Chapter 6
Two Confessions
This is the first chapter I've posted here that I haven't already posted at Serebii, so it's going to be longer between chapters from now on. This is also the longest chapter I've done so far. Funny, at first, I had no idea how I was gonna do it. But anyway, thanks again for all your kind reviews. I hope you enjoy!
Misty and Max led the group through the rocky meadows that led to Pewter City. She listened politely while he babbled on and on about Pokemon.
Finally May interrupted and said "Max, quit leave Misty alone. You're bothering her."
"I'm not bothering her!" Max gave Misty a wistful look. "Am I Misty?" He asked.
"No, of course not!" She replied cheerfully.
Actually, she was beginning to get a little tired of his incessant chatter, but she wasn't going to tell him that.
Max turned around and stuck his tongue out at May in defiance. "Told you!" He said, but one glance from May ended his gloating. So he resumed talking to Misty about this and that, and she resumed her efforts to look interested.
The meadows were filled with all sorts of wild-flowers, and Max picked a few here and there while he was talking. He had collected all sorts of colors and shapes, and the bouquet was quite pretty.
"Here," he said to Misty, sticking the flowers in her face, "I picked these for you."
He hoped she couldn't that his face matched some of the pink flowers in the bunch, but she couldn't have missed it.
"How cute!" She thought as she accepted the flowers. Of course, she didn't say that. Kids, especially boys, hated being called cute. So instead she thanked him and tried to show a little enthusiasm.
"Do you know the names of any of these flowers?"
Misty saw the glint Max got in his eye and regretted asking immediately, but it was too late now.
"Well," he began, "this white one is Daucus Carota, more commonly known as Queen Anne's Lace. It's pretty common. It's closely related to the carrot, and the roots are edible. And this one is Eupatorium Coelestinum, or Mistflower. Hey, it's sorta like your name! That pink one is
called . . ."
And so he continued for about five minutes before Ash interrupted with "Geez, Max, she asked you to name them, not classify them!"
Normally Max would have realized his mistake, but he couldn't let Ash embarrass him in front of Misty like that.
"Excuse me, Ash," Max snapped, "but I was talking to Misty." And turning to Misty "Now, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"
Misty threw Ash a sympathetic glance, but she didn't say anything. He could take a little embarrassment now and then. In fact, he didn't seem to get embarrassed enough. Max was only a little kid though, and she didn't want to humiliate him. May, however, wasn't so kind.
"Max! That was really rude! Apologize to Ash!"
"But he started it!"
"I don't care who started it, if you don't finish it now, I'll do it for you, and trust me, you don't want that."
Max still didn't want Misty to see him lose an argument, but he knew when to shut-up.
"Sorry, Ash." He said, although it was plain that he was only saying it because he had to.
After that, he continued talking to Misty as if nothing had happened.
"What's gotten into him?" Brock muttered to Ash.
"How should I know? I'm not a psychologist." Replied Ash curtly.
"No need to be jealous, Ash. I'm pretty sure whatever's going on is one-sided."
"Jealous?! Who's jealous?! I'm just . . . irritated, that's all!"
Ash didn't even know how loud he said this until the others all turned to stare.
"What's going on back there?" Misty asked.
Ash, not wanting Misty to hear her name and "jealous" in the same sentence, started blushing and stuttering.
"N-nothing! Nothing's going on here! Right Brock?"
"Uh, right." Said Brock quickly. Teasing Ash was one thing, but it was not wise to make Misty angry. She could get pretty violent.
Max rolled his eyes at Ash and then picked up where he had left off with Misty, much to Misty's dismay. How much longer was it going to take to get to Pewter? It seemed like they weren't getting anywhere, but finally they crested a hill and the stone-gray city lay before them. Everyone sighed in relief at the sight.
"I can't wait to sleep in a real bed!" May cheered. "Let's hurry!"
But Brock was not going to get a chance to relax. His father cried tears of joy at his arrival home, happy to have him back to help with his brothers and sisters.
"Where have you been, Brock?!" He asked impatiently. "We need help!"
Brock was tired, but he didn't complain.
"Fine. What do you need help with?"
"Everything!
Everyone then went inside to assess the damage. The inside of the home was a catastrophe. Junk was piled two inches deep on the floor's tatami, as on the sofa and chairs. The white walls and screens were covered with dirt, and the sound of breaking glass was heard in the background. Kids, who looked just like Brock and his parents, were running all over the place, screaming as they went. They were completely oblivious to the other people in the house, but when Brock yelled "QUIET!" they all froze in place. The lamp was still swinging, but no one made a sound. Everyone was amazed at how the children obeyed Brock without any whining. He then commanded all of his siblings to line up order according to age, which they did immediately. The silence had given away to tittering, as they were all glad to see their big brother again, but they remained relatively calm. Now that the kids were all together, the group could see that there were only six of them. Before it had seemed like sixteen!
"Now," said Brock, "I know you've all met Ash and Misty before, but I also want you to say hello to my new friends, May and Max."
"Hi!" The children said together.
"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Responded May.
"I guess I should introduce everyone." Brock said. He started at the top of the line with the oldest boy who was about twelve, and worked his way down to the youngest, a four-year-old.
"This is William, and this is Anna, then Laura, Scott, Emmie, and last but not least, Adam. Phew!"
"Wow, Brock, you sure have a big family!" Max said, wide-eyed. "No wonder you know how to cook so well!"
"Yeah, you when you have as many siblings as I do, you sorta have to learn how to do that kind of stuff."
"I don't know how you do it!" Exclaimed Misty. "I can barely handle three sisters."
"Hey Misty, I'd feel sorry for the kids who had to eat your cooking!" Ash teased.
Misty responded by clobbering him in the head with her mallet.
Everyone sweat-dropped at Ash, who was lying on the floor, and May laughed. "You just never learn, do you Ash?" She said.
"And by the looks of this place, you guys never clean. Let's get to work!" Brock ordered.
The children broke from the line and scurried around picking stuff up off of the floor, and Brock and his friends helped.
Emmie wanted to get done as fast as possible so she could greet Brock and meet his friends. She piled up a stack of books and papers higher than her head, and ran toward the book shelf. But unable to see over her burden, she ran right into a coffee table, dropped all the books, and knocked over her mother's favorite vase. It fell to the floor with a crash, shattering into a million pieces.
"Oh no! Dad's gonna kill me when he finds out!" She cried.
Emmie stared at the broken pieces, trying to think of a good alibi when she heard a voice behind her.
"Are you ok, Emmie?" It said.
She spun around to see Brock's friend, the kid with the glasses. Max, that was his name.
"Uh-huh. But I broke my mom's vase, and–"
Brock cut in before she could finish though.
"What happened here?" He asked sternly.
Good, he hadn't seen. Hadn't he heard the crash though? No, the shouts of her hyper siblings had drowned it out. But now what was she supposed to say? Emmie's mind was a total blank! But then Max did something no one had ever done for her: he took the blame.
"It was my fault. I guess I was carrying too much stuff, and couldn't see where I was going. I'm really sorry! I'll pay for it, I swear! I'll get the money somehow!"
Brock wasn't really angry though. "Don't worry about it." He said. "Just be more careful next time. And don't worry, I won't mention it to May."
"Thanks, Brock. I really am sorry!"
"I know you are. I'll be back in a minute to clean up the glass. Don't touch it until I get back."
Then Brock left, and Emmie slowly realized that she wasn't going to die! And it was all thanks to Max. For him, it had been nothing but it really meant a lot to Emmie. She had so many brothers and sisters that most people couldn't even remember her name.
"Wow, thanks Max! No one's ever, ever done something like that for me!"
"Aw, it's ok." Max replied cooly. " I know what a pain older siblings can be."
Emmie giggled and thanked him again as he stooped over to pick up her books.
Now that he got a good look at her, he had to admit she was kind of cute. She looked just like Brock, but younger, and with decidedly more feminine features. In her short brown hair, she wore a pink ribbon that matched her jumper.
Still, Emmie was just a kid. She couldn't possibly compare to Misty's beauty and grace.
Brock returned a moment later with a broom and dust pan and swept up all the glass shards, and Max and Emmie got back to cleaning. When everyone was finished, it was impossible to tell that the room had ever been dirty at all.
"Good job, guys!" Brock said as he surveyed the now clean den. "You all deserve a good dinner. I'm going to cook something special up!" And he tied on his apron and went into the kitchen. Soon enticing smells reached the den, making everyone's mouth water.
"It sure is good to have Brock home!" Brock's mom smiled, and the rest of the family agreed. Apparently, their mother wasn't the best chef, so the delicious meal was heartily welcomed. When it was all ready, the siblings all rushed into the dining room as fast as they could, all except for Emmie who was pushed aside by her excited brothers. They wasted no time attacking the food. It was quite a spread: roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, baked apples, warm bread, and cherry pie for desert. And it had already been taken by the time Emmie got to the table.
"Oh well. At least I get to sit next to Max." She thought.
"Didn't you get anything to eat?" Max asked when he noticed her empty plate.
"No, but it's ok. I'm not hungry anyway." But then her belly growled and it was obvious that she was actually quite hungry after all.
Max chuckled a little and sweat-dropped. "Here, why don't you take some of mine?" He offered.
"Thank you, Max!" Emmie squealed as she blushed. "You're so nice!"
He mirrored her blush as he said that it was nothing. It wasn't, really.
He was too busy staring at Misty seated at the other end of the table to eat much. Her beauty just demanded attention. But Emmie wouldn't leave him alone.
"So, how old are you?" She said between mouthfuls.
"Huh?" Said Max, realizing he was being spoken to. "Oh, I'm eight." And then, just to be polite, "How old are you?"
"I'm seven, but I'll be eight in three months!" She announced proudly.
"Cool, we're almost the same age." Said Max absentmindedly. He was still consumed with gazing at Misty, but Emmie didn't notice and kept going.
"Do you like Pokemon?"
Now this was a topic that Max couldn't ignore, no matter how in love he was with Misty.
"Yeah, I love them! I read about them all the time, and I wanna be a trainer when I get old enough!"
"Really? Me too!" Emmie said, sitting up strait in her seat. But then she slumped over again and added, "But I don't think I can do it."
"Why not?"
"Well," she said, "I don't think I'd be very good. My brothers and sisters are always telling me I'm too little to play with them, so why should Pokemon be any different?"
Max smiled at how cute Emmie was. "I know how you feel. Ash and the others are all powerful trainers, but I don't have a single Pokemon. It's going to be really hard to get to their level. But I won't give up. I have to start somewhere, right? And we won't be little forever, you know. In a few years, you'll be a great trainer, Emmie!"
Emmie grinned from ear to ear. "You really think so?"
Max parroted the words that Misty had once said to him: "I know so."
His encouragement made her spirit soar. This was the first time anyone had expressed faith in her, and it was amazing how much hope it gave Emmie. But it wasn't so much what was said, but who said it. Max had to be the kindest, most caring person Emmie had ever met. She was in love for the first time in her life. The whole thing was a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. Emmie felt like leaping up and dancing across the floor, and it was all she could do to contain herself.
She glanced at Max, who had returned to gazing at Misty, and thought "I can't believe this is really happening! I'm going to tell him tomorrow."
Max was having similar thoughts about Misty.
"That's it, the next time I get her alone, I'm telling her." He thought.
Both dreamed of the moment when they could tell the ones they loved their secret.
Brock's house didn't stay clean for very long. After breakfast, his siblings were back at it. This time, they hit the kitchen. Food was splattered everywhere: on the yellow walls and tiled floor, the round wooden table, and even on Brock, who was washing dishes.
He turned around only when he was hit by a wad of scrambled eggs and yelled "Ok, freeze!"
Once again, all the kids stopped right where they were, but the kitchen light still swung in its place over the table. Brock sighed. It was going to take a long time to scrub everything down. And he hadn't even finished the dishes yet.
Just then, Ash, Misty, May, Max, and Pikachu walked in to see what was going on. When they saw the mess, they all sweat-dropped. All except for Pikachu, who spotted a puddle of ketchup on the floor and ran over to lick it up immediately.
"What happened here?" Ash asked.
"Just the usual." Said Brock sadly.
"Hey," May interjected, "I have an idea! Why don't we take all the kids out for ice-cream or something. That way, you won't be bothered while you're cleaning up."
This sounded like a great idea to Brock, who cried rivers of tears at his friends' kindness, and to his siblings, who were excited at the prospect of ice-cream.
They ran all over the place on the way to the ice-cream shop, and it was all Ash and his friends could do to keep track of them all.
Emmie hung at the back of the group with Max. She was very quiet, because she was trying to work up the courage to tell him how she felt.
"Come on, you can do it!" She told herself.
But it wasn't helping. She was still a nervous wreck. Her heart was pounding, and her legs felt like jell-o.
But in spite of her nervousness, she finally opened her mouth and said "Max, I have something important to tell you."
Her voice came out all squeaky, but there was no going back now.
"What?"
"I . . . um . . . I kinda . . . that is . . . I– I– I really really like you!"
Max seemed rather surprised at this confession, as he was blushing just as much as she was.
He had no idea of what to say. He didn't want to hurt Emmie's feelings, but he didn't feel the same way because he was in love with Misty.
"Gee, um, you're really nice and all, and I like you as a friend, but I just don't feel that way about you. I'm sorry."
Max felt guilty when he saw her face fall, but it couldn't be helped.
And Emmie was humiliated. The only person she'd ever liked had just turned her down. The embarrassment was bad enough, but the weight of being rejected was crushing. But she couldn't cry. Not yet. Not in front of Max.
So she forced a smile and managed "Oh, that's ok. It's not your fault. Can't help it if you don't like someone!" And then she ran off to the front of the group where her brothers and sisters were, leaving Max behind with his guilt.
They soon came to a small shop with red and white striped awning. Umbrellas that matched the awning sheltered round, white tables surrounded by chairs. The sign over the shop said "The Scoop". All of the kids ran wild with excitement. All except Emmie and Max. Emmie was walking a little behind her crazy siblings, crying. But they were too busy with running and screaming to notice.
Max was still at the very back of the group, and though he wasn't crying, he was still very down. Of course, no one could notice his emotion because no one could see him. Besides, Ash, Misty, and May were having enough trouble trying to keep control over Brock's siblings as it was.
So the two marched on in silence, alone and unnoticed. They got ice-cream like everyone else, but neither was eating.
Misty finally noticed Emmie, sitting all by herself, a chocolate mess running down her hand. She looked awfully depressed. Misty, feeling bad for the little girl, pulled up a chair beside her and sat down.
"Hey, you ok?" She said warmly.
Emmie looked up to see who was speaking. Seeing Misty, another girl, she decided it was safe to spill her secret. How could she have known that she was talking to her own rival? She ignored Misty's question and said carefully "Hey Misty, what do you do when you like a boy, but he doesn't like you back?"
"Good question. Let me know when you find out." Misty laughed.
But she regretted saying it when Emmie groaned and stared at her feet.
"Aw, cheer up, Emmie." She consoled. "If he doesn't like you, you've gotta make him like you!"
Emmie looked slightly confused. "How do I do that?"
"Let's see, they say the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Do you know how to cook?"
"No."
"Don't worry, I'll help you. When he tastes what you cook for him, he won't be able to resist you!"
Emmie seemed to cheer up a little at this. She smiled, sniffed, and then finished up what was left of her ice-cream.
Meanwhile, Ash had just begun to notice that Max was looking a little down. He sat down next to Max and started talking to him, just as Misty had done for Emmie.
"What's wrong, Max?" He asked.
"Nothing, it's just that . . . Ash, have you ever hurt someone's feelings without meaning to?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, what if a girl liked you, but you didn't like her back. What should you do?"
Ash hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. Some girl liked Max? Who? But at least Ash knew enough not to ask that.
Instead he asked "Why don't you like her back?"
"Well, she's a nice kid, but I'm only interested in mature women."
Ash couldn't help laughing at that remark.
Neither could he help remarking "If you're only interested in mature women, why do you like Misty so much?"
But he quit his fooling around as soon as he saw the glare Max was giving him.
"Must run in the family." Ash thought as he sweat-dropped.
Then he asked what Max had told the girl.
"I told her the truth." Max replied.
"What did she say?"
"She said that it wasn't my fault that I didn't like her."
Ash had to think about this one for a minute. He wasn't very used to dealing with girls, but it seemed to him that Max had done the right thing.
"She's right. You shouldn't tell a girl you like her if you don't. I don't think."
"Then why do I feel so bad?" Max scowled.
Ash wasn't quite sure how to answer that question, so he was glad when he caught one of Brock's brothers climbing a tree. It was a good excuse to get out of there, but poor Max was still confused.
On the return trip, the kids were even more hyper than they had been on the way there.
"Maybe we shouldn't have let them have so much sugar." May said, sweat-dropping. She felt a tug at her shorts, and looked down to see Adam, Brock's youngest sibling.
"Miss May," he said, "can you take us to the park? Please?"
"Good idea!" May exclaimed. "Maybe you can get rid of all that extra energy there."
So then it was off to the park, where the kids all climbed onto the playground equipment. Some got on the swings, some on the monkey-bars, and some on the slide.
but Max wasn't in the mood for playing. He had more important things to worry about. Like telling Misty that he loved her. He walked over to where she sat on a bench watching Brock's siblings play together and asked her if she'd like to take a walk with him.
Misty had a bad feeling about this. It was obvious that Max had a crush on her, and he seemed especially nervous right now. But she knew he was bound to say something sooner or later, and she was ready to get it over with. So she put on a smile and got up to walk the path through a small copse with Max.
While Misty walked with Max, Ash was helping May watch the children. They sat on another near by bench while the kids ran wild. But something seemed . . . missing.
"Hey May," Ash asked suddenly, "how many kids do you see?"
May counted silently to herself, but she only came up with five.
"Someone's missing!" She exclaimed worriedly.
"Don't worry. I'll go look for whoever's missing, you stay here and watch the others."
The first thing that needed to be done was to find out who was missing. Ash got up and walked down to the play scape. Scott was there, and so was Anna, and there were William and Laura on the swings, and Emmie was playing alone on the slide. So it had to be Adam, the youngest.
"Hey Anna!" Ash called to the oldest girl. "Do you know where Adam went?"
Laura pointed to a small wooded area and told Ash that Adam had been walking in that direction the last time she'd seen him. Ash thanked her and ran into the woods as fast as he could, calling for Adam all the way. But there was no response. He went farther and farther, but no Adam.
Then Ash heard voices coming from nearby, though neither of them were Adam's. But maybe whoever it was had seen the little boy come by.
The closer he got, the more familiar the voices seemed. Finally it dawned on Ash that one of them belonged to Misty, and the other to Max. What were they doing out here? They finally came into view, seated on a log in a little clearing, but Ash hid from them behind a tree. Something felt . . . funny. He knew he shouldn't be watching them like this, but he couldn't tear himself away.
"Misty," Max was saying. He sounded rather nervous. "Misty, I think you're really great. You're the most interesting girl I've ever known. And I think . . . I think I'm in love with you."
Misty wasn't surprised. She'd seen this coming a mile away, but she still wasn't quite sure what she should say to Max. But she had to say something.
"Aw, that's really sweet of you Max." She began slowly.
Max already knew though. He could tell by the expression on her face and the tone of her voice that she was going to reject him, but all he could do was listen. It was painful, but most of all, embarrassing. Max wondered if Emmie had felt the same way.
"You're a really nice kid and all, and I'm glad we're friends, but I just don't think of you that way."
"It's because of the age difference, right?" Max sniffed. "I'm really mature for my age though!"
Misty smiled sympathetically at the young boy. She knew that it must have been really for him to tell her, and she hated to hurt his feelings, but she would only end up hurting him more if she led him on.
"I know you are." She chuckled. "But I love someone else. I'm really sorry, Max. I know how bad unrequited love feels."
"You mean you love someone who doesn't love you back?"
Misty was kind of sensitive on the subject, but Max was really mature for his age. She knew she could trust him to keep a secret.
"Well, he doesn't really know how I feel."
"Why don't you tell him? You'll never know how he feels if you don't tell him."
Misty had to smile at Max's naivety.
"It's not that simple. He's one of my best friends, and if he didn't feel the same way, our friendship would be ruined. I can't let that happen."
Just then, a small voice came from behind.
"Hi Ash!" Adam bubbled.
Misty turned just in time to see a startled Ash jump from his place behind the tree and give a short yell.
"Ash?! What are you doing here?! How long have you been there?!"
Ash had a feeling that he was doomed no matter how he answered. So it wasn't a major loss when he couldn't think of any excuses.
"Um . . . I was just . . . you know . . . not long?"
"How much of that did you hear?!"
"Just . . . some of it."
"Ooh, Ash Ketchum, I'm gonna pulverize you!"
Ash knew it was high time he got out of there. He snatched up Adam and ran for his life. Unfortunately, Misty was already closing in on him.
"Yeah, you'd better run!" She called angrily.
Adam laughed as Ash increased his speed.
"At least one of us is having fun." Ash muttered.
They ran out of the woods and back onto the playground, Misty gaining on Ash the whole time. She reached out and grabbed the hood of his jacket just as they reached the swing-set. She pulled back her arm to hit Ash, but, fortunately for him, May intervened.
"Wait!" She called from the benches. "No violence in front of the children!"
Misty stopped in mid-slap and instead glared at Ash.
"I'll deal with you later!" She said harshly.
And then she dropped Ash's hood and let him fall to the ground while she stomped away to find Max.
Adam laughed and clapped his hands. Ash looked at him in a daze. He had forgotten that Adam was even there.
"Hey, why don't you go play on the slide with Emmie?" Ash suggested sweetly.
"Ok, bye-bye."
And then Adam left Ash to wonder exactly who Misty had been talking about. She had seemed so sad when she talked about it. It made Ash a little mad at whoever it was that had hurt her like that. What kind of idiot wouldn't love Misty in return? But wait, hadn't she said that he didn't know? Ash couldn't help feeling a little jealous, and he didn't understand it at all. Why should he care if Misty liked some other guy? It wasn't like he was in love with her or anything. Right?
Notes:
1. I know you probably know better, but I feel I must say it anyway, just in case: never, EVER eat something if you're not absolutely, 100 sure of what it is. There is a plant called Water Hemlock that looks very much like Queen Anne's Lace, but it's deadly poisonous. There are a few differences, but it's best just not to try it.
2. This is pretty common knowledge for those who are interested in Japan, and I know a lot of people who like Pokemon are, but tatami are rice mats used in home in Japan.