________________________
Sorry about posting this later than usual. I wanted to add another 'nighmare' scene since you seemed so interested in it.
I wanted to create a slight sense of mystery around it that will continue until I give the answer in a coming chapter.
I'm beginning to write another story and I need characters, which I would like you guys to be. E-mail me if you're interested and I'll send you a doc. I created of info I need to even add you to the list. Then I would like it if we could have some way to communicate since your character will be you as much as I can make them.
Have I kept you in suspence long enough? The next chapter will answer the question of 'which Misty?' With a single song and if you don't pick up the answer from that, by the end you will know.
Disclaimer: See Author Profile