Though Misty often did criticize Ash, she couldn't argue with results. The defeat of eighteen respective gym leaders (herself included), getting eleventh place at the Kanto League on his first try when most newbies didn't make it past round two, all showed she was made of sterner stuff. Then there was Ash's infamous six on six battle with Drake where Ash proved once and for all he wasn't as stupid as his anti-fans tried to make out to be. You didn't beat a decade long champ on luck OR by having your opponent be weak. It was weird, every time the Orange League was brought up, Ash bashers just pretended it wasn't even mentioned.
Anyone who thought Ash won all his battle through stupid luck or having his opponents be crap needed a serious reality check.
Why was she mentally defending him anyway? Did she have her own doubts? No. Not anymore. She was just so sick and tired of people saying Ash was no good.
She remembered something she had read on a message board one time.
Y'know what *I* hate? I hate how those twerps have EVERYTHING handed to them on a silver platter! Jessie, James and Meowth have actually *suffered* in their lives, and have helped out jari-tachi more than those brats will ever realize! It's time for a reality check.
At the time, Misty would have slapped
the zealot through the keyboard she had been able to. Now she wasn't so
sure. Not about defending Ash: just how to go about it. It just made
her so mad!
Misty suddenly had an urge to laugh maniacally. Jessie, James and Meowth's
lives had been crap, but that didn't excuse them for being crap! Heh, she
thought back to what she had been thinking a minute ago about how they
had said 'Ash beating crap doesn't stop him from being crap'. Misty actually
felt like laughing. Ash's battles Rudy and Drake and the like proved that
he was anything but crap.
The rocket trio's lives had been horrible,
but that didn't excuse their actions. Horrible lives weren't an excuse,
could never be an excuse, if it was, then half the world's serial rapists
would go scot-free.
So she and Ash had perfect lives
. . . yea right. And milktank grew wings and flew south for the winter
and Lugia was a fire-type. James had had oppressive parents. She had had
none. James had one tormentor. She had had three. They may not of been
insane like Jessabell. But that made them worse in their own way because
they could think coherently.
Ash had his own ghosts,
his own torments, he never showed them, but Misty knew they were there;
most of them could be summed up in a name, May.
And still, even
if their lives WERE perfect, she didn't get why everyone treated them so
harshly. Misty suddenly remembered a story she had read once.
'Beggars in Spain', the 'have
not's' often had a deep resentment of those that did have, those who had
gotten lucky in life, those who had something they didn't, it was all centered
on a more basic human concept, jealously.
Bashers were just an odd
bunch even in their harmless form. In the growing group of trainer bashers,
one basher even had AJ out as a trainer who worked his pokemon to death
and that AJ suckered them all with his 'friendship act'. Never mind all
those fanfics were Damian, Charmander's original and neglective trainer,
was just misunderstood.
"Long time no see." Misty was taken
out of her melancholy by a female voice standing next to where she had
sat down to think.
The Caucasian girl was around Ash's age, though maybe a few months
younger. Blue eyes several shades lighter than her own with uncharacteristic
soberness gazed at her.
If this had not been the pokemon
world, her outfit would have been plane outlandish. A red and white bandana
with the poke ball symbol design on it toped a head of very light brown
hair; the thick bangs reach her shoulders. Her outfit was less daring then
Misty's, but was skin tight enough to get certain people's attention.
Ruby . . . or Kimi as was her
anime name. The latest addition the pokemon cast, and Misty's replacement. Misty, had, to be honest, thrown a fit when she was told she was to be
given a permanent vacation, not a season long one like Brock had, she knew
better than to expect coming back.
However, Misty didn't hold any
of that against Kimi herself, she wasn't to blame. The person to blame
was on a higher plane of existence in a business office in Japan discussing
the best way to bring the 'Advanced Games' Sapphire and Ruby into the anime.
They had delayed it
as long as possible, including with that stupid Whirl League that they
had Ash go on in the middle of the Johto League. But it was time to face
the music. The show WAS meant to be a reflection of the game more or less
(besides the fact they took out EVERY major event Ash/Red had done in the
games and replaced the cool rocket troops with the pea brained rocket-trio)
and Misty was two versions behind in the times (strange how they were keeping
Brock even though he was from the same version as Misty).
Kimi was a player
character, like Ash.
"Kimi! I didn't expect to see
you here! Did you hear about Ash?"
Kimi seemed surprised by Misty's
news. "No, what happened?"
"Some Rocketshippers jumped him
earlier today. Apparently they got tired of waiting for the network to
dump Ash and produce the 'Jessie and James show'."
"I think I'll
stop watching TV at that point."
"Same here . . . anyway
. . . when I found him, he was being beaten to death. They had put Pikachu
under glass for later. They were so intent on beating the life out of Ash
that they never noticed me. Until I released Pikachu. Ash went berserk
on one of the shippers who didn't beat it and asked why they were doing
this; the reply was all the normal hate garbage. I knocked the jackass
out and brought Ash here as fast I could."
"I'm sorry." Kimi
said flatly.
"I just feel so helpless!
Like any minute someone else could try and kill him, or Tracy, or Togepi,
or me! Consider yourself lucky Kimi, you haven't been around long enough
for people to hate you."
Kimi's eyes seemed
to set on fire at this. She looked Misty in the face and the water type
trainer idly thought how she could smell pancakes on her breath as her
replacement ranted.
"You think I haven't been
hurt already Misty? You think that people who hate need a REASON to? Jerks
like them just want a reason to hurt something, someone, anything as long
as they can vent their anger at it! Take a good look Misty! Take a good
long look at how rational people REALLY are!"
Misty sweat dropped as Kimi,
right in front of her in public of the hospital's waiting room unzipped
the front of her shirt and turned around to show Misty her back. Misty
paled at what she saw.
On Kimi's smooth and otherwise
flawless back were two separate bandage patches.
Kimi turned her head to face Misty
again, tears coming now. "I got THESE from an asshole at the pokemon center
yesterday! I was watching TV while it happened Misty! I never saw it coming!
If Officer Jenny didn't happen to drop in around that time to have a cit
chat with Nurse Joy I would be dead right now!"
"Stupid rockets." Misty
muttered. Kimi slapped her. Misty was too shocked to react.
"It's wasn't Rockets Misty!
It was people who cared about YOU that did this to me!" She
pointed at the massive bandages on her back for emphasis. "It was
people who are fanatically in love with you! Those who hate ME because
they LOVE you! Not everyone with a grudge against a main character is a
Rocketshipper Misty! You sooner you realize that the better! The killer
had a shirt on with your picture. AND he was spewing garbage about how
I- was taking YOU away from HIM!" Kimi stopped to catch her breath
zipping her shirt back up.
Misty felt her cheek; the
sting on face was insignificant for the pain welling up inside her.
"I'm sorry . . ." She whispered.
Kimi sighed, taking deep
breaths. "I'm not mad at you Misty, I won't be angry at someone who had
no say in something that happened to me. It's just . . . so frustrating.
Why Misty? Why? Why don't they ever stop? Why do people always have to
find a new reason to hate? A new reason to be hurt?"
"I . . . I don't
know. I don't know if anyone does. If we did, maybe people like you and
Ash wouldn't have to worry about people like them-."
Kimi breathed frustrated. "They
just make me so angry!"
The words echoed in Misty's head.
They just make me so angry. They make- me so angry.
It all clicked into place.
Misty spoke with conviction and meaning. "Don't
let them make you angry Kimi. They don't matter. They don't know you. They
have no right to judge you. They only have the power over you that
you let them have.
Weather or not we ever met in
the series Kimi, here, out of anime, weather we remember it or not, we're
friends. And always will be.
I just can't believe it
took me so long to realize it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what
other people think of you, Ash, or me. It doesn't matter what they say
about us. It still won't change who we are. I know who I am. I know what
I believe in. And that is enough."
Flames (where do you think I get all this depressing stuff?), comments,
suggestions on what happens next, reactions, corrections, rants, and occasional
constructive criticism all welcome.