Hey guys, Sentai Red!
Finally back from vacation! Although I'm suffering from a flu, an upset stomach, and suffering from retail, I can chill around a bit to upload a new chapter! Plus, I may have time to write more! Let's go!
Episode 8: Misty's Feelings! Welcome to Pewter City!
And with a resounding cheer, the trio and their Pokémon all celebrated as they got out of Viridian Forest!
Prior to leaving the forest, they were able to say their goodbyes to Samurai, who didn't even ask to battle them. He once again apologized, with Ash apologizing for overreacting. Samurai even joked that Ash being a gallant knight to Serena is what he strives to one day be for a girl he too cares deeply for. Ash rolled his eyes at the response, but Serena had a huge blush on her face at the time.
Misty kind of eyed them, jealousy forming in her eyes, as she watched how the two were closer than she imagined. Whatever happened, made them go from small hugs and constant cheering for one another, to downright romance… even if Ash couldn't see it.
And there's the problem, Misty is seeing Ash in a new light… far from when the two first met. To Misty, Ash is a jerk, but he's also considerate. He's rough, but he's very gentle when he wants to be. He's a typical boy, but at the same time, he's more than that and he has shown to be more responsible than he lets on sometimes.
She didn't expect to like him, and that's her problem now. She didn't want to do anything that could hurt her friendship with Ash, but at the same time, Serena is taking the initiative, but then regresses back to just eyeing Ash with admiration. In all honesty, Serena is too shy to take the plunge and confess to Ash. Misty can, but at the same time… she can't. She can totally tell Ash how she feels, but can't because:
1. It would hurt Serena's feelings.
2. They just became friends.
3. She doesn't even know if Ash likes her.
And that's the worst part for Misty, she doesn't want to betray her friends, but at the same time, if the two aren't going out; it's free game, isn't it? She feels awful in thinking such a way, but romance isn't any one of their strong suits. Ash, being the oblivious idiot that he is, certainly doesn't know Serena's true feelings, despite how romantic Serena has been to him.
That poor girl was probably going to end up being hurt and Misty knew it was going to be because of her. Serena had her chance, but Misty will soon have hers.
"Phew! We finally made it out," she cheers as she stares over the hill that leads to Pewter City. She's always enjoyed the city, despite it being rather boring. The city doesn't really offer much aside from a museum and the Gym, but it's a comfortable boring; the kind that you can just relax at home, take a day off, and just enjoy being around the mountainside and forests.
Ash sits down on a suspiciously placed boulder, "As much as I had 'fun' in Viridian Forest, I'm just excited to finally be out and see civilization!"
"Pika!"
"Fro-fro!"
His two starters sit down with him and nod, all feeling the soreness of being out in the wild for a couple of days straight, plus dealing with too many bug types in such a small amount of time. Serena undoes her ponytail as she shakes of any stray leaves off her hair.
"Agreed… I just want to go find a Pokémon Center and take a long nap," she whines, looking at Ash to let her have a seat on the boulder. He relents and she sighs happily, enjoying the rest her legs are now having.
Misty rolls her eyes, but agrees with the girl in front of her, "Let's just head off, I'm tired and hungry."
"Well, let's go then, the sooner we rest up, the faster I can battle the Pewter City Gym Leader!" Ash cries out in determination, his Pokémon just as pumped. They all jump as they hear a coarse laugh beside them, they turn their heads to see a homeless looking man, with a beard, and a beanie covering his head laugh. Ash raises an eyebrow, "Uh… and what's so funny, sir?"
The guy just points at him, "And you think you can take on the Pewter City Gym? If you couldn't handle what's in Viridian Forest, then I'm not sure if you're ready to take on Brock." The condescending tone and smirk left by the guy rubs the girls the wrong way, but Ash tries not to take offense, despite Pikachu and Froakie growling at him.
"Enough, you two," Ash chides them, making them stop.
"Hmph, and to think you have two Pokémon outside of their balls, makes me think you really aren't that strong of a trainer if you can't handle them. Are you sure you're not their trainer?" he mocks Ash, who then glares at the homeless man, Misty steps up angrily.
"And you think you're a hotshot yourself! All you're doing is talking trash to a bunch of trainers, one who can absolutely wipe the floor off your stupid Gym Leader! What the Hell are you even doing out here anyway, other than being a waste of space?" She retorts harshly, Ash and Serena kind of nervous with how she just went on the offensive. They don't know if this homeless man was a danger or not.
To their relief, the guy just laughs, "Girl, you have more spunk than this kid, have to respect you for that. And I believe you three are on my products, I sell these rocks as souvenirs. Pewter City's finest rocks!"
The three just stare at him incredulously, which he shrugs off ignoring, "Let me take you brats to the Pokémon Center and I'll be off your hairs."
The trio just eye each other before shrugging and follow the strange man.
It wouldn't be long until they get to the Pokémon Center and the trio were already feeling their bodies cry for an actual bed. Ash trudges along to the front with Serena in tow, as he stares at the Nurse Joy in front of him, "Huh… hey wait, Nurse Joy?"
Nurse Joy looks up from her computer and smiles, standing up and bows, "Welcome to the Pokémon Center! What is it that I can do for you?"
He points at himself, curious to know how Nurse Joy was able to get from Viridian City to Pewter City. Sensing the question about to come from the boy, she just explains it to him, "You must have met my sister! We all look similar, so I can see why you would think I was her!" She looks at him and her eyes widen in recognition, "Ah! So you're the boy she spoke about! The one that helped fight off Team Rocket!"
Ash rubs the back of his head nervously, "Well, yeah, but I just did what I thought was right… Anyway," he changes the subject, "can you heal our Pokémon? And we also need a room or two!" She happily takes the trainers' Pokémon.
"Of course! Here's Room #24-A, second floor on the left!" She gives him a key, and he thanks her.
He hands Serena the key, "Here, figured you and Misty would like some privacy and change up. I'll go after."
She nods, thanking him sweetly, and walks off to the room. Misty follows, but the two are very awkwardly avoiding one another. Ash sighs, not understanding why. He thought the two were becoming friends or were at least friendly with one another. Maybe it's just a girl thing?
He notices the homeless man just smirk, "Kid, you're quite the ladies' man, eh?' Ash just stares at him with a deadpan expression, choosing to ignore him.
The man just laughs, "So, what are you going to do about the gym? I figured you should be out training."
Ash nods, "That's the plan! Though, I figured from what is said about this gym, Brock is Rock/Ground Type Gym Leader, right? Well, I think I need to find something to teach to Pidgeotto and Pikachu, so they can stand a chance against him. But I don't know what."
The adult just raises an eyebrow, "Are those all you really have? Boy, you're going to have an even worse time fighting Brock." He didn't even try to sound condescending; he was just genuinely surprised with the Pokémon Ash has with him. Ash shrugs, aware of his own shortcomings.
"Yeah, they're going to need work to fight against a rock-type, but if anything, I can use Froakie and Butterfree."
There was an awkward silence, before Ash raises an eyebrow at the adult man in front of him, "Besides, why do you care? You just spent time making fun of me." The adult noticeably grimaces. He's not wrong, he just spent time making fun of the kid, but at the same time… maybe the kid can help him? He seems like he has the heart to win.
He saw some boy from Pallet Town come by, all arrogant, and with a motley crew of cheerleaders in a car, all which disgusted him. He figured that the boy would easily win and wouldn't spend a single moment helping him out, but this boy may be able to.
However, he doesn't want to give in and shrugs at the boy's question, "Maybe I feel bad for someone like you," he just gets an eye roll from Ash, "but I figured if you're going to do something about your shortcomings, I guess that's respectable. In fact, I may have the move for your Pikachu and one for your Pidgeotto."
Ash blinks, surprised the guy is willing to help him, "Oh, sure. What are they?"
He just gets a smirk from the guy who just tells him, "I'll meet you outside in about an hour, in the meantime just change and let your Pokémon heal up. Then the training will begin." He walks away, making Ash sigh. This guy was a pain.
Ash almost jumps as two hands cover his eyes, a giggle leaving the person's mouth, "Guess who~!" He smiles as he recognizes the voice. He chuckles and rolls his eyes playfully.
"Must be my lovely friend 'Rena!"
She blushes and smiles, nodding, "You know it!" She takes her hands off his eyes and gets in front of him, hands behind her back now as she sways forward and back. Ash couldn't help but gaze as she does so, but he shakes it off for now.
"You want to get something to eat?" he offers, and she nods, eager to eat. While she may not have the bottomless pit of a stomach Ash has, she definitely can't say 'no' to some food. She lets him lead her to the cafeteria in the Pokémon Center, where the two get food provided by the center.
The two eat peacefully, with Serena winking at Ash, "You know, you can always eat normally to me, Ash. Don't change yourself for me."
He rubs the back of his neck, "I mean… I could, but it's improper!" He defends his actions, making Serena smile. He can be sweet sometimes.
"I know, but we can always have you learn etiquette naturally. If you force yourself, you're going to just look stressed out all the time. Just take it slowly, okay?" As much as she knows he's doing it for her, to which she appreciates, she'd rather have him be natural with her. It would make her feel awful if he just changed just because she was around. She was even used to his abnormal eating habits when they were kids, and while his table manners have improved significantly, he still isn't someone ready to eat with tact and grandeur.
Ash sighs and nods, more out of relief than anything, and eats as his usual self, but with more of an attempt to be careful. This time, it seems more natural, and Serena looks at him with a sense of nostalgia. That's the Ash she knows.
Misty then comes to the cafeteria and sits next to Serena, "Here you two are! Thanks for waiting, guys," she appreciates them with a roll of her eyes, sarcasm seeping out of her words, making the two chuckle nervously. She huffs and eats her food, just as forceful as Ash, much to Serena's annoyance.
This girl was more boyish than any other girl she's ever met. Truthfully, she hasn't met much, but still.
As they eat, the two girls notice Ash not eating as much, constantly spacing out. He just plays with his food, no longer attempting to eat it, as a frown forms on his face while he continues to zone out. Lost in his own thoughts, Serena calls out gently, "Ash?"
He then notices the two girls staring, one with concern and the other with curiosity, "Oh, sorry." He bows his head gently, "Just thinking about something, is all."
"Is it about your gym battle?" Misty asks, as she continues to eat, "You know, if you're that worried about it, you can always use my Pokémon. I am a water type specialist, and with this Brock guy being a rock type specialist, I can give you the win easily. Just ask politely and I'll help you," she ends it with a wink, making Serena clench her fists.
"Actually, Misty," she counters for Ash, "I don't think that's fair, that wouldn't let him feel like he earned his badge. That would be more a win for you than for him."
"Serena, I wasn't meaning it like that," Misty defends herself, glaring at the honey blonde, "and who are you to decide for Ash what he can and can't do? You're not his mother or wife, so let him choose." Serena narrows her eyes at the redhead and the two glare at one another, lightning bolts coming out of their eyes, battling one another.
Ash sighs, shaking his head, "Can you both just stop?" The two girls have the decency to look sheepish as they both apologize to Ash, "And Serena is right, I don't think that would be fair for me or my Pokémon, Misty. I appreciate the help but let me battle with my own team."
Misty nods, "Fine, I guess that's a fair point," she mutters to herself, wanting to wipe the smug smirk off Serena's face.
"And to be honest, I'm actually thinking of training with that weird old guy, he said he'd teach my Pokémon some moves," Ash says, staring out the window. Serena gives him a small frown.
"Are you sure, Ash? What makes you think he can be trusted? Plus, he was being rude to you, I wouldn't imagine him actually wanting to help." Serena gives her opinion, worried for her friend's decision. She knows she can trust him, but the same can't be said about the weird guy selling rocks on the outskirt of Pewter City.
Her crush nods, acknowledging her concern, "You're right, but I still have to try something. If I can get something out of the guy, then awesome. If not, then I can still find something to do before I challenge Brock." Serena accepts the answer and wishes him luck, with him thanking her with a smile.
Misty shakes her head, "Well, this better be worth something, because as it stands, you're going to have to work hard against Brock." They hear Nurse Joy over the intercom call for Ash and Serena to retrieve their Pokémon. Once they finished eating, they went back to the lobby to pick up their healed up Pokémon.
Froakie and Pikachu both jump up to Ash's shoulders happily, rubbing their faces against his cheeks, making him laugh happily. After they all thank Nurse Joy, they head outside where they were to meet up with the homeless guy, who has been waiting there the entire time much to their shock.
Seeing their shocked faces, he smirks, "What? Thought I'd just smash and pass?" He jokes bitterly, with the three kids not realizing the innuendo. He shakes his head at their innocence and just gets up, "Well, boy," he ignores Ash crying out that his name isn't 'boy'. "let's start with the training."
"What are we going to do?" He sends out Pidgeotto, with Pikachu jumping down.
"First, we're going to teach your bird here how to use the move Steel Wing," he calls out a Skarmory out, who shrieks loudly, making the children and the Pokémon wince at the noise. The man is used to hearing his birds' cry so he doesn't even blink, "Ol' Skarmory here is gonna teach your bird the move. As for your Pikachu, I have just the Pokémon for him." He then calls out a Nidoking, who just growls, intimidating the kid, "he'll teach your rat Iron Tail."
Ash thinks about it as Serena realizes, "Of course! Rock Pokémon are weak against Steel, too!" She turns to Ash with a grin, "That means you can have advantage with all your Pokémon!"
He gives her a thumbs up and a grin, then turns to the adult, "You have strong Pokémon! And here we thought you were just some homeless guy."
The adult smirks, kid almost hit it home with that remark, "Possibly. Anyway, enough of seeing me as a homeless guy, just call me Flint." He introduces himself to the kids, and they all nod. He turns to his Pokémon and nod, they get the message and begin training Ash's Pokémon. Froakie looks on with jealousy, but Ash rubs his head soothingly.
"Don't worry, buddy," he comforts his water Pokémon, "if you want, you and Butterfree can practice attacking in the air and accuracy." He calls out Butterfree, explaining the same thing. The two nod and head towards the space where Flint's Pokémon was training his own.
Skarmory was teaching the young bird how to strengthen her wings with the attack, by providing the right amount of energy into the wings. Skarmory begins to show Pidgeotto how to do Steel Wing by landing a hit against a tree with it and the tree shakes as a result of the attack. Pidgeotto stares at her wings then at the tree and nods, determined to get this move down packed.
Nidoking shows Pikachu the same thing, by having him lift rocks with his tail first to strengthen the muscles on his tail. Pikachu looks on warily as Nidoking is picking up a rock that's almost the size of Pikachu itself. Nidoking puts it on Pikachu's tail, making Pikachu whimper at the pain, but Nidoking helps him with the lifting.
Pikachu just sighs in relief as the pain wasn't there for too long and began doing reps with Nidoking.
Froakie and Butterfree were training, Froakie using Water Pulse and Bubble to attack Buttefree, as the bug was flying around. Butterfree was chasing after Froakie, as he hopped between tree to tree, using Confusion.
Ash was impressed with the workout his Pokémon were doing, and Flint was debating on how to discuss things with the kid. Serena smiled and looks at how her crush's Pokémon were trying really hard to improve, so much so that she released Eevee and Fennekin.
The two look at her curiously as they noticed the Pokémon training, she crouches down to their eye level as a result. "Say, why don't we get in on the training? I feel as though we should try to catch up with Ash, so we don't always need to depend on him to save us. Let's show those boys that we're made of!" Eevee and Fennekin cheer on, excited and determined to get strong to protect their trainer and themselves!
Serena even calls out Beedrill, who looks at her, nervously. She holds one of his stingers gently, "Hey, big guy," She soothes him, "why don't you practice with us? Eevee and Fennekin need you to help them get stronger! Plus, it would be nice to see what you're really made of!" Beedrill tears up, loving the encouragement, before it gives her a look of pure determination.
"That's my bug man!" She cheers as they all begin to train as well.
Misty stares idly by as she sighs, 'I don't know why I'm even here then. I'm just in the way of these two.' She looks down dejectedly, as she walks away. Ash notices his friends look and runs up to her.
"Misty? Where are you going?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm just tired, Ash. I'm going to head back to the Pokémon Center, I think all that walking really tired me out," she forces a smile on her face, wanting to see if he could pick up on her sadness. She doesn't want to say it out loud, especially where Serena can hear it, but Ash wasn't able to pick up on it. He just nods at her.
"Alright. We shouldn't be out for too long. Just take it easy, okay?"
She nods and walks off.
Flint stares at the girl and then at Ash, "I think you should talk to her, kid." Ash looks at him with a raised brow, making the guy shrug, "I've dealt with women all my life, actions I've regretted for so many years, and let me tell you this: if you care about the girl, then do whatever you can to make them happy. I've made my mistakes, don't follow my path, kid."
Ash frowns in thought, "What have you done, Flint?"
He sighs, shaking his head, "Let's just say that I've come to realize that I became a good for nothing father and left my wife and children all for the sake of a stupid dream, one that I wasn't capable of reaching." He places his hands on Ash's shoulders, "You're young and from what I can see is the potential to be one of the best trainers out there, but don't let your friends go. Don't disappear on those you love, like I did. Now, go talk to your friend, I'll stay with your girlfriend and your Pokémon."
Ash frowns, but nods, ignoring the 'girlfriend' remark.
He heads off to find Misty, but she just hides underneath her blankets, blankly staring at nothing. She just thinks to herself. She just thinks about her life, her sisters, everything. She wasn't always meant to be some rude girl that she became to be known as when first meeting Ash and Serena; she was just a sweet kid, but the amount of teasing from her sisters got her real to realize she must toughen up to defend herself.
She then comes to her thoughts about Ash.
The boy was just pathetic when they first met.
He was being chased by Spearows, stole her bike, destroyed it, and just ran off. She was livid and she was damn sure she was going to get him to pay her back for the bike. But now? It's been almost two weeks since they started journeying together, and she can see herself becoming good friends with him.
He's still rough around the edges, but he's still a beginning trainer - he'll learn as he travels. But underneath his rough and often times brutish exterior, lies a kid with a heart of gold. He cares for his friends, often going out his way to defend them, even at the cost of his life. Two weeks in and he's already defending their friend Serena from everything.
He has a protective side, like really protective, and he even has moments of vulnerability.
This is something where she realized, she may actually like him.
But again, that's the problem. Serena is crushing hard on him, and she can't blame her. Yet there's another problem, it seems Ash may have feelings for Serena, but he just doesn't know it yet. She was able to tell that Ash cares more for her than his new friend; she can tell that Ash holds Serena's opinions higher than hers; and he was even willing to risk his life for her twice!
Misty was able to help fight off some threats, but with her Pokémon reliant on water sources, she's only as helpful as a Magikarp. She only really helped him once back during when Team Rocket attacked the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, but it was only as a distraction. Ash did all the work with Pikachu and Froakie.
So, her main issue is she's crushing on her friend's own crush; she's even thinking of ways to get Ash's attention; and now, she's even thinking that she doesn't even contribute to their goal or journey whatsoever. She releases a sigh full of her emotions, a shaking exhale is her tell-tale sign.
"Misty?"
She wants to groan and tell him to go away, but she can't.
He sits down on the bed away from hers as he awkwardly stares at the lump on the bed, covered by the blanket. "So, Misty… Is there something you want to talk about?" He asks awkwardly, but he just gets no answer from her. He doesn't want to give up, so he continues.
"Listen, we're friends here, and I just want to help you out." She rolls her eyes. Friends? This is his second time saying it, but is she really his friend?
"Misty?"
"What?" she didn't mean to make it sound so harsh, but that's how it came out to be. Ash luckily doesn't take it offensively, more understandably than anything else. He rubs the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
"I'm not too good with comforting people," he begins with a small joke, but Misty couldn't help but give a snarky remark.
"Well, you and Serena are plenty good at comforting one another," she states with a bite in her tone, making Ash sigh. Is this about that? "You and she just know exactly what to say to each other, but to me? Ash, you have no clue what to do or say."
"She's been my best friend since we were 6, Mist," she ignores her cheeks blushing as he gives her a nickname, "I know what to say to her and she knows what to say to me back. She's special to me and I hope I am to her. She and I grew up with just each other and barely another friends. We all just met you, so yeah… it's hard because I really want to get to know you and be a true friend. I just don't know how to start it, because we…" he chuckles, "we really didn't start off on the right foot, did we?"
She gives him a small mutter, "We really haven't."
He nods and looks out the window, watching from afar as his Pokémon train, "And besides, as we all journey together, I feel that you're going to help us get even stronger! I mean, back at Viridian City, you had helped out so much and sure, you need a pool or something for your Pokémon to get them to use their attacks, but you're a strong trainer and friend! I think I can speak for both Serena and I that you're a great asset to the team!"
Misty wipes tears from her eyes, nodding silently. She appreciates the words coming out of Ash's mouth. Maybe she's been too harsh on herself… She pushes the blanket away from her and nods, staring at Ash, "Thanks, Ash… you're a great friend." She gives him a warm smile, and he just grins back. She blushes, but notices Ash doesn't have the same reaction as he does for Serena. She realizes, maybe she's not for him after all.
"Hey, Ash?"
"Hm?" He looks at her with a curious gaze. His eyes widen as she leans closer to him, a teasing look on her face, and he begins to lean his head away from her. She has a Cheshire grin on her face as she winks at him.
"So… how do you feel about Serena?"
He blinks, surprised at her question, "Uh… why? Is… is there something wrong?"
She chuckles at his response, "Oh, never mind, Ash. Come on, I guess I'm fine now! Why don't you go back down there and finish training? Besides, we need you to get that gym badge, am I right?" She encourages him and he smirks, pumping his fist with determination.
"Of course!" He runs off, with an amused Misty following.
'Well, I may not be able to get him, but Serena… I can see why you fell for him. Good luck with this oblivious idiot.' She snickers to herself as she chases after an enthused Ash.
