Double Date
By Fox McCloude
Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and GAMEFREAK. All rights reserved.
Unova region, Nimbasa City…
"I don't know how you convinced me of this," Misty complained, looking at herself on the mirror and trying to admire her appeal.
They were at a brand boutique in the Union Avenue, a long street full of high-prestige shops and businesses, both for trainers and non-trainers. They had come for the premiere of Daisy's newest film in the PokéStar Studios cinema, and with her being the lead actress she'd gotten them free tickets for all of them.
Problem was, they still had a few days before that, and until then, they'd been going around back and forth, all over the place, trying to kill time somehow.
As Violet and Lily were in their own business (they had gone to the spa), Misty had to stick with her eldest sister, the two going around on a shopping spree, and that was how they ended up in this particular boutique.
Not like she minded buying some new clothes, and she admittedly liked the outfit she was wearing. But what did she need it for? They already had their dresses for the premiere, after all.
"Why're you complaining, little sis? You look divine, like, perfect for our date."
"Our date?" the redhead asked. "Wasn't it supposed to be your date with Tracey?"
"Aw, c'mon," the blonde proceeded to explain. "It's, like, not my fault Tracey ended up meeting a friend, so I decided to bring him a date. You should feel lucky, don't you think so?"
Misty had to hold back the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, she wasn't interested on going on a double date with Daisy and Tracey. In fact, she had the strange feeling that the other two had intentionally chosen to day so as to dump it on her, but there was no turning back now, it seemed.
She'd been so busy being the Cerulean Gym leader, she'd been a little disconnected from having dates. Not because there was nobody to ask her out; sometimes trainers came to challenge her specifically to ask her out if they won. And she always made sure to defeat them completely so she wouldn't have to accept, as some of them weren't quite as understanding as Georgio to take a "no" for an answer the first time around.
After all, there was only one person she'd like to go out with, but that was another story.
"Okay, I guess we're ready now," the eldest of the Sensational Sisters declared. "Let's go, we need to get back to the hotel, then we'll hit the amusement park for our date!"
Resigned, Misty followed Daisy to the register to pay for their shopping. They charged everything to Daisy's card and headed back to the hotel. Deep down, the redhead wondered how she was supposed to get out of this, but with the clothes already paid for, it'd be a waste to not to at least wear them.
With luck, whoever was Tracey's "friend" wouldn't be so bad.
A bit later…
Misty was starting to grow impatient. She didn't get why Daisy insisted on showing up half an hour before she'd agreed with Tracey, but there they were, standing and waiting for the watcher and his "friend" showed up. While the eldest sister smiled cheerily, the youngest simply searched her surroundings, hoping to spot Tracey to get started. The sooner they went out, the sooner they'd get it over with.
"C'mon, sis, show some enthusiasm!" said Daisy. "It's your first date in, like, how long? Four, five years?"
"You don't need to remind me," the youngest replied. "I'm here just because you dragged me, remember?"
"Oh, Misty, don't be like that. With that attitude you'll be the only among us who'd turn into a spinster aunt. Well, maybe after today we can, like, fix that, hahaha."
Misty puffed her cheeks at the remark, though inside she knew there was a shred of truth to it. She was the only one among her sisters who was still alone, and to be honest, sometimes she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of seeing Daisy and Tracey being lovey-dovey and affectionate with each other in front of her (at least, when Daisy wasn't using him as her errand boy).
Lily also talked about perhaps moving out to Coastal City with Dorian soon, as he had his own place, and even Violet, after clicking on a dating app, had three boys fighting over her until she picked one, and they turned out to be those triplets from Stone Town. The world turned out to be smaller than she thought.
Luckily for her, she didn't have to think too much about it, as her sister tapped on her shoulder and pointed out that Tracey had already spotted them and he was coming along with his friend, whoever he was.
"Daisy! Oof, sorry, did you wait for too long?" the Pokémon Watcher asked. Misty noticed how the boy had fixed himself up quite a bit for today, wearing an open dark green jacket over a white shirt, with black pants and shoes.
"Oh, you don't have to worry, babe, we've just arrived," Daisy replied. "Wow, you look so hot today. Like, let's hope your friend looks just as stunning, right, Misty?"
"Pikachupi!"
Misty had no time to answer, for in that very moment a very, very familiar Pikachu leapt to her arms to greet her. She immediately recognized her, even before turning around to see Tracey's companion approaching.
"Ash? Is that you?"
Yes, it definitely was Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. But she couldn't recognize him from a distance at first, because he looked… very different from his usual self. Instead of his trainer clothes, which would always include sneakers and a cap, today he was wearing a similar outfit to Tracey's, except his jacket was dark blue as opposed to green, his usually wild and messy hair was combed and fixed. The redhead also caught on that it'd grown a bit longer from the last time they met, and she couldn't help but wonder how it would look in its normal state.
"Hey, Misty. Good to see you, it's been a while," he greeted her with his usual smile.
"Ash, so… you'll be my date?" Misty asked, being on equal parts happy to see her childhood friend, and relieved of not having a stranger as her date.
Ash and Tracey gave her puzzled looks, as if not understanding her surprise. A second later, Tracey addressed her.
"What, didn't she tell you?" The watcher then turned to the blonde. "Daisy, didn't you tell her about it? You were the one who proposed we had a double date when I told you Ash was in town, didn't you?"
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Misty asked. "Daisy only told me you ran into a friend, but she never…"
"Oops," the blonde cut her off, giving herself a smack on the head and sticking out her tongue. "I think I may have, like, skipped that little detail, silly me."
Misty bit her lip as she narrowed her eyes at her oldest sister. Knowing her, she may have "forgotten" intentionally just to give her a little scare. Because, had she known it'd be Ash, she would have agreed instantly without hesitation. Clever girl.
"Anyway, since now the four of us are here, shall we get started?" said Daisy, getting a hold of Tracey's arm and smiling like a smitten schoolgirl. "We have the whole day ahead of us and we have to enjoy it!"
"Woah!" Tracey exclaimed as he was literally dragged by the blonde towards the inner part of the park, leaving Ash and Misty by themselves.
The redhead returned the electric mouse back to the Pallet trainer, who put him back to his usual place on his shoulder, and the two stared at one another a little nervous.
"So… I guess today we'll be each other's dates," said Ash, scratching behind his head and smiling like only he could, despite his nervousness.
"Sorry you got dragged into this," she apologized.
"Don't worry," the boy said. "Truth is… I wouldn't have agreed if Tracey hadn't told me you were here. I didn't come to this city for tourism or dating, you know?"
"Oh?" The redhead gave him an inquisitive look. "Then why are you around here, huh?"
"Hey, you two! Hurry up or we'll get ahead of you!" Daisy exclaimed, calling them from afar and still holding on to her boyfriend's arm. Even at the distance Misty could see his look saying "You better do as she says".
"We're coming!" Misty replied, and without further ado, she grabbed Ash's arm. "I think we'll have time to catch up later."
"Sounds good to me."
And thus, they headed to catch up with the other two. With so many attractions in the amusement park, no doubt they had a very long day ahead of them, with everything they could do in that place.
Maybe this double date hadn't been such a bad idea after all, if she could spend some quality time with Ash.
…
If there was a bright side, it would be that the Nimbasa amusement park was a great touristic spot. Whether it was to spend it with the family, the friends, or even better, with your romantic partner. Normally, Misty would have found this as a dream date, but since Tracey and Daisy, or better said, the latter was deciding where they went and what to do… well, the eldest sister was dragging them from one attraction to the other, looking like a little girl in a toy store.
Their first stop was the rollercoaster. As the cart had four seats, Daisy and Tracey sat on the front ones, while Ash and Misty occupied the back ones.
"Nervous?" Misty asked.
"Just a little," the boy replied. "I haven't ridden one of these in years."
"Well, if it makes you feel safer, you can hold my hand," the redhead suggested in a not-so-subtle way.
She could see a slight red tinge forming on the boy's cheeks, but far from refusing her request, he smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers. The girl couldn't help but notice how different it was to hold his hand without those gloves in the middle, as many times they'd held hands to avoid getting lost or save each other from danger. It was much nicer to feel it completely.
"Hurry up, get this thing running!" Daisy exclaimed. She seemed the most excited out of the four, and fortunately for her, right then the chain started pulling their cart over the ascension tunnel.
One minute later they were high up. Misty clenched Ash's hand when they started going downhill, faster every time. Surprisingly, neither of the two screamed, all they did was exchange glances, as if daring one another to see who gave in first. Ash's stare, equally challenging as it was charming, made her clench her teeth and smile to hold out all the ride.
Daisy, on the other hand…
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOO! ISN'T THIS EXCITING, TRACEY?!"
"CAN'T HEAR YOU, WE'RE GOING TOO FAAAAAAAAASSSSTT!"
The couple ahead screamed non-stop, one due to the excitement, the other apparently due to the terror of the vertiginous speed they were riding at. Supposedly, this rollercoaster was the highest and faster in the Unova region, and said statement didn't seem a joke. The couple in the back, on the other hand, was barely dazed at the ride, like they were just going down a pre-school slide.
The ride, full of curves, up and down, didn't last more than five minutes, but it was… interesting, to say the least. Daisy seemed super excited, while poor Tracey was paler than a bedsheet, to the point Daisy had to pull him out of his seat when he seemed unresponsive.
"Let's take another ride!" Daisy said.
"No way," he replied. "I'd like to have my feet firmly on the ground the rest of the day."
"Aw, you're such a party pooper," the blonde puffed up her cheeks before turning to them. "You two agree with me, right? Wasn't it exciting?"
"A little bit, I guess," Misty shrugged, and tried to put back in place a few locks of hair that got messy during the ride. Ash didn't seem too shaken by it, much to the eldest sister's annoyance.
"Ah, c'mon, don't be like that you two!" Daisy exclaimed, before approaching Tracey again. "Well, since you want to keep your feet on the ground, how about a tour through the haunted house? Come on, let's go!"
And the blonde grabbed her boyfriend's wrist and dragged him to the aforementioned location. Ash and Misty went after them, and the redhead finally dared to ask the question:
"You don't seem to have enjoyed the ride much, huh?"
"It wasn't bad, but… many of my Pokémon fly faster than that," he replied. "What's your excuse?"
"Hmm… I don't have one, I guess," she giggled. Maybe she just didn't want to look scared in front of him, as he wasn't even dazed by the rollercoaster's spins. Or maybe, she was the one who felt safer by holding his hand during the whole ride.
Perhaps the haunted house would be a little more thrilling.
…
"KYAAAAHHHH! SO SCARY! TRACEY, PROTECT ME!"
"You're… strangling me… air…"
As Daisy clung to Tracey's neck, and he struggled to breathe, Misty and Ash walked behind them, trying very hard not to laugh at the eldest sister's overacted, but clearly feigned terror.
To their credit, the haunted house's scenery was pretty well done, but the scares were nothing but Ghost-type Pokémon, or people in costumes jumping out trying to surprise them. They did nothing but get a slight startle for a second, and it was more from being unexpected than actually scary.
"Ahh… how boring. Not even elementary schoolers would be scared at this," said Misty.
"Hah, if I wanted to get scared at something, making you mad would be enough," Ash commented, making her narrow her eyes at him. "Just kidding."
She gave him a slight elbow as they continued to move forward. They could still hear Daisy screaming in her overacting and clinging to Tracey. Misty didn't get why she did that; it wasn't like she needed an excuse to hug him or something.
"They could at least put some effort," Misty commented as she and Ash turned around a corner. "To try and sound convincing, or maybe…"
Misty froze up. In front of her, a thin, long silver thread descended, of which a small and hairy yellow bug was hanging. It stared at her with its four blue eyes, making a *click-click* noise with is small mandibles.
She didn't scream, but a second later she realized she'd jumped and now was holding on to Ash's neck, whose arms held her from below like a princess. He also seemed surprised by her sudden outburst, and feeling their cheeks burning up they stared at one another.
"Um… do you want me to put you down?" he asked, a nervous laugh coming out of his mouth.
"Yes, please…" she replied. "Sorry about that."
"D-don't worry." Ash scratched behind his head and tried to just shrug it off. Through the corner of her eye as they continued walking, Misty could have sworn she saw Pikachu snickering at them from what just happened.
Good thing Daisy and Tracey were much further ahead and they didn't see it. Otherwise, her eldest sister wouldn't ever let her live it down.
…
"C'mon, Tracey, win that one for me!"
"Alright, alright, just let me take aim!"
Now they'd gotten in the area with games to win varied prizes. The stand they were currently at consisted on throwing fake Pokéballs to a set of conveyor belts where the moving targets were different Pokémon images, worth points depending on their rarity. The most common ones like Patrat or Pidove were worth ten points, and the values increased gradually up to Kyurem, Zekrom and Reshiram, worth a thousand each.
Tracey tried to hit the ones with the highest values on the back row, but he'd always miscalculate and another got in their way, getting lower scores. The prizes included plush dolls and collectible figurines among the lowest-valued prizes, while the highest ones had accessories like bracelets, necklaces and more, which were the ones that caught the eldest sister's eye.
"Ah, sheesh! Tracey, how come you, like, didn't hit even one?" Daisy protested.
"Oi, it's not that easy! If you want it so badly, you should try it yourself," the watcher replied.
Meanwhile, Misty and Ash stayed behind, watching as simple spectators how the argument unfolded between Daisy and Tracey. The exchange back and forth reminded them a lot of themselves in the old days, but while it was fun to watch for a bit, they were starting to catch a few curious glances their way.
"Is there anything you'd like?" Ash suddenly asked, getting Misty's attention.
The redhead looked around. She could have asked him to win her some plush dolls, but she wasn't a collector of them like her mentor and heroine Lorelei. Besides, she didn't feel like carrying the bags with them (or make him carry them). Better something small that she could wear herself.
"Hmm… how about that?" She pointed to a necklace that seemed made of pearls and seashells. Maybe it would fit with her mermaid costume, although it was worth three thousand points.
"Okay, you got it." The boy brought out some money to pay for an attempt, while Daisy and Tracey continued arguing. "Excuse me you two, can you make way for me?"
"Huh? Ah, sure Ash, go ahead," said Tracey as he and Daisy stepped back. Ash for his part took his position and spun one of the fake Pokéballs a couple times on his right hand, before taking aim.
"Let me show you how it's done," he said closing an eye to lock on. "The secret is on the wrist, and keep the eye on the target."
And thus, as fast as he said it, he threw the ball, taking down a Zekrom. Then he went for the second and hit a Reshiram, leaving the older couple with their jaws hanging due to his accuracy. And then, as the cherry on top, he hit a Kyurem with the third.
He seemed to choose those ones as targets deliberately. When he was given the necklace, the boy approached to put it on Misty's neck himself. She graciously accepted it, touching it slightly as she glanced at Ash with an interrogating expression.
"Looks nice on you," Ash said with a smile, which Pikachu followed with a thumbs up.
Tracey and Daisy still seemed stunned, and the blonde gave the watcher a glare, while he started chuckling nervously.
"How come you don't have that aim?!" she exclaimed, giving him slight punches like a girl throwing a tantrum. "Come on, like, you have to totally win one for me!"
…
A couple hours later, it finally seemed they'd have a moment alone. After stopping at the ice cream parlor to eat some Castelia Cones, they rode the Ferris Wheel. Tracey and Daisy agreed to allow them to ride a separate cockpit so they could talk, flirt or whatever they wanted.
The idea seemed tempting, but after all they'd done so far… Misty wasn't quite in the mood to enjoy the ride.
A pity, since in other circumstances it would have been awesome.
"Great viw, don't you think so?" the redhead asked as they went up.
"The night view's even better," Ash replied. "The city's night lights are awesome."
"Hmm… I'd like to see that."
She probably sounded less thrilled than normal, as she took notice of Ash turning in her direction. Looking through the corner of her eye, she noticed a tinge of worry in his face.
"You don't seem to be having a lot of fun," the Pallet trainer said.
Misty sighed. Sometimes, Ash was a little clueless to notice some things, but this time he saw right through her. Maybe it was maturity, or he just had known her long enough.
"Too obvious, isn't it? I haven't had a date in a long time, and until I saw you… I wasn't too keen on it," she confessed.
"Well, I wouldn't have come if Tracey hadn't told me you were here," he confessed back, scratching the back of his head. "Because I really wanted to see you."
Misty smiled; those words were really sweet of him. But it was weird, to be on a date, knowing they liked each other, yet they weren't enjoying themselves. Maybe it was because Tracey and Daisy had almost dragged them by force.
"We'll be here for a while so… why not catch up with each other?" the redhead asked. "You still haven't told me what brought you to Nimbasa."
"Just doing some errands for Scott in the Frontier," the boy explained. "I was more surprised to run into Tracey, you know?"
"Hmm… so what happened?" Misty asked with interes. Ash immediately started telling her everything.
…
After a long day of lectures and exhibition battles in the Nimbasa Battle Institute, Ash wanted nothing but to go to a good restaurant to have dinner, leaving his team except for Pikachu at the Pokémon Center. All of them deserved a good rest after their efforts.
They were sitting at an outdoor table as he devoured a giant burger, while Pikachu enjoyed his own snacks. Nothing like the ones made by his friends, obviously, but they were still good and the mouse was delighted with them.
"Hmm, nothing like a good meal to end a long day," said Ash. "It's not Mom's cooking, but at least we're just two days away from heading back to Kanto."
Despite traveling so much, and not being able to stay in a single place for too long, Ash would always feel great to go back home after a long absence. Not just in Pallet Town, but also in other places of Kanto he'd come to consider homes. In Pewter, there was Brock, and in Cerulean, there was, of course, her.
The Kanto International Airport was a little further from Cerulean, but it wasn't that big of a detour, so he wouldn't mind stopping by for a while, if only to say hi to Misty.
'I haven't seen her in a while,' he thought with a bit of nostalgia.
It was so weird; why was he suddenly remembering her?
However, his thoughts were interrupted when, much to his surprise, he wasn't the only one to choose that place to grab a snack. While he continued to eat and trail off, suddenly his partner raised his tail, stopped munching and tugged his sleeve.
"Pikapi!"
"Huh? What's up, Pikachu?"
The trainer turned around and saw a familiar face across the street. It was Tracey, carrying a large amount of bags as he waited for the light change to cross, and after he did so, Ash raised a hand trying to get his attention.
"Hey, Tracey, over here! Tracey!"
The watched took a bit to notice him, but after he did, he was very glad to see him, and immediately ran towards him. He ordered something for himself, and the two started chatting to get up to speed.
"I didn't expect to see you around here," Tracey commented as he took a sip from his icy coffee. "Weren't you supposed to be on a tour with the rest of the Frontier Brains?"
"They sent me for a conference in the Battle Institute here. But it was supposed to be a quick stop, since I have to go back to Kanto in three days. But, what are you doing here?"
"Well, Daisy invited me, or rather, she dragged me to the premiere of her new movie. Not that I'm complaining; we're getting VIP seats and she's paying for everything, but while we're here, she didn't want to waste the chance to do some sightseeing and buy souvenirs, you know."
He pointed at the shopping bags he was carrying. It was then Ash noticed they were of exclusive brands of clothing, accessories and more, typical of the Sensational Sisters.
Right then, on the table next to them sat a red-haired woman who was cradling a little Azurill in her arms as she waited for her order. The sight reminded him of another redhead, and for a moment the image of Misty overlapped in his head.
As he stared at her, Tracey looked over his shoulder on the same direction as Ash, and then turned to see him again. He then looked back at the woman, and then Ash again. By the way he was smiling a few seconds later, it seemed the gears in his brain started working and connected the dots.
"Misty came with us too, you know?" Tracey commented. "I bet she'd be very happy to see you."
That made Ash immediately pause on chewing on his burger. From what he knew, Misty usually wouldn't accompany her sisters on her stardom tours, as that wasn't her field. In the past few years she'd focused more on her trainer and Gym Leader career.
But if she was here now… he couldn't pass up the chance to at least greet her. He'd waited for a long time to see her, after all.
Right then, something vibrated on Tracey's pocket, and the watcher frantically pulled out a SmartRotom to answer. For a moment, Ash saw a fearful look in Tracey's eyes as if expecting something bad, like a scolding.
"Yeah, hello?"
"Mind if I ask, like, what's taking you so long?" It seemed Tracey had put the phone on speaker, so Ash could hear the voice of the eldest Sensational Sister. "You should have returned half an hour ago."
"Sorry, I just stopped by to rest and eat something," the watcher excused himself. "Besides, I ran into someone we know."
"Who do you …?" Before Daisy could ask the full question, Tracey had already put the phone in Ash's direction for her to see. It was on videocall, and the blonde's expression went from annoyed to surprised, and then to delighted. "Oh! It's totally Ashy-boy! Like, how're you going, sweetie?! Life's treating you good?"
"I guess so," the trainer replied. "Er… congrats on your new movie, by the way."
"Oh, thanks, I'm flattered!" the blonde said. "Oh, but you're here, like, my little sister totally needs to know! Oh my, she's gonna be on the moon when she finds out!"
"I was talking to him about that," Tracey intervened. "Ash, how about you come with me back to the hotel?"
"No, no, wait up!" said Daisy. "I have a totally better idea. Tracey, we were going out tomorrow, yes? Like, how about we have… a double date?"
"A double date?" the trainer from Pallet Town asked. Though quickly enough, Daisy went on a rant nonstop, saying Tracey everything she had to do, including taking Ash to a good place where he could get nice clothes and look presentable.
…
"And that's how it went," Ash concluded. "I had to go with Tracey and get this getup to look, as she put it "presentable"."
"Haha, well, you already know my sister. But I'm not complaining; you actually look pretty handsome," said Misty. "Speaking of… would you like to come with us to the premiere? I bet Daisy could get you an extra ticket."
"I wish I could, but I have to go after tomorrow," he said. "And you know, movies and show business isn't actually my thing."
Misty was a little disappointed at his answer, but she didn't insist anymore. She couldn't say she wasn't happy, as despite having such a small window of opportunity to see her, he took it, and she greatly appreciated that.
But there was still something missing.
"Even so, when I agreed to this double date, I would have liked to do some different with you," said Ash. "Something… for old times' sake."
"Old times?" the redhead asked, though she quickly got what he meant by that.
So it was that. They were doing what Daisy wanted, not what she and Ash liked to do. As for Tracey, he was always willing to please her sister, even if he didn't like it, but why should they do the same? They felt like little more than decoration.
The redhead looked down. From their current altitude there was an excellent view of the entire city, but looking down below there was quite a ruckus not too far from the park itself. A huge symbol lit in neon lights revealed it was the Nimbasa Gym. It was so weird to see the place so lively at this hour, as if a great show was currently going on.
And she was curious about it.
"Say, Ash… how about we take a little escapade?"
"Escapade?" the boy asked, not understanding.
"Let's face it, this date's turning out a bit dull for both of us. Didn't you say so, that you want to do something we both enjoy?" the redhead suggested, making a gesture so he'd look in the same direction as her.
The boy glanced down, towards the gym, then at her, and smiled when he finally caught on what she was suggesting. Next, Misty whispered to him that, as they'd get off the ride first, they'd sneak out when Daisy and Tracey couldn't see them.
There seemed to be a big show over there, and she wanted to see it.
…
As it turned out, on that same day the Nimbasa Gym was doing a Fashion and Battle Show, organized by the leader Elesa. Intertwined with a fashion show, sometimes she and her assistants/models would pick someone from the crowd to battle them.
Misty thought all of this glamour may have been enticing for her sister, except for the battling part, obviously.
"And now, my darling fans! I've gotten plenty of dazzling challengers, yet not even one has been able to dethrone me today! But is that about to change now?!"
Elesa was announcing herself from the catwalk, looking around as everyone screamed, flashed their cameras to get photos, or tried to jump forward to get a better look of her. And then, the leader's eyes became fixated in their direction.
"Oh! What do my eyes see, a familiar face?! It's none other than Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
The reflectors immediately set on them. Ash was briefly surprised, but he also greeted the gym leader when she approached.
"Hey, Elesa. It's been a while."
"Indeed it has." The blonde looked in Misty's direction, probably noticing how she was holding onto Ash's arm. "I see you're in nice company. Are you two on a date?"
"Well… yes, we are," he said. Misty clung to his arm tighter.
"We wanted to take a little escapade, just the two of us, you know. The name's Misty, by the way."
"Oh, I know who you are. The Cerulean Gym Leader, and youngest of the four Sensational Sisters. Yes, I've seen you in Kanto's fashion magazines, but I didn't know you were together."
The comment instantly made Misty's cheeks flare up. And as she looked at Ash, both of them were left speechless for a second, until he finally answered:
"What? No, we're not actually… right?"
"Eh? No, actually… this was my sister and her boyfriend's idea," Misty explained.
"Hmm… is that so?" Elesa didn't seem convinced. "You could have fooled me. Being so close to each other as you are, you know?"
She noticed that the blonde looked at their arms holding onto one another. From that point of view, and considering they had admitted to being on a date, it made sense for her to assume they were together-together. But they weren't… not yet at least.
"Well, how about to take part now? Since you came here together, would you like to face me two against one? I'm up for a good challenge, and I know Ash is a good trainer by himself. How good could he be teaming up with his girlfriend? Or should I say future girlfriend?"
"But she's not my…"
"We're just childhood friends," Misty insisted. "That's all!"
"Childhood friends hold each other arms' like that? You can't fool me, I can tell when two people like one another just by seeing them," Elesa insisted, pointing towards the way they held onto one another, very close, and winking at them.
Neither of them found words to protest. Elesa had a valid point, and the fact neither did an effort to separate even after she said it only confirmed her words. And they both knew it.
After a few seconds, they decided that they'd defend themselves better by keeping quiet. When they exited the Gym, they'd talk about it calmly. For now, they should focus on the battle.
Meanwhile, Elesa asked for the battle arena to be ready. The gym's catwalk opened in half to make way to a large battlefield. People had to step back to give it room, and Elesa had stepped up on the other side. Ash and Misty stepped up to theirs, ready to battle, while one of Elesa's models/assistants stood on the center to act as referee as she announced the rules.
"This'll be a two versus one battle between Elesa, the Nimbasa Gym Leader, and the challengers, Ash and Misty! The challengers will be allowed to use one Pokémon each against two of the leader's! It'll be a double battle!"
The Pallet Town trainer glanced at his partner on his shoulder, as if asking if he wanted to get into the fray. Pikachu just made a gesture to let him know that, should he choose to send someone else, that was fine to him. Ash for his part then gave Misty a glance.
"Ladies first," he said in an amused tone.
Misty smiled with determination, and gave a look to their opponent. She was an Electric-type specialist, her natural enemy. Of course, she'd had years and years of training to counter said weakness, especially when challengers would try so obviously to exploit it.
"I'm ready! Misty calls Corsola!"
The small pink coral Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, ready to fight. Elesa gave it a look before throwing two Pokéballs herself.
"Eelektross, Galvantula, it's your time to shine!"
On the other side of the field, an eel and a giant spider appeared. Misty couldn't help but wince when she saw the latter, but she relaxed when a familiar hand touched her shoulder.
"Don't worry, we can handle this," Ash told her, grabbing one of his own Pokéballs. "Talonflame, I choose you!"
And with that, the small fire falcon appeared too, squawking and flapping from their side.
"Ready, GO!" the assistant declared.
"Now my darlings, start with a double Thunderbolt!"
Both of Elesa's Pokémon sparked before launching a pair of lightning bolts that combined together into a stronger one. It was quite obvious they were aiming at Talonflame first, but Misty was already expecting this, and decided her first move accordingly.
"Corsola, use Mirror Coat!" she called.
The small coral jumped to intercept the lightning going towards her partner. While she winced at the attack's power, she endured enough to return it to their foes. They dodged the direct impact, but the resulting explosion was enough to disorient them, and Ash decided to capitalize on it.
"Talonflame, Flame Charge at Galvantula!"
The bird squawked and setting himself ablaze, charged forward towards the spider at full speed, taking it down and flying to the other side of the field to do a U-turn.
"Eelektross, use Coil and get ready!"
The eel coiled on her own body and glowed red while powering up attack, defense and accuracy. Misty took those seconds to evaluate Corsola's condition after the damage taken by the initial attack.
"Corsola, use Recover!"
As the coral Pokémon started healing herself, Misty knew she'd be vulnerable to attack in the meantime. But, as she wasn't fighting alone, she trusted her partner to cover that, while Galvantula got back on its feet.
"Galvantula, trap Corsola with Electroweb!"
The spider jumped and spewed out a huge electric spider web to the motionless Corsola. Fortunately, Ash and Talonflame were attentive and reacted in response.
"Talonflame, Razor Wind!"
The fire bird obliged, and flapping strongly launched two huge blades that shred the net before it could make contact with Corsola, who finished the healing as the threads fell around her sparking harmlessly.
"Oh, I can see you synchronize pretty well," said Elesa. "But let's see what you'll do with this! Eelektross, Dragon Claw on Talonflame! Galvantula, Energy Ball at Corsola!"
"Corsola, counter with Hydro Pump!"
"Talonflame, Steel Wing!"
And thus, while Galvantula fired a green sphere at Corsola, who countered with a water turrent, Eelektross locked itself in a melee duel of draconian claws versus metallic wings, the clashes resounding all over the gym. Corsola's Hydro Pump won against the Energy Ball, pushing Galvantula towards Eelektross' back, interrupting their assault and giving Talonflame the opening to land a hard blow to knock them away.
"Eelektross, Thunderbolt!" Elesa called.
The electric eel fired a discharge at the falcon, but once more, Ash was ready with a defense of his own.
"Use Steel Wing and redirect it!"
Rather than try to dodge the attack, Talonflame flew horizontally, keeping the Steel Wing active. The bolt struck one of the wings as the bird dragged the other across the floor, nullifying any damage that could have been done, much to Elesa's surprise.
"Flame Charge, again!" Ash cried.
Said and done, Talonflame set himself ablaze to charge against Eelektross. Misty noted how, by keeping the Steel Wing active, it turned into a red-hot blade, which adding up the speed boost would increase the damage inflicted.
Meanwhile, Corsola was doing pretty well against Galvantula. Getting a good hold on her nerves, Misty called the coral Pokémon to bombard the spider with Spike Canon, and riding on a Surf wave to dodge the continuous Electroweb barrage, until they finally decided to switch tactics.
"Galvantula, use Disable!"
The spider's eyes glowed in a red aura, which surrounded the coral Pokémon coral and dissipated the water wave while still in midair, leaving her helpless.
"Oh no!"
"Electroweb once more!" Elesa shouted.
This time, the electric net caught the coral Pokémon, who struggled trying to break free, but now she was completely defenseless and at the spider's mercy.
"Energy Ball!"
As Corsola struggled, and with Talonflame busy with Eelektross, Galvantula charged the green energy sphere and shot it at the pink coral. The resulting explosion sent her flying through the air, and it certainly hurt her with the double weakness.
"Corsola!" Misty cried.
"Talonflame, rescue Corsola!" Ash called.
Without wasting a second, the falcon left his enemy alone and flew towards his partner, catching her with his talons before she could get hurt even further with the fall. She seemed a bit heavy for him, but he managed to keep steady in the air without much difficulty.
"How moving, helping your partner. Galvantula, catch them both with Electroweb!"
"Talonflame, Razor Wind!" Ash exclaimed.
As Talonflame fired out wind blades to keep the nets at bay, Misty took the chance to order Corsola to use Recover once more to heal the sustained damage. However, Eelektross seized the chance to fire a Thunderbolt at them, momentarily electrifying them and forcing Talonflame to drop Corsola. The latter's regeneration wasn't that effective due to that, and Talonflame clearly winced at the attack, but they weren't beaten yet.
Misty bit her lip. Was there any way to take one of Elesa's Pokémon quickly, so they could double-team on the other?
"Ash, I've got an idea," she told the boy. "Can you have Talonflame fire a Razor Wind stronger than the last?"
"For what?"
Misty clenched his hand, and smirked in a way that only said "You just trust me". A second later, he nodded and focused back on the battlefield.
"Talonflame, prepare a Razor Wind with everything you've got!"
The falcon squawked again and took distance to prepare the attack. Elesa gave them a puzzled look, but seemed not to care and continued the battle on her own way.
"Galvantula, Eelektross, double Thunderbolt against that bird!"
"Corsola, protect Talonflame and activate Recover!" Misty called.
It seemed crazy, but the coral Pokémon got in the way to receive the bolts, activating the healing move preemptively. Despite the cries of pain, somehow she endured. Corsola may not look like it, but she'd trained by taking attacks from Gyarados, which turned her into a real tank to endure punishment.
Right then, there was a slight flash around Corsola, indicating that the Surf was available again. Misty ordered her to ride the wave and get on the arena's opposite side, knowing that Elesa's Pokémon would get out to dodge to focus on Talonflame, who'd charged up the Razor Wind at full power.
"Talonflame, fire!"
And so he did; two giant wind blades were launched towards Elesa's Pokémon, who seemed to be waiting for it and jumped to evade them without issues.
"Gosh, how predictable. Did you think we couldn't dodge that?"
"Corsola, Mirror Coat!"
Misty caught on how Elesa's satisfied expression turned to shock when she gave her order, and only then did she realize (a bit too late) who the real target was. The attack wasn't meant for them, but for Corsola, who raised the reflective shield as she leapt into the air, and angling down in a way to redirect it to her opponents as soon as the blades impacted.
"Oh no! Get out of there!" the Nimbasa leader shouted.
Galvantula managed to leap out of the way, but Eelektross wasn't so lucky. On top of that, the Mirror Coat doubled the power and speed of the blades, so when they hit the eel, they detonated with great force, leaving it out of the battle.
"Eelektross, no!" Elesa exclaimed.
"Good, now we're two against one!" the Pallet Town trainer celebrated. "Talonflame, use Flame Charge!"
"Corsola, Spike Cannon!"
Without missing a beat, and now they had numerical advantage, Corsola started bombarding the spiders with projectiles, making it pull back to get cover, as the bird flew around to get behind for an attack as he set himself ablaze before diving. The assault continued for a while, with Talonflame and Corsola alternating to strike Galvantula nonstop, while Elesa frantically tried to give orders to turn it around, without much success. Sparks and electric nets flew around Talonflame and Corsola, but never hitting on target.
"Misty, let's finish it now together!" Ash proposed, once they had the spider against the ropes.
"Alright!" Misty agreed.
Both trainers glanced at their Pokémon, who nodded back, understanding what they had to do without being told. Instantly, Talonflame flew in front of Corsola, ready to deliver the final strike.
"Corsola, Hydro Pump!"
"Talonflame, Brave Bird!"
Both the crowd and Elesa gasped. It seemed insane: placing Talonflame in front of a Water-type attack. But when he charged up his aura for the final attack, he folded his wings and started spinning like a drill, boosted even further by the Hydro Pump's spiraling effect.
The spinning only increased the impact force, hitting Galvantula at full power and raising a huge cloud of steam and splashing water. Seconds later, an exhausted but victorious Talonflame emerged from the cloud, and upon dissipating, they saw the result.
Galvantula was also out of the battle.
"Eelektross and Galvantula are unable to battle! The winners are Talonflame and Corsola!" the assistant declared.
"Alright!" Ash and Misty exclaimed, high-fiving with each other in victory.
The crowd immediately cheered for them, though there were some minor boos and cries from the ones who expected to see Elesa win. And speaking of her, after returning her Pokémon, she approached them with a big smile.
"Wow, you both were amazing. You two make a great team."
"Well, it's just that we know each other pretty well, don't we, Ash?"
"Yeah, we synchronize pretty well," the boy replied.
That they did. So many years of traveling together, of fighting side by side, and even being occasionally rivals, helped them know each other well, to understand one another and synchronize like few could during battle. Sometimes, not even words were needed.
"Well, I'm not complaining. It's the best battle I've had in quite a while." Elesa suddenly became thoughtful. "You know, Misty, think I could ask you a little favor?"
"What is it?" Elesa asked.
"I've got an outfit none of my models wants to wear, they say it's not fit for them. Looking at you now, I think it could be your size."
"Me? You want me to… model an outfit?" Misty became nervous.
"Oh, rest easy, it's not lingerie or something indecent. I just think it may look good on you."
Misty stared at Ash, as if asking for his opinion. Should he accept? Ash didn't seem to oppose to it, but she wasn't sure if it'd be a good idea. Not for the modelling, as she already had some experience on it thanks to her sisters, but because she wasn't sure what she could be getting into.
…
In the end, the outfit in question was formed by a top that left her midriff bare, a wide skirt and detached sleeves covering her arms, all in colors white, dark and light blue, and yellow like the Pokémon Primarina. A bit extravagant, maybe, but not indecent. Elesa even let her keep it as a present, as none of her assistants seemed to want it, and while she was unsure, she ended up accepting for peace's sake, as a prize of sorts for winning the battle.
"How did I end up with this?" she asked herself.
"What do you complain about? It looks nice on you," said Ash.
She blushed. Maybe not as much as that time she saw them in that Goldeen costume, but then again, getting a compliment from Ash about her appearance would always give her that reaction.
It was a pity the show was exclusively with female models, as she would have loved to see him with his own getup.
"So you finally show up. Like, could you tell me what you were doing?"
When they reached the amusement park's entrance again, they saw a very angry Daisy, arms folded and tapping her foot on the floor. She looked like she'd been waiting for a while. Next to her, Tracey laughed nervously as he scratched behind the neck.
"Nothing you should worry about," said Misty. "What, didn't you guys have fun alone?"
"How was I supposed to be having fun, when my little sister went off by herself?" Daisy explained, before looking at her from head to toe. "And, like, what's up with that outfit?"
"There, there, easy," said Tracey as he tried to contain the blonde. "Besides, she wasn't by herself. Ash was with her all the while, right?"
"Yes," said Misty. "We were getting bored, and decided to do something we both enjoyed."
"Something like what? And you still haven't answered my question, like, where did you get that outfit?"
"We both enjoy battles, so we went to the Nimbasa Gym," Ash answered for her. "As for this outfit… Elesa gave it to me."
"Say what?!"
Daisy only seemed more confused at her explanation, so they told her how in that moment the city's gym leader was doing a fashion show combined with Pokémon battles with members of the crowd, and they took part as well. Then, Misty told her how Elesa offered her to model in the show, and as a reward she let her keep the outfit.
The blonde was left with her mouth agape upon understanding the implications, specifically on what she'd missed out.
"You were invited to model?! Ah, that's soooo not fair! Like, why didn't you call me?!" Daisy exclaimed.
"Because battles are boring for you?" Misty replied. "That was part of the event, and what actually interested us Ash and me."
"Well, but… aish, the modeling part, I'd gladly have taken part!" the blonde complained. "Ah, sheesh, who likes to have Pokémon battles in their dates?"
Misty and Ash laughed. Why did Daisy care so much about what they did? The idea of having a date was to do something they both enjoyed and have a nice time together. And if they loved Pokémon battling, what was the problem?
"Well, well, there's no harm done, is it?" Tracey intervened, pulling out his SmartRotom. "Look at the time, the concert's about to start!"
"Concert?" a confused Ash asked.
"Ah, didn't we tell you?" Daisy pulled out a poster from her bag, showing a female singer with long, blond hair (of a lighter tone than hers), and the lower part had a bunch of big, colorful letters that read Sunny90. "One of my friends is gonna give a concert at the Live House tonight. Violet and Lily are coming too, but we still had one ticket to spare. If you want it…"
"Well, as long as Misty has no objections…"
The boy glanced at her. For a moment, she felt tempted to say she preferred to carry on with the date on their own, if only to stay alone with him. But they'd already met the band's vocalist and she'd been really nice by offering them the free tickets for the best seats. It'd be very rude to refuse the invitation.
"Sounds great," Misty finally said. "As long as you don't get away from me."
"I wouldn't dream about it," she realized.
"Well, then we're heading to the Live House!" Daisy exclaimed, dragging Tracey by the arm. How didn't she trip with those heels, it was a mystery.
As they walked, Misty noticed how Ash stared at her, as if he wanted to ask her something, but didn't dare. Deciding to take the initiative, she elbowed him on the side to catch his attention.
"Hmm?"
"Something troubling you?" the redhead asked.
"Me? No, of course not."
"Don't lie to me," she insisted. "Is it about what Elesa said at the Gym? About you and me being…?"
"Well… could be…" the trainer half-admitted. Misty saw how Pikachu narrowed his eyes, clearly trying to say he should stop playing around. The girl sighed. "Alright, fine. It's just that I… well, you're my best friend, but I've been thinking for a while… that I like you in a different way."
"Is that so? Well, I haven't gone out on dates with anybody to else for a long time. And, you know, I wasn't too keen about this double date thing, until I saw you."
"I think Elesa was right," Ash admitted. "Childhood friends don't hold each other's arms this way during a date, do they? That means… we're something else?"
"I don't know." She smiled. "But I wouldn't mind if we were. Would you?"
Both stared at each other silently. Seeing her own reflection on the boy's eyes made the dormant feelings in the girl's heart bloom again after a long, long time.
"No, of course not," he said. "But I'm not sure if…"
"Shhh." Misty silenced him with a finger on his lips. "Don't fret over that now. We'll have enough time to talk it out during our second date."
"Se… second?"
"Of course," she said firmly. "I know you have to go back to Kanto soon, but I'll return too after the movie's premiere. We'll have enough time to decide where we'll go and what we'll do." She clung harder to his arm as she came closer to whisper to his ear. "And this time… it'll be just the two of us."
"That… that sounds good." He smiled.
Both continued their walk, having to pick up the pace a little upon realizing that Daisy and Tracey were leaving them behind. As they approached the Live House, Misty suddenly remembered she still had to do something very, very important.
She'd better give it to him now they weren't being seen, just in case she forgot later or missed her chance.
*SWAK!*
"Hey, what was that for?" he asked, turning red.
"What? A kiss on the cheek is normal on the first date," said Misty. "Did it bother you?"
"No… not at all," he said as he rubbed his cheek. She giggled, although for the next date, she planned to take the next step.
The double date hadn't been too bad, but it was definitely the last time she'll let Daisy drag her into going out together. For the next time, she wanted a normal single date, just her and Ash so they could do whatever they wanted, however they wanted, and wherever they wanted.
FIN.
Author's notes:
Happy late Valentine's Day, people! Okay, so before anybody asks, I've had my hands full in the past few days, so I hadn't been able to translate this oneshot sooner. Multitasking can be a hassle, but if you manage, it's very satisfactory.
Anyway, this was another of the oneshots I had planned for last year's PokéShipping Week, but I left it unpublished as I wanted to reedit it a little bit, mostly to expand the date scenes, as the battle remained mostly the same (I'd been looking forward to write Misty and Ash having a battle together as a team). Then, some things happened and I decided to give it as a gift to my friend Suki90 (gave her the finished document a few days before posting it, aside from adding the small detail of the music band and the vocalist who's supposed to represent her). I hope she likes it. Last but not least, in case you didn't catch it, the costume Misty wears in the final scene is supposed to be her Sygna Suit from Masters. A pretty nice one, if you ask me.
Anyway, I guess that's all. Special thanks to Shadechu Nightray and PinkStar for all the beta-reading they did, a huge help as always. As for future plans, I only have one last shot starring Ash and Misty that I've yet to get out of my head. Then I'd like to do something with the other Sensational Sisters, anybody would like to see that? Until next time!
