A/N: Woah, things are just rolling along now! As always, thanks to those of you who reviewed. You're great. :-P. I know I left the last chapter at one of the WORST possible places, so to make up for it, I've decided to try to get this one out a little faster. Plus, I still feel guilty that it took me forever to upload chapter three. I hope you enjoy!

And just in case you didn't read the edited version of the last chapter, a special shout out goes to Ri2, who pointed out a mistake I made. Gah, I guess I should be more careful! Thanks Ri2! And while I'm at it, thanks to Chibi-Suiko for a great idea for a title - "By Chance." And one of my friends also gave me the suggestion "At First Sight." I dunno which one to choose, they're both great. Any suggestions?

And by the sound of it (from the reviewers), I didn't really explain much WHY Misty did that in the last chapter! But don't worry - everything will be explained (hopefully!) in this chapter.

All disclaimers can be found on part one.

Blinded - Chapter Four

"Ash, just come out and talk!" Kristina forced herself not to break down the door to the room Ash had barricaded himself in.

Ash was silent. Maybe she would think no one was home.

"Ash, I know you're in there! I followed you from the party, remember?"

Oh yeah. Never mind then. Ash cracked the door open. "What?"

Kristina held out her hands up as a peace offering. "I just wanna help."

Ash held the door open a little more, and Kristina walked in. "What exactly happened tonight, Ash? I leave for a couple of minutes to deal with reporters, and when I come back, you're gone! And everyone's saying something different about what happened." She thought for a while. "Not very good publicity, I might add."

Ash just shrugged. He didn't want to think about it - it just made him wonder. What did he do wrong? Was it something he said? Something he did? Or maybe it was just him...

"She... never wants to see me. Ever again," Ash managed to mumble. He wasn't used to these kind of weird feelings - sure, you had to be strong to be a pokemon master. If you got lost, (which he did a lot), you couldn't just sit there and cry. You had to suck it up and find your way. But this was totally different - he didn't know that girls could be so... weird. And that they could make you feel so bad.

Kristina was almost heartbroken for Ash's sake. "Well. I'll see what I can do about it."

Ash just slumped over at his desk as a response. "Do what you want..." he muttered. "She'll never want to be with me..."

Kristina shook her head at the depressed trainer in front of her. Deciding that he needed his alone time, she quietly exited the room. Before she left, she cocked her head in Ash's direction. "After I'm done, Ashy baby, she won't be able to resist you. I'll do my best." Giving him an encouraging smile, she left the room.

From his position slumped at the table, Ash perked up a little bit. Kristina had never failed before - when she set her mind on something, it happened. But, then again, the girl from the other night - whatever her name was - had sounded so mean. Cruel.

From the mess of thoughts and worries that now swirled around his head, he suddenly realized - that for the second time, he had forgotten to ask her what her name was. He banged his head on the desk. Maybe, next time, he would remember. That is, assuming there was a next time.

"Like, Misty, what's wrong?"

Misty peered up from under her covers to see her three sisters looking down worriedly at her. She felt absolutely horrible - on a scale from one to ten, she was feeling about as good as a negative number. She had never done anything to hurt anybody as bad as she hurt Ash. And to top it all off, they hardly knew each other! The worst part was that she still remembered his expression - the hurt, confused stare that looked at her through his watery eyes. It was like it was burned into her memory.

"Like, are you crying?" Daisy asked, the concern evident in her voice. "What happened?"

Misty gave her sister a feeble smile. Sure, she and her sisters had their disagreements. But there was no denying it - they genuinely loved each other. "It's nothing."

The three sisters looked at each other, unconvinced. Something was going on, and they were determined to get to the bottom of it. Suddenly, Lily had an enlightening moment - a once in a life time thing.

"Like, oh my gosh. It's about a guy, isn't it?"

Misty was just silent.

Lily looked to her counterparts knowingly. "We may not, like, know anything about anything else, but when it comes to boys, you like, can't beat us. Spill."

Before Misty could stop herself, last night's events came spilling out of her mouth. "You were right this morning - I met a guy." In a way, she felt kind of relieved - she really needed someone to talk to.

The three sisters perked up. Misty could tell that they each wanted to let out a high pitch scream, but they contained themselves. "...And?" they prodded, leaning in closer.

"Well, it turns out it was Ash Ketchum." Misty looked at the shocked - yet excited - expression on her sisters' faces. "Yes, THE Ash Ketchum. We met a couple of nights ago by the new restaurant. And when we were together, everything just seemed to... I dunno, just fall into place."

"Aww..." the three sister cooed in unison.

"But when I went to the League Ball last night with Gary, I saw him there. It was weird - there I was, with Gary, but wanting to be with Ash. Gary was acting so sweet, it made me feel guilty about wanting to be with Ash. And then there was this other girl - her and Ash seemed like they really liked each other. She was practically throwing herself on him!"

The three sisters nodded knowingly. They understood perfectly. Misty smiled. It was true - that on matters concerning boys, you couldn't beat them.

"Then, when I was dancing with Ash, it was nice. But then I saw Gary - the look in his eyes almost killed me. I felt so guilty. He had just told me how happy he was that we were together, and there I was - dancing with his rival." She looked down, trying to forget. "And then I saw Giselle, looking at me like she wanted to kill me. I don't know, it just felt like all eyes were on me - and that I was hurting everybody."

"Like, so what if you got all that attention?" Lily snorted. "And like, if you don't want Ash, then I'll take him."

Misty took in a deep breath. "Well, I just started to feel really guilty. So, I did the only thing that would make everyone happy." She winced, reliving the moment. "I told Ash that I never wanted to see him again." Her voice quivered. "Gary would be happy, Giselle would be happy, and..." she choked up. "And Ash would be happy with her. Everybody wins." She flashed them a rueful smile.

"You're, like, forgetting someone," Violet said, a smile on her face.

"Who?"

"You," Violet pointed out. "You have to learn to, like... not try to please everybody. It's like, not possible. You've got to do something for yourself every once in a while. Like, you deserve it."

Misty smiled. "Thanks guys. You're, like, the best." She laughed. "Ugh, I'm starting to sound like you!"

"Well, like, once you start looking like us, then you'll be perfect." With a joking laugh, her sisters left.

Misty smiled. She felt relieved. She had all this emotional tension and stress floating around in her head, and it felt good to just let it all out. Now, she realized how dumb she had been. Ash and her could still be friends, right?

With new found resolve, she decided what she would do. The first thing tomorrow, she would find Ash and apologize. She didn't know how she would, but she would find him somehow - even if it lead her to the ends of the earth.

Wait. Scratch that. SECOND thing tomorrow, she would find Ash. She had already promised Gary that she would go with him to the city to buy a new fangled poke-something-or-other.

Misty frowned. Now that she thought about it, more and more, she was finding herself annoyed with Gary. His sarcastic comments, offhanded remarks, the "I'm better than you" attitude - they all seemed to outweigh the good memories she had of him. And now, his lack of compassion for people. He even had the nerve to congratulated he on what she did last night! She shook her head. She needed to have a serious talk with him, soon. Things just didn't seem to be working out.

He was back. Back where it all began - The Seaking Café. Gazing sadly at the ocean, Ash tried to remember how they met. His memory was fuzzy. He could hardly recall anything about that night - except for her. And that was all that really mattered, anyway.

He could still almost hear her laugh. It seemed so real. Wait. It WAS real!

Ash blinked. Was the sun playing tricks on his eyes? There she was! But the feelings of despair and semi-anger came flooding back to him when she saw who she was with - Gary. Not wanting a confrontation, he quickly ducked into the alleyway behind the restaurant.

Misty and Gary walked slowly past the alley. Ash held his breath.

Misty sighed - how would she find Ash? Everywhere she went, she was hopeful. Maybe they would meet! But it was like fate was fooling with her emotions.

Even the shadows were playing tricks on her - passing the alleyway, she thought she saw him. But it ended up just being a trashcan. A trashcan with a shadow that made it look like it was growing spiky black hair.

Wait a minute. That shadow looked weirdly familiar...

"I'll catch up with you later, Gary," Misty called as she slowed down her steps.

"Whatever," his voice sailed from around the corner. "But hurry up, I have to get the new prototype model..."

Misty peered into the dim alleyway. "Ash?" she squinted. "Is that you?" She walked closer, trying to get a better look.

Ash sighed. From the shadows, he had thought that he was perfectly hidden. But he wasn't. He stepped out into the warm sunlight, moving carefully towards Misty.

"I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Misty felt a stab of guilt in her chest. "No, Ash..."

Ash snorted. "Well, I guess the third time's the charm, right? This IS the only the third time we've met, right?"

"Yeah, but the other night-"

"I think I understood you perfectly the other night."

"Ash!" Misty was getting frustrated with his lack of attention. "Will you just LISTEN to me?!"

"..." Ash was silent. "Fine. I'm listening."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. A voice that sounded like Gary's came from around the corner. "Where are you?"

Misty hastily pushed herself into Ash, forcing them both into a corner of the alley. From the dim light, Ash saw Misty put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. As Gary rounded the corner, she pushed herself into him tighter, trying to hide.

Ash felt his cold demeanor start to melt. How could he stay mad at her? When she was there in his arms, he could feel all his anger and worries slip away. He rested his cheek on her soft, red hair, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. If she could have seen him, she would have seen a goofy smile start to appear on his face. But, fortunately for Ash's sake, she couldn't.

"I can't talk to you now, Gary's looking for me," she whispered. "But meet me here tonight, at 8:00. I promise I'll explain everything then and there." She flashed him a big smile. Then, as an afterthought, she hit him on the head.

"Oww!" Ash yelped. "What was that for?!"

Misty grinned. "For not listening to me earlier."

Stepping out of the shadows, Misty gave him a quick smile, and trotted in the direction that Gary was headed. "I'm right here, I just had to tie my shoe..."

Ash could almost scream with joy - but knowing that Misty and Gary were still only a few feet away, he forced himself not to. When they left, he leapt from the shadows and did a victory dance.

"YES! I am THE MAN!" He laughed happily, until he remembered - "Aw man! I still didn't get her name!" He face faulted, then groaned. "I guess the third time's NOT the charm!"

"I'm so good at what I do..." Kristina marveled at herself. She had called in a lot of favors to get this done, but she HAD to - she told Ash that she would do her best to get him back in the good graces of "the girl of his dreams." She had had doubts that she would be able to pull this off. But it would be worth it - after this, no girl would be able to stay mad at Ash, no matter what DID happen the other night.

Around an hour before the rendezvous time, Misty flipped on her TV. She was nervous - after her long day with Gary, the only thing she wanted to do was see Ash. Things with Gary were not working out.

Today, he had just been acting so strange. Like he didn't want to be there. Wait, that should be rephrased - like he didn't want to be there with HER. It was weird. Every once in a while, he would look around, or speed up, leaving Misty behind.

Misty frowned. Did he know about her little meeting with Ash that afternoon?

She really needed something to calm her nerves. She flipped through random channels, trying to find something to watch. Then, she saw it - a sight that made her smile. A picture of Ash. Probably some commercial or something for the League.

The narration started, and she frowned. What was this?

It was 8:15, and Ash had the jitters. He was back at the restaurant, like Misty had told him. He couldn't help it - he was pacing back and forth, and couldn't stay still. He had been there since 7:30, just to make sure that he wouldn't miss her.

Like a disastrous omen, the sky rumbled. Ash looked up. Although it was nighttime, he could clearly see gray clouds covering the moon and stars. The sky rumbled again, and Ash started to feel a light drizzle.

Where was she?

He would wait all night if he had to. Through rain, sleet, snow... he was no postman, but he would wait there no matter what. For her.

The sky thundered, and it started to rain. It began with a light drizzle, but grew quickly to a torrential downpour.

But he didn't care. He would wait.

At 9:00, soaked to the bone, but still as set as a rock, Ash received a phone call.

"H-h-he-hello?" His voice quivered, the effects of the cold rain starting to get to him.

"Ash? Where are you?" Kristina sounded concerned. "Do I hear rain? Ash, you're not outside, are you?!"

"I... g-g-gotta wait... for h-her..." Ash could hear his teeth chattering. It was so cold...

"Ash, it's like a hurricane outside! Get home. You don't need to worry about meeting her. I took care of everything. Just go home and turn on your TV."

Ash was silent. Kristina could tell that he doubted her. "Trust me, Ash." She thought for a while. "And I don't think she'll come out if it's raining - she won't risk the damage to her hair and make-up." She giggled..

Thoroughly drenched, Ash could still only think about her. "Sh-she doesn't w-wear make up. She doesn't n-need it. She's already b-beautiful."

Kristina laughed. "Whatever, Ash. This isn't the time for jokes. I took care of it. I promise."

That was enough for him.

Ash found the cozy - and more importantly, heated - atmosphere of his room a welcome change from the bone-chilling rain and wind. After taking a warm shower and drinking some hot chocolate, he plopped himself on the coach and flipped on the TV. He switched through the channels randomly. What exactly was he looking for?

Pickup up his phone, he dialed Kristina's number. "Why exactly did you tell me to turn on the TV?"

"Just watch."

Halfway through flipping between the news and the Mr. Mime network (don't ask!), he found it. A commercial.

He saw a picture of his face flash up, smiling at him from the TV. A voice - obviously Kristina's - started narrating.

"Ash Ketchum - pokemon master. He has everything he would ever want, right?"

Ash cocked his eyebrow in interest. He leaned in closer.

A buzzer sounded, and Kristina's voice continued on the screen . "Nope! There's one thing that Ash needs - and you know who you are. Ash is sprung over you."

Ash buried his head in his hands. This was sooo embarrassing. But he had to admit, Kristina did a good job. Girls ALWAYS went for this mushy kind of stuff.

Kristina's voice on TV laughed. "It would be ridiculous if you let him get away. Don't let him slip past you - you don't know what you're missing. Ash is a great guy. If you're out there listening, tune in tomorrow at 6:00 - Ash has a message for you. You're the girl of his dreams, Giselle."

Hold on. Rewind. Giselle?!

And then quickly, so fast that the words seemed to slur together: "This commercial sponsored by the friends of Ash Ketchum."

GISELLE?!

Ash could almost HEAR Kristina smiling from the other side of the phone. "So, what do you think?" She asked. "It's been playing all night on every channel. And I put out some ads in the newspaper. We're scheduled to tape your message to her tomorrow."

"You think that I like... no wait, LOVE..." - he braced himself - "Giselle?!"

"Hey, whatever floats your boat."

Ash shook his head. He couldn't do this anymore. He needed someone to help. He wasn't mad at Kristina - she was just trying to help. How many times had he tried to help someone, but only succeeded in making things worse? And plus, he couldn't be mad at her - he was too emotionally drained.

"Kristina... I wasn't talking about Giselle..." Ash felt defeated. It was like everything was against him.

"Phew," Kristina let out a sigh of relief. She laughed. "Well, that's a load off of my mind. I thought that you were - " she stopped mid-word, the realization dawning on her. "Oops. If you weren't talking about Giselle, then...?"

"It's a long story. Are you up to it?" Ash took a deep breath, and started his story. "It all happened a couple of nights ago..."

You're the girl of his dreams, Giselle. Ash rubbed his forehead. The words rang in his head. No wonder she hadn't come.

A/N: Oh no, another cliffhanger! (Kind of.) Remember in the last chapter when Ash told Kristina that he had met the girl of his dreams, and then zoned out? Kristina thought he was talking about Giselle! Anyone catch that?

The chapters are getting a little longer... I hope no one minds! They're still bearable though, I hope. Haha.

Fear not, for the next chapter will be coming soon! This fic is coming to a close, so the next part is going to be the second to last part (or last, depending if I can squeeze everything into it!) Or I may just cut the next one short, just for suspense. P Haha, jk. Just an estimate - my goal for the next chapter is sometime this weekend.

Don't forget to review if you have the time! Until next time, this is Spin, signing out!