Betrayal
(Rivalry)
The room was near pitch black and the reports of her fallen teammates mixed with the fans whirling above echoed through the otherwise silent room. Misty's heart was beating so fast that her ribs struggled to contain her nerves. A single shot would kill her, just as it had May. Death was not an option. She crept around the corner, glancing back with every step to make sure she wasn't being followed. Occasionally, the neon pillars provided coverage while she scoped the area, but it did nothing to reassure her.
Her palms grew sweaty, making it difficult to grasp tightly to her gun until, eventually, it slipped from her grip and clattered onto the floor. Shit! Immediately, she lunged forward and scrambled in the dark for her gun until she felt the poke of a gun against her back. She stood as her body immediately stiffened.
"Gotcha!" A whisper came from behind her. Misty froze and her breath hitched. She closed her eyes, preparing for what came next. This was it. This was the end. But the gunman didn't shoot. Instead, the gun nudged her into a corner where the walls promised secrecy from those passing by. A hand gripped her wrist and spun her around so she was left starting into the smirking face of Ash Ketchum. "What happened to your gun, Mist?"
Ash pressed the gun to the center of Misty's chest where her center blinked a bright green, indicating that she was still alive. "What are you going to do, shoot me?"
Ash paused to think about it. "I could. Maybe. I don't know."
Misty steeled herself, but on the inside she was a nervous wreck. "You don't have to do this."
Ash laughed, his eyes lighting up and a playful smirk brushed across his face. Misty reached for her gun, stretching her fingers to bridge the last few centimeters needed. "Don't even think about it!" Ash's free hand snapped forward and grabbed her wrist, pressing it against the wall. Misty searched his face, trying to read his expression and trying to guess his next move. She would do whatever it took to overpower him.
"Stop fidgeting!" he snapped when she tried to wriggle free of his grip.
Misty barred her teeth as she glared back at him. "How could you do this? I trusted you!"
Ash shook his head. "If you wanted to work together, you should've picked my side, Mist."
Releasing her arm, he cupped her chin and his eyes traced her face. Ash's gun fell to the floor with a thud and his lips crashed into her's. Misty yelped in surprise as the force of kiss and Ash's body pushed her back against the wall. In seconds, her eyes had fluttered closed and her hands wound their way through his hair, tugging at loose ends. His lips tasted like the cotton candy they'd eaten several hours before and he smelled faintly of
When he pulled back, his wide-eyed expression suggested that he was as surprised as Misty was that she had kissed him back. On the other hand, she was paralyzed, her cheeks flushed and unable to wrap her head around what just happened. Ash knelt down to pick up his gun before turning to walk away and back into the maze of haze and flashing lights. But just before he rounded the corner, he turned back around and fired a shot from his gun.
When Misty looked down, her chest was blinking a bright red.
Suddenly, the lights around them started flashing as a voice echoed through the arena. "All players have been defeated. Team 1 is the winner."
Misty looked up to see Ash staring back at her, a victorious smirk practically encompassing his entire face. As the realization of everything that had happened hit her, her anger erupted to the surface and she roared Ash's name across the entire arena. Ash's smile instantly vanished and he let out a yelp as he sprinted in the opposite direction.