Chapter 4
Resolution
Hi! Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate it! I've edited a couple of typos that you mentioned out, and I've been working hard on the next chapters. Anyway, here's chapter 4, I hope you like it!
Brock was starting to worry. It was past nine, and Ash and Misty still weren't back. A trip to the PokeMart shouldn't take two hours. He was about to go out and look for them when they burst through the door, both looking rather grim. And what was with the fancy clothes? Wherever they had been, it wasn't the PokeMart. Just then, Max entered the room. He started to ask a question, but Brock covered his mouth before he could say anything.
"Hey, what was that for?" Demanded Max after he was released.
Brock just chuckled. "Trust me, if you value your life, you won't ask questions."
Misty marched upstairs to her room as soon as she got home. The room hadn't been changed in years, but the familiarity was comforting: same light blue walls, same oak bureau, same childish quilt covered in Seals on the bed. Misty collapsed onto the bed and tried to forget what had happened, but it was impossible. She could still hear Samantha's laughter ringing in her ears. Now that it was over, she could think of a million comebacks for her, but it was no good now. It was extremely frustrating!
And that wasn't the only thing. At first she had thought that she was only angry at Samantha, but now she realized she was mad at Ash too. Mad wasn't really the word though. Irritated was more appropriate. Misty had always dreamed of her first kiss, but now it had been spoiled. The problem wasn't who had given it to her, but it had no meaning in it. Not to Ash anyway. He had only been trying to help a friend, nothing more. Didn't he have any idea how important a first kiss was to a girl? But that was a stupid question. Of course he didn't. Ash was completely oblivious to that sort of thing.
Misty yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she was. If a knock hadn't come at the door just then, she would have fallen asleep. She was afraid it was Ash, but she got up to open the door anyway. Thankfully, it was just May. She was bursting with excitement.
"So, how did it go?" She gushed. But then she saw Misty's face.
"Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" She asked.
Misty was hesitant to explain, but she needed to talk to someone about it. So she let May into her room and they both sat on the bed.
"It was a disaster! Samantha figured it all out, and she totally humiliated me, and . . . "
"And what?"
But Misty didn't want to tell that part.
"Nothing. It's nothing." She said.
May knew something else had happened, but she didn't want to force Misty to talk about it.
"Don't worry about Samantha," May started, "she's not worth it. I don't know why you're even friends with her."
"I don't either. We used to live next door together, and we played together a lot, but even back then I didn't like her. She never did anything obvious until tonight, but she was always bragging and teasing me. I was glad when she moved across town, but she kept inviting me to hang out. I never wanted to go, but I had to pretend to like her because I thought she was my friend."
"May nodded her head sympathetically. "I know what you mean." She said. "I had a friend like that once. She'd said mean things to me, but then she'd say 'I was just kidding, May, can't you take a joke?' People like that really bug me!"
May's ranting made Misty felt a little better, but she was still upset about Ash. She wasn't sure if she would even be able to talk to him the next day. Not was it going to be very awkward, but what if he were still mad at her? Misty fell asleep with these thoughts soon after May left.
Ash was lying on his bed in the guest room, staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to think about what had happened because every time he did, he was hit with a wave of embarrassment. He still couldn't believe what he had done. What had he been thinking? That was easy. He hadn't been thinking at all. His actions had been completely emotional, fueled by passion and adrenaline. Ash had felt so sad for Misty when she started to cry. At that moment, he would've done anything to make her feel better. And the way that girl had hurt her had just infuriated him! Ash had wanted to throw her cruelty right back at her. Teach her a lesson she wouldn't soon forget. Too bad it hadn't worked out that way.
Ash felt horrible for what he had done. Misty had been humiliated by her rival. It didn't get much worse than that.
"And it's all my fault." Ash thought. "She'll probably never speak to me again."
It pained him so much to think that he had ruined his relationship with Misty. She was his best friend in the world. He knew she would always be there when he needed her, and he trusted her completely. But now he had screwed up. Screwed up fantastically. It was going to be awfully hard not having Misty to confide in. But most of all, Ash would miss her company. He was happy when he was with her. It didn't matter what they were doing: talking, laughing . . . heck, he even loved arguing with her. Just as long as they were together. Ash had never realized how important Misty had become to him until she was gone. Then he missed her every day. Now, finally, he was with her again, but it was almost over. There was no way she was going to go with him when he left again. Not after what he'd done. And even if she did go, how would it be? Misty knew– thought– Ash liked her now, but she didn't feel the same way. Things would never be the same. The easiness between them would be replaced with nervousness and embarrassment. He knew he could never talk to her like he used to.
Ash was depressing himself. He tried to think of something positive. "At least now I know how she feels."
That was true. No longer would he have to worry over whether she could ever like him or not. But it wasn't comforting. In fact, Ash was surprised to find that he was a little disappointed . . . but only a little. Pikachu was lying next to him on the bed. He gave it a scratch behind the ears and said
"What's the matter with me, Pikachu?" Pikachu looked at its master pensively. Then it smiled and cuddled up to him in an attempt to comfort him.
"Thanks, buddy." Ash said.
Suddenly the door opened and Brock entered.
"Hey Ash." He said simply.
Ash muttered some response that Brock couldn't hear. It was strange seeing Ash so somber. These little fights he had with Misty were never enough to get either of them down. Brock didn't know what to say to him, so he got strait to the point.
"Look Ash, I don't know what happened and I'm not gonna ask, but whatever it is, just apologize. I'm sure Misty will forgive you."
"If only it were that easy." Ash thought. But he had to pretend to be indignant.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said.
Brock gave him an amused look and said "Oh, come on, Ash, it's obvious you two have been fighting."
"Yeah, well . . . who says it's my fault?!"
Brock gave him the amused look again. "Well, it doesn't really matter whose fault it is. Just make-up with her soon. We need to leave the day after tomorrow."
Ash started to say something, but stopped. They had to leave already? But it seemed like they'd just gotten there.
"Just leave me alone, will you?"
The night passed slowly for Ash. Why was it that his insomnia was always caused by Misty?
Ash woke up to the sound of May's voice.
"Ash, it's already 11! Are you getting up or not?!"
He groaned and rolled over to see May, already dressed, standing with her hands on her hips and an impatient look on her face. Pikachu was gone. Probably eating breakfast. May was tired of waiting.
"Fine. Sleep in if you want. We're taking a picnic lunch down to Cerulean Lake, but we're not gonna wait all day for you." And then she was gone.
Ash was still half asleep, but he forced himself to get out of bed and get dressed. Then he headed down stairs and joined his friends. Misty was in the kitchen making sandwiches, but she stopped when she saw him.
"Oh, um, morning Ash." She said quietly. Ash returned her greeting, and then there was an uncomfortable pause. Finally Misty turned around and continued what she was doing. It was going to be a long day.
Everyone was aware of the tension between Ash and Misty as they made their way to the lake. They all tried to make conversation; May commented on the warm weather, Brock on how many beautiful girls there would be at the lake, and Max on a new finding on shiny Pokemon. But none of it reached Ash or Misty. They were off in their own little worlds.
It was a beautiful day for a trip to the lake. The afternoon sun shone on the blue water and a cool breeze was blowing. The group spread out a red-checkered quilt and sat down to eat. Everything tasted great, but neither Ash nor Misty was eating much. They had been a drag all day, and it was starting to get to the others, so they ate as fast as they could to escape the strained quiet. Max had brought his frisbee, and he, May, Brock, and Pikachu entertained themselves with that. Ash made an excuse about being too full to play, and Misty said something about being sleepy. May and Brock were starting to get really frustrated with them, but they didn't say anything. They left Ash and Misty in the hopes that something might happen while they were alone together.
Ash did not want to be left alone with Misty. What was he supposed to say to her? And Misty was equally ill at ease. They sat there staring into space for ten agonizing minutes. Misty sighed. Ash coughed. He needed to apologize to her. It wouldn't be right to leave while they were fighting. But he couldn't think of anything to say. So he just said the first thing he thought of.
"I think we're leaving tomorrow, so you won't have to deal with me much anymore."
No, not that! What a stupid thing to say! It sounded like he was still mad at her. That's how it sounded to Misty too.
But all she could say was "Oh."
Normally, she would never have let Ash get away with such a comment, but this time, she deserved it. Besides, if she said anything more, he might hear the tear in her voice. It was her fault he was leaving so soon. She wasn't ready. Misty had missed Ash every day when he was gone. And she worried about him too. Trouble seemed to follow him, this she knew from experience.
Ash glanced at Misty, quickly so she wouldn't see him. She was deep in thought, but he could only imagine what about. And she looked sad again.
"Why do I always say such dumb things?!" Ash thought. He was trying, but nothing ever came out the right way when he was talking to Misty. But he wasn't going to make her cry again.
"Misty?"
"Hm?" She responded, but she continued staring at the ground.
"I'm really sorry for what happened last night. I don't know what I was thinking."
Now he had her attention. She smiled and blushed. "Oh, don't worry about it Ash. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I wasn't really mad, just embarrassed."
So . . . she wasn't disgusted?
But he added: "I didn't mean anything by it, you know. I just wanted to help." Just in case.
"I know."
"I know all too well." Misty thought.
But she forced herself to smile at Ash, and he smiled back. They were both enjoying the moment until Max's frisbee came sailing out of nowhere and hit Ash on the head.
"Oops, sorry!" Called Max.
Ash rubbed his head and pretended to be annoyed, but then he sent the frisbee flying back, and he and Misty joined the game. It was dark before long and time to head back to the gym. Misty couldn't believe the day was already over. She had wanted to savor every moment of it, but she was having so much fun that she forgot to. Tomorrow, Ash would be gone again and Misty would be alone again. She dreaded the morning.
And it came all too soon. Misty stood on her doorstep and looked at her friends one last time.
"Well, I guess this is it." Said Ash.
"Don't cry, don't cry . . . " She thought, but resisting was useless. A tear escaped her and rolled down her face.
Ash tried to find words to comfort her, but his mind went blank again. It was just like the last time he left her.
Finally he choked out: "Don't cry, Misty. It's not like we're never gonna see each other again."
Ash thought it sounded stupid, but it meant a lot to Misty. It didn't change the fact that he was leaving though. She missed him already, and it was becoming unbearable. And when Ash extended his hand to her, she could stand it no longer. Instead of shaking his hand, she threw her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.
Everyone was shocked, especially Ash. He was stupefied. All he could do was stand there, hand still held out, with his mouth hanging open like an idiot. All he could say was "Uh . . . um . . . " But then Ash heard Misty sob, and it made him feel the same loneliness she was feeling. He knew he didn't want her to cry anymore. The desire to comfort her won out over embarrassment, and he finally put his arms around her.
"Misty . . . "
Ash noticed how warm she felt in his arms, and how nice her hair smelled, like strawberry shampoo.
May was trying to hold in her excitement for Misty, but it wasn't working very well. She was grinning from ear to ear and giggling like crazy. May's laughter made Misty realize come to her senses, and she realized what she was doing. She jerked herself away from Ash, but it was too late. She could already feel herself blushing, and Ash was blushing too. Misty tried to downplay her embarrassment.
"Yeah, well, you guys take care of yourselves."
"We will," Brock assured her, and then everyone said good-byes.
And they were gone again. Misty watched her friends leave together until they disappeared around a curve. Familiar feelings of rejection and loneliness welled up inside her. It wasn't their fault, and she knew that, but she hated that she couldn't be part of Ash's life anymore. She knew that she would fade from Ash's mind in her absence. Sure, she'd still see him from time to time, but she was no longer a part of the group.
Misty was sick of thinking, so she turned around and headed inside. She didn't want to have to talk to anyone then, but her sisters greeted her before she could even reach the stairs.
"Like, what are you still doing here, Misty?" Violet asked.
Violet added "Yeah, weren't you gonna leave with your friends?"
Misty looked at her sisters sadly. "You know I can't leave. Not with the way you three battle. I have to stay here and take care of the gym."
"Hey, that's not fair! We've been improving a lot lately." Daisy retorted.
"But it's still not enough." Misty wanted to go so badly, but she didn't trust her sisters to run the gym. They were more interested in beauty than Pokemon.
"Misty," Lily started "we like, can't keep relying on you. We need to learn how to do things on our own."
"But what if the gym gets closed down?"
Daisy smiled at Misty's concern. "Then it gets closed down. Misty, your happiness is like, totally more important to us than the gym, and I know you'd be like, a lot happier with your friends."
"But–"
"No buts. Like, you'd better hurry up if you want to catch them."
Misty felt like she had been relieved of a great burden. Smiling brightly, she thanked her sisters, hugged each of them good-bye, and ran to get her Pokemon. Then she rushed out the door and took off in the direction Ash and the others had left. Her joy filled her with energy, and she felt like she could run fast enough to fly. It wasn't long before she spotted four figures walking down the road.
"Hey Ash!" Misty called out.
Ash turned around to see Misty come dashing toward him.
"Misty?" He said.
"Wait for me, I'm coming too!"
Pikachu jumped off his perch on Ash's shoulder and ran to meet Misty. It jumped into her open arms when it reached her and gave a little squeal of delight. Misty laughed and stroked Pikachu's shiny yellow coat. Ash and the caught up after a minute.
"What happened?" Ash said. " I thought you still had to take care of the gym for your sisters."
It was a simple question, but it angered Misty. "Oh, so I guess you don't want me to come, is that it?!"
"Huh? No, that's not it at all!"
"Well that's what it sounded like!"
"Then maybe you need to get your ears checked, because that's not what I said!"
May, Brock, and Max all sweat-dropped. Two minutes and they were already at it again! Pikachu started glowing with electricity, and called out its name before shocking Ash and Misty out of their argument.
"Pikachu, what'd you do that for?!" Whined Ash.
Brock laughed at Ash and Misty's immaturity. "Don't get mad at Pikachu, Ash, you deserved it!"
Ash scowled at Brock, but Brock didn't see it because he was still laughing. So he got up and held out his hand to Misty, who begrudgingly took it and pulled herself up. She was obviously still mad, so Ash pretended to be too. But inside, he was smiling. He had missed everything about Misty, even her temper. She'd be over this argument soon enough. In fact, she already was. How could she stay mad when she was so happy? At that moment, she made a silent vow to Ash.
"I'm never gonna leave your side again."