Chapter 9
Jealousy
By the time Brock, May, and Max reached Viridian, Misty was feeling much better. Ash, however, hadn't quite recovered from his experience. He was still thinking about whether he was in love with Misty.
"How am I supposed to know if I'm in love if I don't even know what love feels like?" He thought.
There seemed to be no answers. So Ash decided to consult an expert.
May was enjoying the warm sunshine and daydreaming as she and the others walked. She was glad that they were almost to Pallet Town. Then they could finally take a break from all this traveling! She was looking forward to seeing all of Professor Oak's Pokemon, swimming in the ocean, and just relaxing for a while . . .
"May! Hey May!"
May came out of her daydream and found Ash whispering to her. Whatever it was, he looked kind of nervous.
"What?" May asked.
"I need to talk to you about something."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Well, you know a lot about love, right?"
Now May's curiosity was piqued. If there was one thing she knew about, it was love.
"You bet!" May said happily. "So what do you need to know?"
"Um, I was kinda wondering, what . . . what it feels like when you er, fall in love."
"Ash, you think you're in love with someone! Who is it! It's Misty, isn't it! That is so cute!"
"Huh? No way! I was just curious!" Ash stumbled.
"Oh come on Ash, your secret's safe with me. Just tell me!"
"But there's nothing to tell!"
"Ash, you're a terrible liar. And I'm not gonna help you unless you tell me who it is."
Under different circumstances, Ash would have never told May in a million years, but he didn't know who else to turn to. And he couldn't stand the ambiguity of his feelings. So he finally conceded.
"Well, maybe I like Misty. A little. I think."
"Eeee! I knew it! You're perfect for each other!" May squealed.
"Hey, keep it down, do you want her to hear!"
But Misty had already heard. Sort of. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see Ash stuttering on about something that was obviously embarrassing for him, and May chattering and giggling like she was drunk. From where Misty was standing, this did not look good.
"So, how does she make you feel?" May interrogated.
"Uh, I don't know?" Ash said unsurely.
"What do you mean you don't know! You think you're in love with this girl and you don't even know how she makes you feel!"
"Well, uh, it's just . . . hard to describe."
"Take your time. I'm in no hurry."
"Well, I guess sometimes she makes me nervous. And other times, she makes me really mad."
"Anything else?"
"Um . . . I feel . . . happy when I'm with her. So what does that mean?"
"Sure sounds like you're in love to me!" May giggled.
Ash said nothing, but sweat-dropped and turned bright-red.
Misty was fighting back tears as she watched Ash and May together.
"But I thought May liked that other guy she mentioned that time, Drew . . . why didn't I notice this before?" She thought sadly.
And she was angry too. Angry at Ash, angry at May.
"The nerve of her, hanging all over Ash like that! And he doesn't seem to mind either!"
But even as she thought these things, Misty knew that she had no right to be mad at either of them. She didn't own Ash. He was free to be with whomever he liked. And May wasn't doing anything wrong. How could she know how Misty felt about Ash? Misty knew that she had no one to blame but herself. She had the chance every day to tell Ash how she felt, but she never took that chance.
"And even if I had told him," Misty thought, "why would Ash love me back? I'm mean to him all the time, and let's face it, I'm not exactly a beauty queen."
But it wasn't that easy. Even if it wasn't May's fault, Misty couldn't help but feel jealousy toward her. How could she not? The person she loved more than anything was being stolen from her right before her eyes, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Not without revealing herself. And besides, it was too late now. From the looks of it, Ash and May were already making wedding plans.
"Are you sure I'm in love with Misty?" Ash asked May for the fifteenth time. Although May had said yes fourteen times before, he couldn't get his mind around the idea.
"Ash, I don't know!" May retorted, exasperated. "No one can tell you if you're in love! It's different for everybody, you have to figure it out on your own! But you sure do seem to care about her. Just trust your heart. If you think you're in love with her, then you probably are."
Ash went silent as he contemplated his emotions. He certainly felt something for Misty. Was it love? The more he thought about it, the sure he became that it was.
"I think . . . I think you're right." Ash said thoughtfully.
"Me too! So when are you gonna tell her?" May asked, actually anticipating an answer.
"Tell her! Why do I have to tell her!"
Sometimes May could not believe how dense this kid was.
"How else is she supposed to know?" She pointed out.
"But what if she doesn't feel the same way? It could ruin our friendship!"
"Aw, that's so cute how you're worried about risking your friendship with her!" May cooed. "But I don't think you have to worry about that. I'm sure she likes you, Ash. I've had a feeling that she did for a long time."
Ash didn't reply. He couldn't tell May what Misty had said. It was too painful. Misty already loved someone else. There was no way she was going to love him. It was ironic, Misty was having the same problem. Hadn't she said that the one she loved would never feel the same way about her? Because they were friends? It was exactly the same predicament. And she had sounded so sad when she said those things. A part of Ash wanted the one she loved to love her back, just so she wouldn't have to hurt anymore. But another part of him knew that it would be crushing to have to see her with another boy. And Ash couldn't decide which of these sides was stronger. In either case, he was pretty sure that he didn't like this guy, whoever he was.
Meanwhile, Brock and Max were totally oblivious to the drama going on behind them. Brock could hear May giggling at Ash, but he assumed that she was just teasing him about Misty again. And he wasn't too far off. Brock wasn't about to stop her. Ash was possibly the densest person he had ever known, but maybe a little teasing would get it through his thick skull. He would have been shocked to learn that Ash had already figured it out, but that was exactly what had happened.
Misty stared dreamily into the campfire. Her mind was plagued by memories of that afternoon: Ash blushing at May, May laughing with Ash, it was what she had dreaded all along. But it was funny, even though she had feared this, she could barely believe it was happening.
"What am I going to do?" Misty despaired.
It hurt just being around Ash now. Being in his presence just reminded her of everything she loved and needed, but could not have. Every time she looked at him, she thought of earlier that day, and she had to look away just to keep from crying. Misty knew that she couldn't continue traveling with him like this. But she also knew that if she left him, she would miss him like crazy. One solution was just as bad as the first, and there seemed to be no way out. And though she would have done anything to change the situation, it was impossible. In Pokemon, if a trainer isn't strong enough, he can to train to get better. But in love, it is not so simple. Misty knew this. She knew that no matter what she did, she could not make Ash love her. She stared at Ash and May sitting together on the grass and eating across from her. It was almost more than she could bear. Finally, May noticed Misty's glare.
"Hey Misty, you ok?" She asked.
"I don't know, why don't you ask Ash?" Misty snapped back.
"Huh?"
Misty regretted her words when she saw the look of hurt and confusion on May's face. She felt guilty for being angry at May at all. She had done nothing to deserve such cruelty.
"I'm sorry, May." Misty said, her expression softening. "It's not your fault."
But this remark did nothing to help May's confusion.
"What's not my fault?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
"What's with you, Misty?" Ash asked curtly.
"Nothing, I think maybe I just need some time alone." Said Misty, a little too cheerily.
Ash could see right through her fake smile, and now he felt guilty for snapping at her like that.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine! Why does everyone keep asking me that! Oh . . . sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm going down to the river for a while. I'll be back later."
Misty put down her food, which she had barely eaten, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and left.
"Nice going, Ash." May criticized.
Ash started to get up and follow Misty but Brock stopped him.
"Ash, don't." He said. "She wants to be alone, so let her."
Now that she was alone, Misty allowed herself to cry. It had been so hard trying to act normally in front of Ash, and now it all just came pouring out. There seemed to be another tear for every second she had hurt that day. But crying didn't seem to be helping. For every tear shed, there were ten more to take its place. Misty stared into the rushing river. Something seemed familiar about this place. And then she realized it. It was in this very spot that she had met Ash for the first time.
"I wish I had never even met Ash Ketchum!"
But even as she said this, Misty knew it wasn't true. Ash had opened up a whole new world for her. He taught her what it meant to truly love someone. When she thought back to her life before she met Ash, she realized how simple it had been. Loving him had brought her so much joy and depth of emotion, and that far outweighed pain he had caused. And perhaps whatever was going on between him and May was mere infatuation. Misty was calmed by this revelation, and was finally able to stop crying. But she still wasn't ready to go back, so she sat with her head on her knees, gazing into the water.
It was getting late, but Misty still wasn't back. Ash was starting to worry.
"Ash," May said, pulling out her sleeping bag, "can you go get Misty? It's pretty late."
Ash, glad for an excuse to look for Misty, set off toward the river.
"Good," May thought, "I've got them alone together. Maybe something will happen."
Misty was thinking about going back to camp when she heard footsteps coming toward her. She turned to see Ash, and smiled as he sat next to her.
"Whatcha thinking about?" He asked.
"Nothing in particular. Hey Ash, do you remember this place?"
Ash had to think about it for a minute, but he finally recalled it.
"This is where we first met, isn't it?"
"Yeah. You still haven't paid me back for my bike, you know."
"Let's not go there!" Ash laughed.
He knew she was feeling better if she was joking around, and he was glad. But he couldn't help but notice that Misty looked sad. She looked as if she had been crying, and he wondered what was bothering her. He would have loved to comfort her with a hug, but it would have only embarrassed her. She would never feel the same way about him as he did her. She already had someone. Kind of. She had said that it was unrequited. The expression that had been on her face when she said that was much like the one she was wearing now. Suddenly, Ash knew what was bothering Misty. It was that guy. It had to be. What else could make her so sad? But why did she care about him so much if he hurt her so much? Ash didn't understand that part at all. Maybe . . . maybe he stood a chance against this guy after all. Maybe he could make her happy again, and she would forget about that jerk. The tension was killing him. He had to know how much Misty loved that other guy and if he could ever win her.
So even though he knew it was forbidden territory, Ash ventured out and just asked her. Sort of.
"Misty," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "that guy you like– what is he like?"
He expected a slap across the face, but it didn't come. Instead Misty smiled to herself and stared dreamily into space.
"Well . . ." she began, "he's really dense . . . and stubborn . . . and sometimes he gets really full of himself."
It may have seemed like a good sign, but Ash knew that it wasn't. Misty said these things with such affection, they almost sounded like compliments. And she wasn't finished yet.
"But he's also really kind, and brave, and strong. I think I love everything about him."
It was then that Ash knew he would never have Misty. She was more beautiful than Ash had ever seen her when she spoke of whoever it was– her eyes shone full of love, and a gentle smile played upon her lips. She really loved this guy; there would never be anyone else for her.
"But it doesn't matter how I feel about him." Misty continued. "Because he'll never feel the same way."
She laid down on the river bank, her happy expression having faded. Later, she wondered why she had told Ash all that stuff. But at that time, she was so frustrated, and so tired of hiding it, that it just didn't seem to matter anymore.
Ash laid down too, sad, but hoping it would work out for Misty. It hurt him to see her so depressed. He knew that he loved her, but more than anything, he wanted her to be happy, even if it meant she was with someone else.
"Hey Misty?" He said quietly.
But she had fallen asleep. Ash didn't want to wake her, so he lay there thinking until he too fell asleep.
May was climbing into her sleeping bag, and Brock was putting out the last embers of the campfire.
Brock was starting to wonder where Ash and Misty had gone.
"May, don't you think we should go get them? It's past eleven already."
"No!" May replied, a little too enthusiastically. "I mean, no, I'm sure they're fine."
"Yeah, but it's almost time for bed. What could they be doing out there?"
"Hmm . . ." May hummed dreamily, imagining what could possibly be happening.
"I love you, Misty!" Ash cried as he embraced Misty tightly.
"Oh, I love you too, Ash!"
Then Ash and Misty shared a passionate kiss, a perfect expression of their undying love.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out. I would never have realized it if it hadn't been for May!" Said Ash.
They returned holding hands, staring lovingly into each others' eyes.
"Thank-you so much, May!" Misty gushed. "Without you, Ash and I wouldn't be together right now."
"May. Uh, May? Earth to May!" Brock yelled.
He wasn't exactly sure what May was thinking about, but he knew that dreamy, starry-eyed expression. It had to be something about love.
"Huh? Oh, sorry." She said, finally snapping out of it. "I was just thinking about Ash and Misty."
Brock could kind of see where this was going, but he asked "What about them?" anyway.
May looked over at Max, not wanting him to hear, but she continued when she found him absorbed in a book, totally oblivious to his surroundings.
"Just about how they're always fighting and stuff. What's with them, anyway? It's obvious that they're totally in love with one another."
"Well, Misty's always been in love with Ash, but she's too afraid to admit it, so she picks on him so no one will guess it. And Ash? He feels something, but he's pretty sure he's just hungry. Of course, I don't know for sure, but from what I've seen . . ."
"That's so sad."
"Yeah. Reminds me of a couple of coordinators I know."
"Hey! This is about Ash and Misty, remember? Someone ought to do something about it." May said, thinking of her good deed.
"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"
"It depends. What do you think I'm thinking?"
"You're not going to try to set Ash and Misty up, are you?"
"Maybe. So?"
"You shouldn't do that, May."
"Why not?"
"Someone could get hurt, and it could be you. If they find out what you're trying to do, it could get ugly."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"I sure hope you're right."Brock muttered.
"Wake up, sleepyheads!" May laughed cheerfully.
"Wha . . . May!" Ash jumped.
"What's going on?" Misty yawned as she woke up.
"That's what I'd like to know." Teased Brock.
"What do you mean by that!" Ash yelled.
"Oh, nothing, nothing."
Ash glared angrily at Brock and May, both of whom were still laughing. He couldn't believe that he'd let himself sleep beside Misty all night on the river bank. Could it look anymore suspicious?
But it was forgotten as soon as they were back on the road to Pallet. At least, that particular incident was.
"So, did you tell her yet?" May bugged.
"Tell who what?" Ash replied, not joking at all.
"Tell Misty you love her, what do you think!"
"Oh, that. No."
May could not believe it. He'd had the perfect opportunity the night before, and he still hadn't made his move. As a reward for his stupidity, she punched him in the arm.
"Ow!" Ash cried.
Misty saw this, and she did not like it at all. For some reason, could not stand to see another girl tease Ash like that. Even she wasn't quite sure why, but it was a pretty simple feeling. By teasing Ash, Misty demonstrated the closeness of their friendship. When she teased him, she was telling him that she felt comfortable around him. Had they not been close, she might have worried about hurting his feelings. When he let her tease him, he was telling her that he didn't mind because she was his friend, and he knew she wasn't serious. Someone else might not get away with something like that. So when Misty saw May hit Ash, it rekindled her fears. She desperately clung to the hope that it was only a crush.
An hour later, the group finally arrived in Pallet.
"Whew!" May sighed. "I can't believe we finally made it!"
She admired Ash's home as they walked up the dirt path to the door. The two story house was painted white with a red-tiled roof. There was a small garden in front which was surrounded by a white picket fence. A picture perfect scene.
Sweeping the doorstep was a chubby clown Pokemon.
"Mime!" It called, and waved when it saw Ash and the others.
"Hey, Mr. Mime!" Ash called back.
Then a pretty woman emerged from the house wearing a pink top over a yellow shirt and a dark blue skirt. Her auburn hair was tied neatly into a ponytail. May knew without being told that this was Ash's mother, Delia.
"Hi, Sweetie!" She yelled as she ran toward Ash.
She grabbed him up in a big bear hug saying "Oh, it's so good to have you home again! I missed you so much, and I worried about you every day!"
Ash flailed his arms about in a desperate attempt to free himself.
"It's not that I'm not glad to see you, Mom," he said, "but I can't breathe!"
"Oh, I'm sorry Ash." Delia said, releasing him. "I guess I got a little over excited."
Everyone sweat-dropped, but they thought it was sweet nonetheless.
Turning from Ash, Delia greeted Pikachu, then Misty and Brock, and then Ash introduced her to May and Max. Once they had said their pleasantries, everyone went inside the house, which was just as charming as the outside.
The red sofa sat in front of a coffee table and TV on a white carpet. The walls were also white, and there was a fireplace, a lamp, and a couple of chairs that matched the sofa. Everything was cheery and bright with the light shining in through the two windows. It was a very welcoming place.
They were all very tired from their journey, so the first thing they did was take a short nap. Ash showed Misty, Brock, May, and Max their rooms, and then he went to his own room.
Misty and May ended up sharing the two bunk beds in one of the plain guestrooms.
"Hey Misty?" May whispered.
"Yeah?"
"How do you feel about Ash?"
Misty was a bit taken aback. May was her rival, yet she wanted to make sure that Misty was ok with it before she told Ash how she felt. Now Misty felt more guilty than ever for being angry with her. The best thing would have been to tell the truth, but Misty was too embarrassed too guilty to do that.
"What do you mean?" She said innocently.
"I mean, do you like him? As more than just a friend?"
"No, of course not. We're just good friends."
Misty expected May to say something like "Good." but all she said was "Oh."
"Why do you ask?" Misty said. She knew the reason, but she wanted to hear it from May herself.
"Well, I think Ash really likes you, Misty."
This almost made Misty feel sorry for May because she knew how hard it was to be rejected by him. So Misty just laughed it off to make her feel better. She knew that Ash would never love her, but why should May suffer too? It wasn't her fault.
"I don't think so." Misty said, trying to disguise the sorrow in her voice. "Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" May thought. "What does that mean?" But it sounded like Misty really didn't want to talk about it, so she said nothing more and fell asleep.
An hour later, Delia stood in the kitchen making hamburgers for lunch. Ash was in his room unpacking, and Misty sat in the den with Brock and Max watching TV, but too melancholy to pay much attention to it.
"Perfect. Now I've got him cornered!" May thought as she headed up the stairs.
She caught Ash just as he was putting away his . . . unmentionables. May noted the features of the room: blue carpet, blue walls, bunk beds with blue quilts covered in a Pokeball pattern, a dresser, a TV, and various Pokemon dolls and collectibles. Yes, this was definitely Ash's room.
"Ah! May, I didn't see you there!"
He blushed when he saw her and quickly shut his drawer.
May, however, was unfazed.
"Ash, we need to have a talk."
"Ok, what about?"
"When are you going to tell Misty that you love her?"
"Would you leave me alone about that?" Ash said, becoming irritated.
"If I did, you'd never do it. So when are you gonna do it?"
"I don't know! It's not that easy, you know! I can't just go up to her and say 'Hey, guess what, I love you.'"
"Why not?"
"Because she'd think I was an idiot!"
"Well you don't have to say it like that."
"I don't have to say it at all."
"Yes, you do."
"Why do I?"
"Because she'll never know if you don't tell her."
"Good."
"What do you mean, good?"
Ash suddenly realized that he'd said too much, but it was too late now.
"May, Misty already loves someone else."
"Did she tell you that?" May asked, now feeling bad for Ash.
"Yes."
"Well . . . you should tell her anyway. Maybe she only thinks she loves someone else. I'm sure it's not serious."
"Yeah it is. I've heard her talking about him. She's really in love with whoever it is."
"But you can't just give up!"
"It's ok, as long as Misty is happy."
"No, it's not! He won't love her the way you do!"
"How do you know?"
"Because I've seen you two together! And I can't believe that she loves someone else. That can't be right!"
May was getting more and more frustrated. She stood with her fists clenched, deep in thought. If only Ash would just tell Misty, then it was sure to work out. There was absolutely no way Misty could truly love anyone other than Ash. May wondered how she could get Ash to tell her.
"Maybe if he could just rehearse it a couple of times, he would work up the nerve to do it." May thought.
"That's it!" She exclaimed suddenly.
"What's it?"
"I think your problem is that you're just too afraid. Why don't you rehearse it with me a couple of times?"
"What!"
"You know, I'll pretend to be Misty, and you think of what you wanna say."
"No way! There is no way I'm doing that!"
"You'll do it or else!" May said, seeming three times her normal size.
"Ok, ok, just calm down!" Ash said, sweat-dropping.
He could tell May was not going to back down on this one, so he finally relented.
"Ok, um, Misty, there's something I need to tell you."
"Yeah, what is it?" May responded in her sweetest voice.
"Well, it's just that, um, I . . . I think, I mean, you . . . er . . ."
"Just relax, Ash. Say what you feel!"
So Ash tried his best to do so. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calling to mind everything he loved about Misty. He forgot about May standing there and just spoke from the heart.
"Ok, here goes. Misty, we're best friends, right? I mean, you've always been there for me when I needed you, and sometimes even when I didn't want you to be . . ."
"Misty," Delia said, "can you go tell Ash and May that lunch is ready?"
"Sure." Misty replied.
She didn't feel like seeing either Ash or May, but she pushed herself off the sofa and headed up the stairs.
". . . and I don't think I've ever told you this, but I'm really grateful for all you've done for me. Misty, it makes me happy to know that you care about me. And there's something that I have to tell you. I've always known that you were special to me, but I never knew why. But I finally figured it out. It's because . . . I love you."
"Ah!"
Ash turned when he heard a small gasp. Misty. She had heard. And her face was full of grief. Just as Ash had feared, she didn't feel the same way.
"Sorry . . . I didn't mean to . . . I didn't know . . ." But she didn't finish what she was going to say. Instead, she turned and fled from the scene, crying. Ash was beyond mortified, but he couldn't just let her go like that. He had to apologize for what he had done. He had to try to save their friendship, if that was possible, so he followed her out the door.
Misty ran as fast as she could, down the stairs, out the door, and up the dirt road. She could not let Ash see her cry like that, because then he would know how she felt. He would know that he had broken her heart when he told May that he loved her. This was definitely not a crush. Ash would not just throw around a word like "love". Her only hope was dashed, and it was more painful than she could have imagined.
"Misty, wait!" She heard him call, but she didn't stop.
Ash tried as hard as he could to catch up with Misty, but she was too far ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw her trip and fall to the ground.
"Misty!" He called to her. "Are you ok?"
Misty wanted to run as far away as she could, but it was pointless now. Ash was already upon her.
"Are you ok?" He asked again as he knelt beside her on the ground.
Misty was definitely not ok, but she tried her best to gain her composure.
She smiled through her tears, even knowing that she couldn't hide her pain, and nodded.
"Misty, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I just–"
"Don't apologize, Ash." Misty said carefully. "Why should you? It's not like I'm your girlfriend or anything."
And now Ash was totally confused.
"Huh?"
There was no point in hiding it anymore. He already knew. How could he not?
"I mean, I know you really like May, so I'm happy for you." Misty giggled nervously.
"Wait, you think I like May?"
"Well, duh. I just heard you told her that you love her."
"Wait, it's not what you think! You've got it all wrong!"
"It's ok Ash, you don't have to lie about it. I'll be ok, really." Her eyes betrayed her facade, but she continued anyway.
"Why shouldn't you like May? She's pretty, she's nice, she's . . ."
"She's not you, Misty."
Misty totally baffled. It was one thing for Ash to deny his love for May, but to say something like that? He wouldn't do that, would he?
"What?"
Ash was so happy then. He knew that he hadn't ruined their friendship after all, and best of all, she felt the same way.
"Misty, I love you, and even if there was a girl prettier or nicer or smarter than you, she could never replace you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure it all out."
"But . . . I don't understand. I just heard you tell May that you love her."
Ash couldn't help laughing at Misty's bewilderment. It was so cute!
"Misty, she was making me practice what I was going to say to you!"
"So then . . . you love me?"
"Yes, I do."
Misty felt like she was flying. This was the one moment she had waited for ever since she had met Ash. The moment she had dared not hoped for. The happiest moment of her life. Ash loved her, not May, not anyone else, her. This was her most wonderful dream come true.
"Oh Ash!" She cried. "I've always loved you!"
"So why didn't you just tell me."
"The same reason you never told me."
"Oh yeah . . . I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out. But there's still one thing I don't get."
"What's that?"
"What about that guy? The one you were so in love with?"
"Ash, you Slowpoke, I was talking about you!"
"You were? Hey, wait a minute, you called me dense!"
"You are dense, Ash!"
And then she threw her arms around Ash and sobbed into his shoulder relief from all the years of frustration and silent suffering. Ash returned her hug and held her tight, comforting her as best he could. They were completely and blissfully happy.
"What's going on, May!" Brock shouted as he, May, Max, and Delia ran out the door.
"No time to explain!" May called back.
She couldn't believe this had happened. Misty had gotten the whole thing totally backward, and it was all her fault. Hadn't Brock warned her about this? She had to set things right. She couldn't let Ash and Misty's relationship suffer because of her own stupidity. She had to tell Misty what had really happened and apologize.
But from the looks of things, that wouldn't be necessary. There were Ash and Misty, sitting on the dirt path, wrapped in each others' arms.
Delia just smiled. Ash was her son, so naturally, she had known right from the start how Ash felt about Misty.
But Max looked awfully confused. Even if he had a girlfriend himself, he did not completely understand what had happened.
"What just happened!" Brock asked May.
"I told you I'd get them together." She shot back.
And in a way, she had.
"Come on you guys." She continued. "I think they need a little time alone."
So everyone followed May's lead and turned back toward the house, but May couldn't help but steal one last glance at the couple.
"I knew it!" She thought.
And then she joined the rest of the group, leaving Ash and Misty to each other in pure bliss.
Notes:
Italics May's imagination
Ok, just so you know, this is NOT the last chapter. I still have ONE MORE CHAPTER to go!
Ri2: Oh yeah, stupid spell check. I thought I went back and fixed that! Guess I missed a couple. Thanks for telling me. Hm, it' s really a matter of opinion. I don't mind you saying so though, of course. Hope you liked the confession!
Funkyafroman: Wow, thanks! And I really appreciate all your reviews!
Gigi: Thank-you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Warlordess: Oh, that's ok. Not your fault. Sorry for taking so long with chapter 8. I decided to go much faster on chapter 9, lol. Hope you liked it!
Chaos-Paladin: Thanks! You got me! Actually, I thought of that a little when I wrote it, but I just thought that maybe it's a special feature. Unless he's actually used it as a phone on the show. I wouldn't know, I haven't watched it since they took Misty off. Too depressing.
Specail Agent Black Storm: Lol, glad you like it! And thanks for reviewing! Thanks for reading for so long!
Story Weaver1: Glad you liked the suspense I put in. I thought it was kinda predictable myself, but maybe that's just because I wrote it. Thanks!
litto-passion: I'm glad you like it so much! Don't worry, your stuff is fine. My stuff isn't actually all that creative. Like the poison thing is way over-used, so I just added a little something. Anyway, thanks for always reviewing.
Marlex: Wow, those are some pretty nice things you said! Thank-you very much! I'm glad you like my writing style as well as the aaml. And the character development. Sometimes it gets hard to keep building it up. Thanks for reviewing!
Slash: Glad you think it's cute. That's just how I wanted it to be. And I'm also glad you liked the Max/Misty thing. I hadn't originally planned to go so far with it, but I'm glad I did now.
Soft Flame Matthias: Hm, there may well be some fore-shadowing. I'm glad you liked the thing with Team Rocket. I agree with you(duh). I especially loved the Blissey episode. Yeah, I'm bad about that. I tried to get this one up sooner. Thanks, I'm trying! Oh, and I meant to review your fic, but when I went looking for it, I found out it'd been taken down. I'll make sure I review as soon as it gets reposted. Sorry it took me so long!
Sensational Sista: Thanks for reviewing! I've read some of your stuff too, and it's really good! But anyway, I hope you liked the confession scene. Thanks again!