Chapter Two: Tell Me
"Are you talking to yourself again Ash?" Brock yawned and stretched his long arms to their full length. The satisfying crack of his back
brought a smile to his face and a grimace to Ash's.
"Do you have to do that so loud?" Ash asked, walking over to Pikachu. Brock gave a small nod as well as a mighty yawn. Grabbing his bag
he saw Pikachu with the Pokéfood container, nearly empty.
"Hey Pikachu! Stop that!" Brock scrambled to his bag, wrenching it from the Pokémon's grasp. "At least save some for Ninetales!"
Brock had always loved his Vulpix dearly, but two or so years ago he came across a Fire Stone, accidentally evolving Vulpix by showing her it. Now she
was a Ninetales, and not as close to Brock anymore, so naturally he just made her the best food, hoping she'd warm up to him again.
"Don't be such a prude Brock." Picking up Pikachu, Ash returned to his sleeping bag, slowly stroking the Pokémon's head. Pikachu smiled and closed it's
eyes, giggling every time Ash did so. Brock raised an eyebrow and crawled over to Ash.
"What's the matter with you?" He asked, a slight edge to his voice. Ash chose to ignore him and redirect his attention to Pikachu. Puzzled by
Ash's sudden barrier, Brock paused before returning to his own sleeping bag.
Ash closed his eyes and allowed the weight of his head to drop onto his chest. Thoughts started to buzz around inside of his head and he couldn't
clear them, no matter how hard he tried. ::What am I doing? I'm letting the past screw up the future... never mind the present.:: He gave a heaving sigh as his mind traced
back to the former company of Tracey. At first he had liked him, thinking it'd be nice to have a trio instead of a duo. But as time passed, Misty's infatuation with Tracey
seemed too much to bare. It wasn't that he loved her, he was just protective of her, didn't want to see her hurt.
It must be love.
LOVE?!?!?
Exactly. I think you two are just scared to show your feelings.
Those words burned in Ash's mind everyday. Why did Tracey have to say that? Why? ::What did he ever know about feelings anyway, he never had any
when he hit on Misty, what about me? Me and Misty. It was him that said we were in love.:: Ash gave a small smirk. He was contradicting himself again. At one moment he said he
didn't love Misty, and on the contrary the next. The truth was, Ash didn't know how he felt about her. He was threatened by Tracey, especially when he secretly asked Misty to leave with him.
There was a stab of pain and envious rage in Ash's heart. Misty had told Ash about Tracey's proposition and that she was thinking of going, but she wanted his O.K. It was up to him to say if
she left him alone, or went with someone she obviously cared about.
He had said no, in a bit of jealousy and selfishness, not for a second did he think of what Misty wanted. Then Ash began to think, what if he let her go? ::Would she be happier?
Am I bogging her down?::
"Heh..." Ash huffed. What was he thinking? He was way over analyzing this situation, getting himself revved up for no reason. ::Just let it go. She's here now, with you.
Don't even think on Tracey anymore, you don't even have the slightest idea of where he is.:: And with that closing though Ash opened his eyes, only to meet with Misty's, giving him a bit of a jolt.
"Wake up sleepy-head! You were dozing." Misty giggled. Ash gave a weak smiled before standing up, forgetting that he was still holding onto Pikachu. "Oh Pikachu, stop squirming..."
Taking it, Misty allowed Pikachu to crawl up in her covers. "Aw, how cute." For a moment Ash thought Misty was going to compare him to Pikachu again, but she didn't, instead she walked over to Brock and poked him.
"Some mother you are, letting him doze off like that, you know all Ash is, is a big sleepy-head. He'd fall asleep right there."
"But uh..." Brock blinked, thinking of an answer, but let his mind have a rest as she just walked back over to her blankets without one. He couldn't put his finger on it, but
something was different about Misty today, as well as Ash. Furrowing his brow he stored the information for later use as he pulled out his clothes for the day.
The other two did the same; Ash: a black T-shirt, Jean jacket, jeans, and his old cap, and Misty: a pair of Jean shorts, a tank-top, and sandals. It was going to be a hot day,
and once again she'd be the only one who wasn't steaming. She looked over to Ash, seeing him mumbling to himself, herself only catching a couple words, but they sparked an interest.
"Why", "Tracey", "Misty", and "Me", were what she caught. With a sigh, she packed away her blankets, zipping up the bag, her key chains rattling. Ash looked over towards the noise,
seeing various picture frames, pictures of; Misty, him, Brock, Togetic, Pikachu, a group picture... and Tracey. He blinked and stared at the picture of Tracey, his arm around Misty,
both smiling. ::Just turn away Ash, just turn away.:: But he was too late, Misty had caught his stare.
"Ash?" Misty asked softly. He looked up and they met eyes, Ash's glare, and Misty's comforting gaze. "Is this about what happened with Tracey?"
Ash didn't answer, but just averted his eyes to Pikachu who was snoozing on Misty's bag because she had taken away the covers. "Ash, you can tell me."
At these words Ash looked at Misty and stayed silent for a bit before giving a small nod. ::There I said it..:: Then Ash smiled, and even
he didn't know why. But he suddenly felt happy, was it getting it off his chest, or was it that maybe he was finally hinting at Misty. Whatever it was, it made
Misty smile too, and even caused her to take off the key chain and throw it in the garbage can nearby.
"There. All better." With a giggle Misty gave a large smile at Ash, causing him to flush. "Was that it the entire time Ash?"
Getting nervous again, Ash scratched the back of his head.
"Well uh... I guess." He said. Of course that was it, but he didn't need to fully speak about his hatred for Tracey at the moment. With a small huff Ash shrugged.
"Thanks Misty."
Misty narrowed her eyes gently. "Your welcome." With that she stood up, grabbing her clothes. "Um, I'm gonna go get dressed now, 'kay?" Ash nodded with pink cheeks.
"Oh, okay." He watched her once again walk to the bathroom and disappear behind the door. He felt sort of weird now, never before had she told him she
was going anywhere, she usually just left. It sort of made him feel important. Laughing to himself, Ash walked over to the trash can and picked up the key chain.
::I'm making sure this thing is destroyed.:: His eyes wandered to the bathroom. Misty had let it go rather easy, maybe she still had feelings for him, even
though it was so long ago. ::I just don't know...:: He pocketed it and grabbed his clothes, making for the men's room.
Brock sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the ground, replaying what had just happened. Ash and Misty were in an in-depth conversation, and he had caught
Tracey's name in it. He gave a small smirk, crossing his arms. So after all this time Ash was still jealous, and Misty still had a crush on Tracey. It was that obvious. ::Hm, maybe I'm wrong.::
Leaving it at that the eldest of the trio picked up his own clothes and walked to the bathroom just as Misty came out.
"Hey Misty?" Brock asked. Misty stopped and looked at Brock showing he got her attention. "I don't mean to budge into your business but you can't just forget about Tracey like that."
"What do you mean Brock?" She asked, cocking her head slightly. "I still remember him." Brock just shrugged and walked in, leaving Misty at a cliff hanger. Misty paused and looked at
the ground for a moment before eyeing the trash can. "I really don't want to hurt Ash but..." Looking over her shoulder to make sure Ash wasn't coming out she walked over to the trash can looking for the key chain.
Ash walked out and stopped in his tracks, seeing Misty. Anger boiled inside of him, his hatred of Tracey growing even more, but now some of that anger transferred to Misty. Why was she
looking for that stupid key chain? Why did she still care about him? Then the anger subsided and turned into dejection. He wasn't as important anymore. Turning he went back into the bathroom letting his pajamas drop
to the ground. Ash leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes.
"I thought I could tell you."
(Well, now the story is sort of starting to develop, next chapter will really get into it. I hope it measures up to the first
chapter's standards, I really liked this chapter as well, involved Brock more. Once again, any critiques or comments are appreciated. J.R.C.)
"Are you talking to yourself again Ash?" Brock yawned and stretched his long arms to their full length. The satisfying crack of his back
brought a smile to his face and a grimace to Ash's.
"Do you have to do that so loud?" Ash asked, walking over to Pikachu. Brock gave a small nod as well as a mighty yawn. Grabbing his bag
he saw Pikachu with the Pokéfood container, nearly empty.
"Hey Pikachu! Stop that!" Brock scrambled to his bag, wrenching it from the Pokémon's grasp. "At least save some for Ninetales!"
Brock had always loved his Vulpix dearly, but two or so years ago he came across a Fire Stone, accidentally evolving Vulpix by showing her it. Now she
was a Ninetales, and not as close to Brock anymore, so naturally he just made her the best food, hoping she'd warm up to him again.
"Don't be such a prude Brock." Picking up Pikachu, Ash returned to his sleeping bag, slowly stroking the Pokémon's head. Pikachu smiled and closed it's
eyes, giggling every time Ash did so. Brock raised an eyebrow and crawled over to Ash.
"What's the matter with you?" He asked, a slight edge to his voice. Ash chose to ignore him and redirect his attention to Pikachu. Puzzled by
Ash's sudden barrier, Brock paused before returning to his own sleeping bag.
Ash closed his eyes and allowed the weight of his head to drop onto his chest. Thoughts started to buzz around inside of his head and he couldn't
clear them, no matter how hard he tried. ::What am I doing? I'm letting the past screw up the future... never mind the present.:: He gave a heaving sigh as his mind traced
back to the former company of Tracey. At first he had liked him, thinking it'd be nice to have a trio instead of a duo. But as time passed, Misty's infatuation with Tracey
seemed too much to bare. It wasn't that he loved her, he was just protective of her, didn't want to see her hurt.
It must be love.
LOVE?!?!?
Exactly. I think you two are just scared to show your feelings.
Those words burned in Ash's mind everyday. Why did Tracey have to say that? Why? ::What did he ever know about feelings anyway, he never had any
when he hit on Misty, what about me? Me and Misty. It was him that said we were in love.:: Ash gave a small smirk. He was contradicting himself again. At one moment he said he
didn't love Misty, and on the contrary the next. The truth was, Ash didn't know how he felt about her. He was threatened by Tracey, especially when he secretly asked Misty to leave with him.
There was a stab of pain and envious rage in Ash's heart. Misty had told Ash about Tracey's proposition and that she was thinking of going, but she wanted his O.K. It was up to him to say if
she left him alone, or went with someone she obviously cared about.
He had said no, in a bit of jealousy and selfishness, not for a second did he think of what Misty wanted. Then Ash began to think, what if he let her go? ::Would she be happier?
Am I bogging her down?::
"Heh..." Ash huffed. What was he thinking? He was way over analyzing this situation, getting himself revved up for no reason. ::Just let it go. She's here now, with you.
Don't even think on Tracey anymore, you don't even have the slightest idea of where he is.:: And with that closing though Ash opened his eyes, only to meet with Misty's, giving him a bit of a jolt.
"Wake up sleepy-head! You were dozing." Misty giggled. Ash gave a weak smiled before standing up, forgetting that he was still holding onto Pikachu. "Oh Pikachu, stop squirming..."
Taking it, Misty allowed Pikachu to crawl up in her covers. "Aw, how cute." For a moment Ash thought Misty was going to compare him to Pikachu again, but she didn't, instead she walked over to Brock and poked him.
"Some mother you are, letting him doze off like that, you know all Ash is, is a big sleepy-head. He'd fall asleep right there."
"But uh..." Brock blinked, thinking of an answer, but let his mind have a rest as she just walked back over to her blankets without one. He couldn't put his finger on it, but
something was different about Misty today, as well as Ash. Furrowing his brow he stored the information for later use as he pulled out his clothes for the day.
The other two did the same; Ash: a black T-shirt, Jean jacket, jeans, and his old cap, and Misty: a pair of Jean shorts, a tank-top, and sandals. It was going to be a hot day,
and once again she'd be the only one who wasn't steaming. She looked over to Ash, seeing him mumbling to himself, herself only catching a couple words, but they sparked an interest.
"Why", "Tracey", "Misty", and "Me", were what she caught. With a sigh, she packed away her blankets, zipping up the bag, her key chains rattling. Ash looked over towards the noise,
seeing various picture frames, pictures of; Misty, him, Brock, Togetic, Pikachu, a group picture... and Tracey. He blinked and stared at the picture of Tracey, his arm around Misty,
both smiling. ::Just turn away Ash, just turn away.:: But he was too late, Misty had caught his stare.
"Ash?" Misty asked softly. He looked up and they met eyes, Ash's glare, and Misty's comforting gaze. "Is this about what happened with Tracey?"
Ash didn't answer, but just averted his eyes to Pikachu who was snoozing on Misty's bag because she had taken away the covers. "Ash, you can tell me."
At these words Ash looked at Misty and stayed silent for a bit before giving a small nod. ::There I said it..:: Then Ash smiled, and even
he didn't know why. But he suddenly felt happy, was it getting it off his chest, or was it that maybe he was finally hinting at Misty. Whatever it was, it made
Misty smile too, and even caused her to take off the key chain and throw it in the garbage can nearby.
"There. All better." With a giggle Misty gave a large smile at Ash, causing him to flush. "Was that it the entire time Ash?"
Getting nervous again, Ash scratched the back of his head.
"Well uh... I guess." He said. Of course that was it, but he didn't need to fully speak about his hatred for Tracey at the moment. With a small huff Ash shrugged.
"Thanks Misty."
Misty narrowed her eyes gently. "Your welcome." With that she stood up, grabbing her clothes. "Um, I'm gonna go get dressed now, 'kay?" Ash nodded with pink cheeks.
"Oh, okay." He watched her once again walk to the bathroom and disappear behind the door. He felt sort of weird now, never before had she told him she
was going anywhere, she usually just left. It sort of made him feel important. Laughing to himself, Ash walked over to the trash can and picked up the key chain.
::I'm making sure this thing is destroyed.:: His eyes wandered to the bathroom. Misty had let it go rather easy, maybe she still had feelings for him, even
though it was so long ago. ::I just don't know...:: He pocketed it and grabbed his clothes, making for the men's room.
Brock sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the ground, replaying what had just happened. Ash and Misty were in an in-depth conversation, and he had caught
Tracey's name in it. He gave a small smirk, crossing his arms. So after all this time Ash was still jealous, and Misty still had a crush on Tracey. It was that obvious. ::Hm, maybe I'm wrong.::
Leaving it at that the eldest of the trio picked up his own clothes and walked to the bathroom just as Misty came out.
"Hey Misty?" Brock asked. Misty stopped and looked at Brock showing he got her attention. "I don't mean to budge into your business but you can't just forget about Tracey like that."
"What do you mean Brock?" She asked, cocking her head slightly. "I still remember him." Brock just shrugged and walked in, leaving Misty at a cliff hanger. Misty paused and looked at
the ground for a moment before eyeing the trash can. "I really don't want to hurt Ash but..." Looking over her shoulder to make sure Ash wasn't coming out she walked over to the trash can looking for the key chain.
Ash walked out and stopped in his tracks, seeing Misty. Anger boiled inside of him, his hatred of Tracey growing even more, but now some of that anger transferred to Misty. Why was she
looking for that stupid key chain? Why did she still care about him? Then the anger subsided and turned into dejection. He wasn't as important anymore. Turning he went back into the bathroom letting his pajamas drop
to the ground. Ash leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes.
"I thought I could tell you."
(Well, now the story is sort of starting to develop, next chapter will really get into it. I hope it measures up to the first
chapter's standards, I really liked this chapter as well, involved Brock more. Once again, any critiques or comments are appreciated. J.R.C.)