Chapter 3- Misty's Message
There she was. Lying under the pounding rain against the weather-beaten mounds of splashing mud, Misty's hand stretched high out through the trap as Ash pulled her body out from the grip of the earth. As quickly as his arms could go, Ash dug away every fragment of mud and stone away from the unconscious body of his old friend Misty. When he pulled her out from the mound of filth, her face and body was covered in dirt. Even her blue eyes were hard to see through the thick layers of rain and dirt. Ash called to Pikachu. She was standing under the turf from the house alongside Delia, shivering and hoping for the best. She ran down the field and could feel the wind hitting her hind legs, almost rolling her over and out of control.
"Alright Pikachu," Ash shouted through the rumble of the storm, "I need you to use your Protective Seal." He said pulling Misty across his arms. She was moaning loudly. Pikachu sunk her head low into her chest and flexed her tiny arms. Standing with the support of her jagged tail that was dug into the ground, she raised her arms and tiny sparks began to emit from her red cheeks. The yellow-blue sparks grew bigger then like a bubble, surrounded the two wet trainers and protected them from any other lightning strikes. Before leaving, which he didn't have too much time to do because he was sinking more into the flooded ground; he glanced over on Misty's Starmie and Staryu of whom were striving to protect Misty with their Recover attacks earlier. He took out two empty Poke Balls from Misty's bag and called them back to safety.
It was no easy task sprinting across the field during the middle of a storm especially when you're half naked and carrying a nineteen-year-old woman in your arms. Ash's muscles were tensing, almost ripping in fact. He could feel them beginning to swell. Veins popped out around his muscles. When he reached the patio doors the protective seal wore off and he could feel the warm air glaze along his body from the house.
"Easy now— into the living room." Delia said directing him through the kitchen. Misty had quite a good grip for when she was unconscious.
Ash reached the couch and laid her down lengthwise. Her body was so cold, he could feel it coming off of her.
"Luckily I just put some sheets down. She's filthy!" Delia continued, fixing Misty's messy hair. It was tangled and stood on ends. "Now Ash, I want you to take off all her wet clothes, she could catch pneumonia, and we don't want that." She walked out of the family room and ran straight into the kitchen to boil some water to help revive Misty.
Did she say, "Take all of her wet clothes off"? All of Misty's clothes were drenched with brown dirty water. Her blue jeans sucked up all the water like a mop—they must have weighed fifteen pounds! Ash sighed and began to strip the clothes slowly off of Misty. First her cloak, then her pants…then the shirt. All that was left on her was her bra and underwear. Ash sighed, feeling quite awkward about undressing Misty when he hadn't even seen her for more than three years. Last time he saw her, she was short with her hair tied up, and was still trapped inside of a girls body; but now she was quite opposite of what he remembered. Now her hair was a darker red with long curled locks of bright red. Her figure was still thin a usual, her waist had broadened, she put on a few pounds, she had a perfect stomach build and her breasts made her silk like body complete. Ash closed his eyes and picked Misty up with his hands behind her back. He reached for clip at the back of her bra and unclipped it. He held the bra and took her arms out from the shoulders and could now feel her naked chest on his. If Misty were awake he would really have to suffer. For a second he was urged to look, and he did. But seconds turned to minutes— Delia stood in the door way with a cross look on her face. Ash let go of her and covered her chest with the white sheets.
"Ahem," Delia barked, "I asked you to just strip her down, not observe."
Ash blushed and turned away from Misty.
"I'll finish this off," Delia suggested reaching for Misty's underwear.
This wasn't exactly the way Ash had planned to see Misty for the first time in years, not anything at all. The overwhelming feeling of being home was bad enough, then seeing your best friend, who is female, naked. Ash was speechless when he reached for the kettle and foot bucket that was already filled with a quarter of cold water. Carefully he poured some of the steaming water into the bucket and hung a white tea towel over his left shoulder. He went back to the family room and saw Delia sitting Misty's motionless body up; covered in sheets she looked like a large baby resting comfortably in her warm sheets. Ash placed the bucket down and put Misty's two delicate feet into the warm water. Her body twitched and she tossed her head.
"Good thing she only got a little shock," Delia whispered. "She could have been fried." Delia ran her fingers through Misty's hair as she continued to hold her up. "She's really changed— hasn't she?"
Ash took another good look at her. God she was beautiful. He would have never imagined that she would grow to look like a princess as she did now. She always had her hair up in a spiked ponytail, and was always wearing the annoying 'short' shorts and suspenders. After gazing over her body, Ash hit himself twice over the head when he realised the kind of feelings he was starting to have about her. Delia stared at him thickly and knew what he was thinking. She smiled slightly and tied her housecoat back up.
She got up and kissed Ash on the head. "I'm going back to bed," she announced, "You can stay up with her."
"Okay— goodnight!" Ash waved as Delia went out of his sight.
Finally, after three years he was alone with Misty. Pikachu decided to go up to bed because she was tired out from using one of her newly learned attacks during the storm. Ash pulled up a chair and sat beside the stillness of Misty's lying body. Her red hair had now been washed and it smelled like the ocean. It was spread across the couch and hung over the sides and across her crossed arms over the sheets on her body. Ash rubbed the back of her head and began to think of the last time he saw her before he left. Again they were fighting. Ash had just finished telling her that he was planning to leave her and Brock and the rest of his Pokemon.
["Oh Ash, you're an idiot you know!" Misty snarled in Ash's thoughts. "I don't know why I even followed you around all those years— you're such a waste of my time!"]
["Shut your mouth, you don't know what it's like to not to have a father!" Ash hissed below his breath, Pikachu hid in a corner of his room.]
[Misty scrunched her face and gritted her teeth. She slammed her fist on the wooden door causing a framed picture of Ash and her in the Orange Islands. "Yea— and it's not my fault he doesn't want you!" She screamed, noticing Ash begin to turn red. He slid his Indigo League hat down in front of his eyes as tears began to drop from beneath. Misty bit her lip and moved closer to apologize. "Ash, I didn't mean it!"]
[Ash was so stressed he smashed his bedroom window in and threw his hat outside. Misty moved back slowly terrified when Ash began to look psychotically into her eyes. He picked up his alarm clock and grasped it tightly. "Stupid bitch— you don't know anything! Get the hell out of my life!" He looked down on the alarm clock and threw it right into the direction of Misty's face. She shrieked and ran out of the room, crying.]
The smashing sound of the alarm clock rang through his ears as he flinched. After what Misty had said to him, he never forgave her, and the fight they had was still at the top of his head. He could still see her throwing on her back and running out of the door with Togepi in her hands, but it was more like running out of his life. Ash wished he could go back in time and change everything he did or said to his mother and Misty. He felt so ashamed on how he took out his problems with Misty and others, because they couldn't do anything about it and he needed to blame someone. And here she was, sitting right before his eyes, wanting to be with him. Throughout the night, he stayed with his friend and talked to her although she couldn't reply or nod her head. But something inside of Ash told him that she was listening.
The storm had calmed and water dripped from the plants and glazed the front lawn outside. Birds chirped a sweet melody to the morning sun as the climate was becoming more warm and heated up the air. The sun was shinning through the Ketchum household and right into the centre of Ash's tired eyes. The thick black circles still hadn't worn off from his face and he needed to shave badly. Thick bristles of black hair was beginning to dangle from his face, annoying him with a constant itch. He rubbed his eyes and Misty was still in a deep sleep.
Returning from the bathroom, shaved, showered and groomed, Ash dressed himself into a pair of blue jeans and a tight grey muscle shirt. He looked much better and more like a man. As he was just finishing changing he could hear a melancholy gasp of air and moan. The first thought that came to his head was the girl on the couch. He slipped on his socks and a tensor band around his arm and jumped for the stairs, waking his mother and Pikachu. Glancing across the railing of the stairs his prediction was right. Misty was still lying down, but she was moaning loud and tossing her head as if she was having a bad dream. Ash jumped the last few stairs and ran over to the couch. He waited on his chair and watched the sleeping beauty awaken. For about ten minutes she continued to shake a moan, then finally her body calmed and the first blink of her eye opened.
For the first time in hours she opened her two big aqua eyes slowly. She rubbed them then sat up to find herself naked and wrapped only in one thin white sheet. She looked over on Ash sitting, and watching her every move.
Her eyes were still clouded. "W-Who might you be?" A sweet soft voice came from her, perfect to match her figure. As her vision became clear she became to recognize the young man who was sitting beside her. He was a tall ad highly attractive man with a tanned muscular physique and thick black hair. She looked into his golden brown eyes and realised who she was looking at. "Ash?" She coughed. He nodded.
"That's me," he answered rocking the chair. Misty continued staring at him, mostly his body.
"You look so different—I mean, last time I saw you—" She said sitting up fully and holding her sheets tightly against her sleek body. "—You were small. But now you look— so different."
Ash liked the attention he was getting. He knew that he attracted her by the way she looked at him, and oddly, he felt the same way about Misty as well. Three years of separation can really change someone's attitudes and feelings about one another. He cupped his hands behind his head and just to tease her he flexed his large muscles. Misty gulped. Almost every morning in night throughout the years he had worked out in the recreation gym nearby Erika's battling gym. It took his mind off things and how people would react to him upon his arrival in future years. So he decided to change himself physically so not everyone would recognize him fully.
"How are you anyways?" She asked playing with her dark red hair. Once or twice every other minute she blinked over at his chest.
"Fine I guess— not too bad, there's still some things I would like to clear up around here." He answered giving her hints to a future apology. "And you?"
Misty waited for a second, "Well, I now manage two Pokemon Gyms, so it's been pretty busy."
"Two?" Ash asked puzzled. "I know you lead the one in Cerulean, but where's the other?" There was no place Ash could think about where else she would be training because he had never heard anything about in while staying in Celadon, or anything from the Kanto news.
Misty gave him cold look. His tone of voice gave her the feeling that he thought she couldn't manage two Pokemon Gyms. "Conch Island— not too far away from Shamouti." She answered concededly blinking her eyes. "It's a very beautiful Island, maybe I'll show it to you someday (giving a sarcastic look)." Ash could feel tension between them.
"That's great," he scoffed. "Hey Misty, is something bothering you?"
Misty glared at Ash squinting her eyes devilishly. "Gee I dunno Ash, you tell me?" Her sarcasm was driving Ash's mind wild.
He stepped up, almost tipping the chair over; Misty gave him the same look when he was about to throw the alarm clock right into her face. She panicked and looked around as Ash pointed his forefinger right into her face.
"If you're looking for an apology," he barked, "I suggest you give me an apology first!" he suggested, Misty nodded.
With her eyes open to the fullest, she stretched out her arms and practically threw herself on to Ash who seemed to be quite frightened as usual when she made these kinds of moves on him. He could feel her grip wrap around his tired and awakened body, it was a hug so different than he had ever received. For moments there was silence and finally Misty let go of her beloved friend and held his hands, not caring that the sheets were nearly revealing her whole upper body. She gained up her courage and began.
She patted his hands and tightened the sheets. "You're right— I do," she said throwing her ravishing red hair across her chest, "I didn't mean what I said (Ash rolled his eyes beginning to become tired of the same old excuses). M'sorry, I just want things to be like the way they were— you know? When nothing bothered us!"
Ash gave her a quite perplexed look of anguish and confusion. After all, she was truly sorry because he could see her eyes begin to water as she awaited her forgiveness. And yet, another burst of light was before his eyes and he could see in his imagination all the good and bad times they had together; but after the years had rolled on, the arguing and intensity of their fighting had increased even greater of what it was before. Sure we were just kids, he thought and every group of kids have their disagreements and differences. Ash pondered then put the past behind him and took a good look into Misty, which could be his future— if he made it happen.
Once again he looked deep into her bright aqueous eyes with a sparkle of forgiveness. Before the words had spilled from his mouth Misty shut his lips with one long finger that was gently painted a sparkling blue on the nail. For the first time in years he had felt relieved, but not by far as much as Misty had. Continuing to hug the daylights out of the strong young man, a soft melancholy moan came from her body. It was a feeling of total relaxation being between his two massive arms and soft muscular body. She couldn't remember the last time they were together like this— in fact; they never did get this close.
After a few hours of reassembling what was left of their childhood relationship and discussing the events each other had done during their years of separation, Delia came down the stairs and began to whip up a welcome back breakfast, which was more like a lunch, for Misty and especially Ash. Soon enough the kitchen was steamed and platters of bacon, eggs, fruits of all kinds, toast with butter, and pancakes were set for their own enjoyment. Ash was the first to the table and ready to eat. Like Misty could remember he still had the appetite of a grown man. He was always stuffing his plate, not to mention his mouth in particular. Spoon after spoon, plate after plate, and the table was nearly cleared. Misty watched him with disgust, yet Delia smiled happily.
"Oh! Did I tell you two that Magnium laid eggs?" Ash spat, nearly hitting Misty with a piece of sunny-side-up egg. Misty flicked the small particle of food from her face.
Delia put her fork down and swallowed. "I've known for a while now—they should hatch by January." Delia said.
"Interesting," Misty answered. "Maybe you can take me too see all of your Pokemon today— haven't seen them in years!"
Ash gave Misty a look of emptiness. Something inside him wasn't complete as it used to be. Members of his team were missing and h felt god awful, almost sick to his stomach. He kept reminding himself that he was the one who abandoned them, and they had no reason to stick around for him. Earlier the other night during dinner his Mother explained to him how every day his Pokemon stood by the fence at the ends of the reserve. They watched quietly and patiently until the day their trainer would return, which never came to be. Charizard was the first to leave because his anger and disrespect for Ash had once again begun to take over. Following Charizard was Tyranitar; a tall green dinosaur-like Pokemon which Ash had hatched from an egg, much like Misty's Togepi. And the last to leave from the group was the giant crab Kingler. Delia said the last place it was seen was near the Whirl Islands. Ash explained to Misty of what had happened and how he was chosen to fight for Genesis in the middle Earth, Centro Terra. Misty seemed to be quite overwhelmed by the news, yet she was highly disappointed on how he had left his Pokemon to grieve back behind in the fields. She gave him a look of deep anger because that wasn't the Ash Ketchum she knew— the one she knew would never leave his friends behind. But he did and he paid for it.
The sun was hotter than it had been for weeks at a time. All you had to do was look off into the distance and you could see the heat waves of the sun bouncing off the ground and penetrating back into the atmosphere. Wild Pokemon of the fields stood by pools of water that were made from the last night's storm which was also quite unusual weather for the Pallet area. As they walked along the path up the hill to Professor Oak's home laboratory, dressed in shorts and tank tops, the sweat from their bodies was nearly getting the best of them and nearly causing them to collapse on the spot. Pikachu gave her little "cha" moan as her feet walked further into the red-hot gravel road. As they reached the front door entrance to the lab they noticed that everything around the lab was quiet and calm. And it was, Professor Oak had gone on an urgent errand to Celadon City.
"That's weird—" Ash said ripping off a small letter on the doorknocker.
Dear Citizens of Pallet,
I've left because I have received a very important notice from Kanto's Capital, Celadon City. A shocking discovery has been made and they are in desperate need of my full assistance at the national laboratories. I shall be returning shortly of which I do not know when, but please stay patient and I will notify the Pallet Council respectfully upon my absence. Thank-you.
Sincerely,
Professor Samuel Oak
Head Scientist and Researcher of the Kanto region
P.S: I have enclosed the security of my home and laboratory to Mrs. Delia Ketchum.
"—I was just recently there, I didn't notice anything unusual?" Ash continued with a feeling of curiosity. He flattened the note and stuck it back on the door so that any other visitor who came to the residence would be aware. "Well I guess he wouldn't mind if we went around the back way, would he?" He asked and Misty nodded her assurance.
They walked around the back of the quiet laboratory and opened the back gate to the fields. To their prediction, the fields were muddy and torn apart from the recent storm Pallet had faced. Trees were limping on their lowest scale, and thick pools of sinking mud and water stretched from ends of the perimeter. Hopefully, Professor Oak would return shortly because Ash was sure it would be rather hard on his mother to take care of his property for more than a month. Hell, the property stood on a 150-acre piece of land, which was enormous for one person to inhabit.
As they walked through the fields they could see what was left of Ash's remaining Pokemon. Still they kept a good distance away from Ash, but allowed Misty to confront them. Misty reunited herself with Bulbasaur and the others who seemed to be graceful within her presence at the moment because not only did they lose Ash, but they also lost another faithful companion, Misty. Ash sat and watched Misty move in on his old friends. He would give anything to have them back again, back in his team, and back to his side where the were once before comforting him and helping him to succeed in his training days. After a few minutes or so, Misty's attention was focused on Magnium. She was sitting under the big multi-coloured leaf tree, incubating what would soon be her children. Magnium was beginning to fatten up and grow larger for feeding. Her large ring flower around her long neck was becoming brighter with more colours than it was before. Different designs on the pedals showed that she was ready to be a mother and her body was changing. Misty approached the Pokemon with extreme caution because Magnium wasn't always too fond of another girl in the party alongside Ash. Misty looked closely to the small burrow and could see a few speckled eggs peeking up through the crevices and cracks on the straw. She always loved to take care of small Pokemon, including the timid Togepi.
Ash looked upon Misty's arms and it had finally struck his head that something was missing about her. He couldn't hear a small chattering voice, or could feel the spraying tears of the baby. Togepi was out of sight. Perhaps it had finally got up and lost itself for good this time?
"Misty," Ash said, eyeing her bag. "Where's Togepi?"
Misty's attention shot up to him and off of Magnium. "Togepi?" She answered taking her backpack off of her shoulders. She opened the back and pulled out an egg. But something was wrong with the egg. Neither was it opened or hatched; something inside it was growing, causing the outer-shell to sparkle a silver twinkling light.
Ash gave her a look of puzzlement as he stared down at the odd egg he once called Togepi. "W-What happened exactly?" He questioned her quickly in amazement.
"Well last year Togepi evolved into Togetic, which was quite surprising, and a few months after it just— well, I dunno, turned back into an egg and every month it grows bigger!" A sparkle of confusion was in her eyes and she was nearly speechless and couldn't explain what was happening to her shelled Pokemon. Ash gave her an abstract look and held the large egg in his hands. Something inside it was moving at a slow pace and he could feel the eggshell expand a few centimetres every other minute. This was something Professor Oak would have his eyes on every second of the day.
"And Ash," she continued taking the egg away from his hands and putting it back into her bag. "I have something to tell you and it can't wait too much longer." Misty's complexion looked troubled and Ash didn't notice it one bit.
He seized for her hand and ran with her down the hill that was only a few feet away from Magnium's burrow. At the very bottom of a hill was the Cliffside, separating the land from a darkened hole, which well seeped deep into the earth below. There on the Cliffside Ash was asking Misty of what she had done for the three years and most of her descriptions were not much different from her early years, except for when she was offered to be the Gym Leader of Conch Island in the Orange League. Although she had only been battling there for a year, it took her mind off things. She told him that she was having problems back in Cerulean City with her sisters. Their neglecting ways towards her began to grow stronger and she wasn't herself. She was always losing battles, giving out tonnes of Cascade Badges, and ruining her reputation and image as one of the greatest water Pokemon Trainers. So after all the conflict, she agreed to the offer and moved her training to the Orange Archipelagos, nearby the Capital of Shamouti Island. There she would test the power of many sea-going trainers and after all of her fierce battling she was categorized as a Leading Trainer, which was known globally as a trainer who has reached the final level of training and beginning to work towards being a Pokemon Master. Ash, on the other hand, was only in his secondary level of training, but the Genesis Battle would sure enough raise his power to the next level.
As the hours had passed them by, Ash was starting to feel a sense of wholeness again because talking to one of his best friends for the first time in years was really breathtaking. Sitting a little closer than before, Misty slid her bottom towards Ash. She wanted to feel close to him again, she needed someone in her life who would respect her for what she was, not to judge or neglect, just someone to make her feel wanted. Of course her sisters had always made fun of her because she wasn't as beautiful, and the fact that she was clingy, and the youngest out of the four, but she never expected that they would fully neglect her from the family. After her splitting with Ash she retuned to the Cerulean Gym to take up leading again, which her sisters highly opposed because she was returning and leaving over and over. The three sisters had lost their reputation of being known as the Three Water flowers of Cerulean City because of the return of Misty. She was bright, tall, red haired, and rather unusually strong for a sixteen-year-old girl. Lily, Daisy, and Violet became jealous of her remarkable talent and beauty, which was beginning to well over exceed their physique as the young maturing woman aged. After all her frustration she had received her notice from the Orange League, which offered her a lifetime leading position as the Gym Leader of Conch Island, a few miles away from Shamouti. Misty was quick to the offer and backed all she needed and took the first boat out to the island. Her sisters were rather happy upon her departure.
For days, more like weeks, Ash and Misty had caught up on lost things with each other. They were becoming more and more closer with each other and it started to feel like old times again when they could talk about nearly anything they wanted to. Except Misty was holding back on one important thing to tell Ash. Just what was so important to tell him anyways? Misty felt it would have been better to keep it in for a while because Ash was having the time of his life. Training everyday and back with his mother was everything he could ask for, or wasn't it? Sure Ash had his days where he just wanted everything his way and if he didn't get it he would cause disturbance through the household. But every young man his age acts differently, especially for him because his life was about to take a big step into the future. For more than a few weeks straight, Ash had envisioned himself standing on the shores of a tropical island with the choppy waves rushing against his feet. He could always see through the thick tropical forests and massive coliseum with people cheering his name. At first he thought it was the Centro Terra Palace, but remarkably enough, it wasn't. The air he breathed was strikingly familiar and warm, and the second thing that was familiar was the island's coliseum itself. So he decided to keep his dreams to himself but he frequently asked himself "Perhaps I'm going crazy from the excitement?" He was probably aiming along the right direction, but why was the dream following him?
During a three-course meal near the end of October, Ash and Misty had brought up a conversation about where she had been training for the last few years. Delia was highly intrigued by the conversation she was listening on along with Pikachu. Misty was really a different person now, and much more stronger than she was ever before.
Ash wiped his mouth with the serviette and swallowed a piece of tomato pasta. "Well, after the Genesis battle— when I win of course, I plan to rule the palace (giving a look of sheer stupidity) and higher my levels of training." He said with his hand over his heart. He looked down on Pikachu who was right there to support him. Ever since he had received his letter from the Government, Ash was carefully plotting out his strategies on winning. He was also predicting his future for after the battle. He could see hundreds of women waiting in line just to see the master champion himself. It was overly dramatic for Misty's liking. "After Genesis, I plan to arrange my future— well, get started on it that is."
Misty prompted herself into the conversation. Now was the best time to tell him her important news. He had just eaten and was in a great mood to hear it. Although it would shock him, she urged herself to come out with it. "Ash," she interrupted, biting her lower red lip, "I think now would be a good time to tell you—" she stalled and gained his attention.
He moved his eyes onto her. "Tell me what?" He asked curiously.
Misty paused then spoke the words, which horrified Ash. "—Your future has already been arranged!" She barked.
Ash coughed and slammed his goblet back down on the table. Delia gave him a 'be careful' grin. "And why is that?" He responded viciously, glaring her in the eye.
Misty looked as if she was about to explode with a sudden burst of anger. She clenched her fists and cracked her knuckles forcefully. "For three years the Orange Archipelagos Government has been trying to find you, and now we have. So after the Genesis battle you will accompany me back to Pumelo Island!"
- End Of Chapter