Part IV – Spark
He arrived at the Cerulean Gym that evening, clad in a pair of khaki pants and a white t-shirt. He hadn't wore his signature hat in 3 years, which was the last time he'd won a Pokémon League tournament. In excitement and promise he'd given the hat to Misty as a thank you and a vow to become a better trainer. He'd even kissed her on the cheek in a spur of the moment lapse in reason, but hadn't given it a second thought. She had. The red and white trophy of sorts currently claimed residence atop her office desk. In retrospect, maybe it was a lucky hat, seeing that he hadn't won a tournament since then. But if he was going to link his lack of success in that department to anything, it showed that also at that time Misty had decided to return to the gym to help her sisters out and could only cheer him on from afar.
Remaining in the car, Ash honked the horn and waited. Pikachu seemed restless in the seat behind him (possibly because Ash had given it an entire chocolate bar prior).
"Excited or something?" he asked Pikachu absent-mindedly.
The following slur of 'pika's confirmed his suspicions as the little yellow Pokémon bounced hyperly.
Within a minute of this, Misty finally appeared dressed in her purple bikini top and blue jeans. She pulled on a green mesh shirt and hopped in the car.
"Hey," Ash greeted her.
"Hi, I just finished testing the pool's water," she explained, gesturing to her damp hair.
"You don't need an excuse to take a swim. So, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, looks like Pikachu is too," she commented, the one side of her mouth turning up in amusement.
"Pickachupikapipipikachupikachupipikapipikachupipikapika" and so on followed.
"Ha, uh, don't mind it. Did you leave Togepi with Maria again?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, I dropped Togepi off this morning since I thought I'd be working late anyway. I called her after I talked to you."
"Cool, I hope she doesn't mind that I steal you away for awhile longer then?" Ash inquired.
"Pikachupikapipikapipikachupikachupipikapikachupipipika!"
"Yeah, yeah, we're going already, calm down!"
"So, anyway . . . she said it was fine since Togepi loves it there with all her Pokémon." Misty answered.
"Did she tell you not to stay out all night with me?" he winked over at her.
"You've got me there, since that's always my first intention. Just can't keep my hands off you," she said sarcastically, caressing his arm overdramatically.
"So she did."
"Shut up." Misty said in annoyance at how he could always see through her sarcasm as trying to hide the truth. She crossed her arms over her chest in mock exasperation.
The rest of the drive was silent, save the occasional high-pitched noises from the backseat. The night promised to be interesting.
At the least.