The First Step Into A Woman's World

Part two

I remember walking towards my hometown that night, tears streaming down my face. It was just my luck that I had to leave my friends… especially since I just discovered I was in love with one of them. My pokemon Togepi, the only pokemon I owed that was not of the water element, rest lightly in my arms, softly wailing at the loss of his friends and travelling companions. I did not know that leaving the group would have affected Togepi so much.

As for myself… I managed. The walk back to Cerulean took us a week in which, it suddenly dawned on me that I was now alone. The journey was a depressing one, for I was left with my solitary thoughts, with the occasional banter to my somewhat sleepy egg pokemon. Being left alone with ones thoughts for a solid week is intensifying, both for the body and the mind. I believe I managed to sort out a lot more in that week than I have my whole lifetime.

Of course, most of my thoughts were of the guy I left behind. Even now, three years on, I still think of him. I lay in my room and gaze intently at the ceiling, wondering what he's up to, what his latest adventure was and… if he was thinking of me. I mentally kick myself in the head… God! Give me a break! I'm still in love with a guy who I haven't seen for three years!

I gaze up from my work desk and survey the view around me. Many things have changed since I came back to Cerulean gym, the gym that I can proudly call my own. My hand lingered over the deeds of the property delicately as I finally shoved them into a drawer, locking them away from sight, smiling ruefully.

One of the first jobs I did when arriving back home was cleaning… lots and lots of cleaning. The place was a dump! Cobwebs hanging over the ceiling like nets, curtains tumbling from their rails, cracks in the walls of the battle arena and the pokemon had grown rather plump and lazy. It was obvious my sisters hadn't had a challenger in many months, and they seriously needed a kick up the back side to remind them just what we'd lose if the gym fell out of our hands. When I asked them why they had let our assets get into such a diabolical mess, their excuse was 'like, we never had time with all the shows, daily hair appointments, you know, the usual.'

I could have walked away there and then, walked away from my sisters mess and back to the life I enjoyed, a life travelling on the road with soon to be Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum. I had desperately wanted to go back to him, but something stopped me. I remember looking at the gym walls that lay bruised and crumbling before me. My eyes furrowed with determination. I was going to re-build this gym, and the reputation it held before it landed into the palms of my conceited sisters, even if my life depended on it.

I had the power to de-house my sisters, find them somewhere else to do their 'shows', since they had no enthusiasm for the gyms' future. But, as much as I hated to admit it, I needed them, for they brought in the profits of the Cerulean City Gym, and the money I needed to re-build my home.

As the work started, slowly clearing out the old and bringing in the new, a letter arrived for me, messy handwriting scrawled along two A4 sheets of paper. Upon reading this letter, my mind was in a spin, for at the bottom, was a name I never thought I'd see again… I held the letter to my chest, clutching the thing as if it was my last breath. This couldn't be, he wanted to see me? Here? At the Gym? In two days?

My heart fluttered with excitement as I suddenly rushed to prepare things, to make the gym in some sort of respectable structure, rather than its current state, which resembled a builder's site. I remember diving so deeply into my duties of re-building the gym that I hardly slept or ate for the days leading to Ash's arrival. Of course, I didn't work alone. I had hired a few builders to do the dirty work for me, whilst I just nagged and designed the new and beautiful Cerulean Gym… which was fine with me; sitting on my arse, watching and ordering men around, tea in my right had, Togepi in the other. Come on! I was paying good money for these builders, why not abuse them?

As much as I'd like to think of myself cracking a whip and being the ultimate slave driver… I simply wasn't. I'd pitch in every now and again, helping the guys shift heavy objects and move ladders. I even made up my own batch of Misty Cement! After all, it was only fair. I asked them to really push themselves for the arrival of my friend in two days, they needed all the help they could get. For the gym was a great deal away from completion.

Finally, the day of Ash's arrival came. I'd sent the builders home for a well-earned day off, mainly because I knew I'd want to spend time alone with the flame that I hadn't seen for four months. I remember sitting amongst the great hall, a design that I had incorporated into the layout of the gym. I thought a great hall would disposition any wondering trainer, therefore only inviting the best and the most confidant to battle my pokemon. I sipped on some punch I had as a welcoming drink for Ash, and patiently waited for him to open the big double doors of the gyms entrance, leading him straight to where I waited. And waited…and waited… and waited…

Before I knew it, I was softly being nudged on the shoulder. Opening my eyes, I was expecting to see to bright and happy smiling face of my old travelling companion, slightly weary from his long and tiring journey… but, unfortunately, that was not meant to be. Instead, I found the small but podgy face of Bill, one of the workmen I had hired, compassionately looking down at me. He smiled gently, his face creasing into a whirlpool of horizontal columns lining his eyes and mouth. The sun was shining brightly behind him. It was morning.

"You look as if you've been there al'night," he commented, looking at my frizzy hair and crumpled composure. I groaned unexpectedly and pulled myself up to a standing position. I only nodded in Bill's general direction before I staggered into what was left of the kitchen of the gym. I needed a strong, strong coffee. As I reached for the espresso ground, I finally fell to the floor in a crumpled state. My body shock violently, even though there were no tears visible on my face. At first, I was confused as to why I hadn't started crying. But, soon, I felt the hot tears burn their way down my face and fall lifelessly onto un-tilled floor below me.

This had to be one of lowest points in my life, crying in the middle of a building site that used to be my home. I had so many memories here, memories of my parents when they were alive, of my sisters when they were actually nice to me… why did I suddenly want to change it so much?

I had wiped the tears from my eyes with a heavy fist, vowing that Ash Ketchum would surely pay for this… I had never been let down so badly before. I had never been so disappointed before. And it was all because of him. He affected me so much that I was even questioning the sanity of re-building the gym!

Getting up, I dusted away the grey suet that had form a thick layer on the floor of the kitchen, and made my way back to the builders. And from that point on, I tried my damned hardest no to think of the raven-haired travelling companion that stood me up.

# Ok, another little chapter for ya, don't worry, they'll get longer as the story goes on. And yes, there will be more AAMR, I'm just getting the story built up first. Don't worry, it'll be a real tear jerker! #