Story created for the Pokéshipping week 2022.
We are in a world where Ash and Misty are 25 years old and have never met.
THE FIRST MEETING
Based on a true story… except where it isn't.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Misty snorts.
"Come on, don't be a child! You'll have fun!" Her college friend Togetina replies.
"YOU will have fun! I will spend the evening shaking off some slimy element of the local fauna..."
"There are a lot of nice people out there but you will never meet anyone if you go out shopping at the most!"
"At least when I go shopping no one breathes his alcoholic breath on me... If you want, I'll take you by my car but then I'll go home"
"And how can I get home?"
"You could be accompanied by some of your new friends..."
"How boring! I'm not leaving you here at home like a loser! Now go get ready!"
Misty, taken by exhaustion, pleases her friend and goes to put something on.
"No way! You can't come in a T-shirt, jeans and Converse, put on something more elegant and provocative!"
"I'm sorry to inform you that you have run out of charm points: no more concessions for today!" Misty answers.
"You are hopeless... Let's go"
Meanwhile, inside another of the many anonymous windows of the city, something completely different was happening...
"I'm not going anywhere!" Ash snorts.
"It's the hottest place in town!" His longtime friend Pikardo answers.
"You want to go there just to try to date your PR friend..."
"I want to go there because it is full of girls! Do you still like girls?"
"Yes, but I don't like the environment and neither do those who frequent it"
"In fact, I see that staying at home has worked out great!"
"Okay, dammit, you won!" Ash replies exhausted as he takes the car keys.
Meanwhile, Misty and Togetina have incredibly found parking and are about to enter the club.
"Slows! I'm about to overturn to walk on these stones in heels!" Togetina exclaims.
"Here's another good reason to put your shoes on!" Comment sour Misty.
The club looks like an elevated circular structure, reachable via a staircase with the cash desk and the bouncers at the base. At the cash desk, a sign welcomes them "ENTRANCE: Men €20 - Women free"
"Have you seen Misty? We also have free admission! And you complaining…" Togetina jokes.
"Yeah, there probably will be a reason..." Misty replies sarcastic as she climbs the staircase reluctantly. The faces she has seen so far confirm what she feared: it is not going to be a nice night.
A few minutes later Ash and Pikardo walk to the club.
"Great, we found parking in the same town as the club! And I thought it would be a bad idea to come here!" Ash exclaims sarcastically.
"Sgrunt! Why don't you think about what you will find in there instead of complaining?"
"Ah well, now it's much better!" Ash is still sarcastic.
After paying the entrance, Pikardo exclaims "Well honest, 20€ per person with the first drink for free..."
"And women get in for free!" Ash continues to be sarcastic.
"Better no? There will be more!"
The interior of the club looks as usual, with a large dance floor in the center and a snake of sofas and tables that run around it. The light is soft but there are several headlights and spotlights of different colors, smoke machines and the classic reflective globe of any good self-respecting disco. The DJ is blasting the mix of dance tracks into the speakers at a volume that still allows you to talk to each other. The rest of the people are sitting at the tables, but someone is already on the dance floor.
Ash and Pikardo take their seats at a free table, and while Ash has already taken a quick look at the local wildlife without noticing anyone of his interest, Pikardo is more scrupulous and continues to look around.
"The night looks promising Ash! Have you already spotted someone of your interest?"
"HAHA! Actually, I can't see very well… Anyway, not for now. What do you say if we go to the cafe to get our well-deserved drink?"
So Ash and Pikardo go to the cafe "What do you guys order?"
"A Lemonade!"
"Come on Ash! Anyway I have a drink mixed with… X Special. Because this evening I want to feel special! Eh Ash?" Pikardo hits Ash with his elbow playing nice while Ash smiles and shakes his head in amusement.
Meanwhile, Misty and Togetina are sitting on the sofas sipping their drinks.
"The guy at the entrance was really hot! Did you notice how he was looking at you?" Togetina exclaims.
"With those sunglasses I think he can only see a few bright spots here and there..."
"Good grief Misty, you don't like one!" Togetina snorts "Come on, now take your little finger and show me one you like!"
"It's hard to see something in here... But if I see one you'll be the first to know, I promise!"
The evening continues in joy for both couples: Ash and Misty seem to have overcome their initial reticence and begin to have fun. The music goes up and people start dancing, until...
"Uh!" Togetina exclaims after having spotted something she likes "I'm going to dance!"
"Stop! You can't leave me… here…" Misty tries to stop her but Togetina is already on track.
Left alone, Misty begins to look around her with the fear that some strange guy might approach her. It is not that she is afraid of approaches (or perhaps a little) but she is not at ease in that environment. And in fact here he comes: a guy with round glasses, a very well-groomed beard and mustache, dressed in a black vest with a gray T-shirt underneath, skinny pants with turn-ups, and tattoos on his arms. Yes: an hipster.
"Heyyy, I saw you here all alone and I thought: who knows if she knows how toxic that industrial drink she is drinking is... You must know that in order to produce your drink, clearly not organic, hundreds of thousands of caterpillars are crushed every year in the Norwegian forests, not to mention the exploitation of the workforce in the region of..."
While the creepy guy continues to talk, Misty squeeze herself in her arms looking for a way out "Why did I get persuaded to come here?" She thinks, while the hipster starts talking about the repercussions that the intensive use of paprika has on the Quebec marmot population.
Suddenly the lights go off and the DJ yells into the microphone to raise arms and wave the glowing bracelets, so Misty takes the opportunity to slip away and walk away.
Meanwhile, at Ash and Pikardo's table...
"SHIT!" Thinks Ash, finishing his Lemonade. Pikardo abandoned him to throw himself out on the track to try to pick up some girls, a rather unwelcome activity to Ash as it is not his style.
"I knew I would be bored all night, how did I get convinced by him... Maybe I should take the car and go... The girl he's dancing with will take him home... Uff, no, it won't happen, he won't date anyone like the usual…"
Suddenly the lights go off and people start waving their bracelets in the air, it seems the ideal condition to sneak to the cafe counter to get another Lemonade without getting too much attention. Ash gets up trying to remember the way in the dark and avoiding the shiny bracelets. Where there is a bracelet there is a person, and Ash wants to avoid people!
"It was straight, then right, then right again, then straight and..." *BONK* Ash hit something with his head.
"AUCH!" The something exclaims.
The lights turn on again and the DJ plays another track. Misty is there in front of him rubbing her head.
"Hey, are you hurt?" Ash asks, rubbing his head too.
"But do you want to look where you put your feet?" Misty responds angrily.
"I beg your pardon... But wait a minute... You're the one who came upon me!"
"Do you want to call the insurance?" Misty exclaims sarcastically.
"HAHA! Very funny..." Ash exclaims sarcastically "...You could at least apologize!"
"Should I apologize? Who is the one running in the dark?"
"Always you! Did you also forget the bracelet in addition to education?" Misty actually left the bracelet attached to her glass on the table, to mislead the hipster.
"MY bracelet? Your bracelet if anything! Did a Growlithe eat it?" Misty doesn't want to give up.
"I took it off to avoid meeting weird people, but I see it didn't work..." Ash exclaims arrogantly, because not even he lets go so easily.
"Heyyy Misty!" Togetina joins them "I want to introduce you... What did you say your name?"
"Pikardo, milady"
"No, it's impossible, he really picked up someone (Ash) / another weirdo (Misty)" They think in unison.
"I see you've found someone too! I'm proud of you Misty! HAHA!"
Ash and Misty look at each other, get embarrassed and turn away.
"Umpf! Not even if it was the last!" Misty exclaims haughtily.
Ash turns to her arrogantly pointing his thumb to his own chest "Not even if it was the last, I'll say it!"
Misty turns to him nodding with an air of superiority "Keep on dreaming..."
"I'm happy for you Ash, you've finally found a girl you get along with!" Pikardo exclaims enthusiastically "Then you won't mind taking her home while I take Togetina home, right?" Pikardo wraps his arm around Togetina who giggles.
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME?" Ash and Misty burst out in chorus to their respective friends.
"Come on Misty, don't be a curmudgeon! He's a good guy, Pikture assured me..."
"Pikardo, milady"
"Yes that's right, Picarlo, and besides, it's not nice to be a third wheel!"
"WHAT? The car is mine! HE is the third wheel!" Misty bursts into her friend.
"And a knight always accompanies his lady home, Ash" Pikardo exclaims.
"She'll comes home in a taxi!" Ash bursts at his friend, pointing to Misty.
"You are such a rude Ash! I never expected it from you…" Pikardo replies.
"That's enough! I've made my decision and it is no! End of discussion" Ash exclaims serious and determined!
And so Pikardo and Togetina drive off while Ash and Misty watch them helplessly drive away in the parking lot. Having no choice but to put up with each other, the two seem to calm down a little.
"Unfortunately, this was to be expected..." Misty exclaims looking at the ground "...Every time she sees a handsome boy, she jams her brain..."
Ash is still looking demoralized at the lights of the car moving away on the horizon "I didn't even want to come here, he convinced me with the deception..."
"So that's why you're wearing the pokémon trainer cap!" Exclaims Misty wryly.
Ash makes an almost amused grimace "Look, this is my trademark, chick, I don't take it off even when I shower! But anyway you are in a hurry to go home and so please follow me" gesturing to follow him.
Ash and Misty leave the parking lot of the club and walk through the streets of the city that lives the nightlife. The two seem to have reached a truce and begin to realize that perhaps they may not hate each other, but it is still early to lower their defenses...
"Are you sure you parked in this city?" Misty exclaims.
"Well if you don't like it you can always walk home..." Ash replies.
"I thought we were already doing it!" Misty responds with a sarcastic smile.
"Tsk, think if you had heels..."
"A real stroke of luck!"
"You know, I don't understand you: you go to the hottest club in town and you don't seem to care..."
"In fact, I only went there to accompany my friend" Misty exclaims haughtily.
"I've heard this at least a million times..." Ash replies as if to brag.
"Yes, because you are a party animal indeed! A true master at sneaking into the dark so as not to get noticed!"
"Well, after all, it seems that I wasn't the only misanthrope ninja master of the night..."
Misty tries to restrain herself but then bursts out laughing "HAHAHA! Well I had my good reasons!"
[Soundtrack suggested: Galba V – Shotgun for infinity]
And so our heroes finally come to the end of the quest, reaching the car, so that our unconventional knight can take our unconventional damsel home. On the way they continue to argue, but more and more they realize they are in tune. When they arrive at the house, stopped at the side of the road, they both seem to have lost their good spirits.
"So... are we there?" Ash asks, looking the house with sad eyes.
"I'd say yes..." Misty replies turned towards the window with a sad gaze.
"Is that the red one with the balconies?"
"And the windows too..."
"Yes that's right... Windows are important..."
"Have you ever seen a house without windows?"
"Well no... How do you do with the air change?"
"You can install a forced ventilation system..."
"But then you couldn't look out anymore..."
"There isn't much to see..."
"Well... Have you ever seen the city at night from the Ivy & Brock corp.?"
Misty turns to Ash "No never..."
And so the car's headlights come on again, moving away in the night along the street illuminated by the street lamps and changing traffic lights, becoming smaller and smaller on the horizon and mingling with the fast traffic of the city.
