(edited.2020.04.01)
Locked Away, Chapter 17
The walk to Pewter City was a slow one. Ash was starving by the halfway point, but neither member of the duo had thought to bring food with them for their journey. Misty left the gym in such a rush, she barely had any pokemon with her. While Ash had been in such a fit abandoning the gym itself, he did not bother considering rations. Typically, this would not have been an issue had it not been for their hurry to leave Viridian City. They could have easily grabbed lunch there, maybe even something to go—but unfortunately for the bickering couple, that was the least of their worries. They spent too much of the day talking with Cole.
"The sun is going down." Ash grimaced, watching the early winter sundown with a look of disdain. He glanced at Misty. "You didn't bring any supplies, did you?" Ash grimaced at his companion who snorted confidently and rolled her eyes. Her confident strides never broke pace.
"I didn't think I would be going to Pewter City." She said matter-of-factly, raising her eyebrows. "Besides, we should be there in another..." She glanced around the forest trail, looking for the mile marker and exhaled loudly.
"An hour, maybe less? I don't remember the markers that well, it's been a long time since I've traveled to Pewter City by foot." she sighed, rubbing her forearms and shifting the weight of the sleeping togepi. They shared an unspoken agreement with one another, fighting or not. Misty would hold togepi, and Ash would hold pikachu, who was indefinitely out of shape and laughing pathetically in its trainer's arms. Ash tried to push the weight of the pokemon out of his mind, as well as the growl of his stomach with each passing footstep.
"Great." Ash grimaced, unable to deter his thoughts from both the new, exciting information about the possibility of Brock remembering something about their journeys like Pikachu, or the idea of food. His stomach growled loudly, heaving a sigh from Misty.
"I can't believe you didn't pack food." She scolded him, her sneakers scuffing the dirt below. Ash threw his face to the side and glared awkwardly at the side of the forest, the sun's shadow casting his face dark behind his raven hair. Misty sighed once again; at least she was trying to make conversation?
"Pika." the pokemon cooed from Ash's arms, twisting in reply to Misty, though its trainer did not.
"At least Pikachu is polite." She said happily, getting another squeal in response as it gushed happily at her. His reaction brought a smirk to her lips; at least pikachu, whatever memories the small mouse had of her, were pleasant ones. During the first part of the walk, pikachu's pokemon babble filled the silence between them. Misty didn't understand at all what the mouse pokemon said, but Ash apparently spoke fluently.
Which was just... unheard of. Was she losing her mind?
Turning her attention back to their current issues, she knew traveling by night would not be the safest bet because of poachers, thieves, and wild animals; but with four-ish hours walking distance behind them, she rubbed her hands together eagerly. She wasn't even sure by now how long it would take to arrive at their destination. It was impossible to determine how far they had traveled out of Viridian City and into the forest, and she couldn't recall the distance between the two off the top of her head. Glancing at Ash who was busying himself with small talk with pikachu across the path from her, she gave a loud sigh.
An hour passed at a snail's pace once pikachu fell asleep tucked inside of Ash's bag. Their steady was full of silence, and their aching bellies. An overall irritation caused by their circumstance provided less to talk about as time marched forward. Exhaustion had taken rest in their bones, and they were further from chatty than they had been at the start. Misty almost felt the weight of tension weighing down her shoulders. A piece of her wanted to yell at him, frustrated beyond belief at his childish behavior, 'the silent treatment', but she supposed that's what a great part of him was—a child, at least mentally.
With the sun down for over an hour, and the path barely visible ahead of them, she feared they may get lost in the darkness. Ash struggled to keep his footing on the ever-increasing rocky terrain until finally, he kicked a larger rock with a loud sigh. Probably having stubbed his toe against it.
"I can't see anything." He admitted stepping closer to Misty. Eyes refusing to adjust to the darkness, he ran a hand down his face. Misty's face scrunched up in reply as she faced the direction of his voice. With the stars and moon hidden by spreading clouds, she let out a loud, frustrated sigh; reciprocated by a matching one from Ash.
"I thought you said it was only an hour away?" Ash complained, juggling his backpack a little bit. Misty fumbled to tuck togepi into her purse to free her hands and maneuver herself closer to Ash's shadow.
"I also said it's been years since I've traveled by foot. We can't be too far..." Misty murmured, grateful to have some voice in the darkness, the silence chilled her to the bone. In the ever-increasing shadow, Ash shuddered.
Truthfully, Ash hadn't been aware of his immediate silence. He was busy in his own mind, rearranging the information he received over the last few months. How much was true and how much wasn't? He didn't mean in regard to Misty's hiccup, but in understanding now, not a single person he talked with truly knew the answer. They were all guessing. He was guessing. And he had never experienced darkness like this outside of his dream state, right before he woke up. Away from the city lights with the sky blotted out by clouds, the Viridian Forest was the epitome of black; casting and running several miles longer than route one. Being who he was, he never noticed how long the stretch was, in his dreams, he would wander for hours and hours, never seeming to need stop for food or water; in most occasions, it was always there for him. This feeling, this scene, was all so different. He had no idea how many miles apart the two cities were; realistically, he imagined that they could be hundreds of miles apart—that would make the most sense...but they had walked for nearly six hours; that should have put them near Pewter City.
Misty, with aching feet, waited patiently for a reply from Ash, finally hearing the scuffle of his feet press forward as a modest reply; followed by a sharp groan of frustration.
"We should be close. We'll walk a bit more?" He motioned forward and Misty followed him.
The darkness unsettled him more than Misty. For whatever reason, his body hurt. Probably because of the strain he put on it, but the pain started at his core and branched out like roots. It wasn't like the soreness he developed when he overworked himself at the gym, or even the woes of recovery during the hospital. Something inside of him ached, and twisted, and he wanted out of this forest as soon as possible. He didn't care if he had to walk all night.
Misty blinked, unsure of his response. A howl tore through the breeze which tore through her jacket and she finally stopped and pulled on his shoulder.
"It's winter. With clouds like that it could storm any minute. We should think about setting up camp instead." She suggested hiding the crack in her voice. Ash looked at her hand in the darkness, embracing the warmth is provided and watched her eyes gleam dimly. The distant hum of sleeping animals, pokemon, and bugs sent shivers down her spine.
"Besides, it's cold out... We should make a fire or something." She tried to rationalize because she was frozen in her track pants and sneakers, but she would never say that. Not right now.
Ash sighed, her hand fell from his shoulder and he shuddered uncomfortably.
"One more hour?" he tried, and unable to argue, she pressed closer to him so they wouldn't get separated in the darkness. Close enough his body heat radiated to her.
Having only been really active for the last few months, Ash struggled a bit with the hills and rocks. His muscles ached at every step, he felt blisters forming on his toes, and after all of that, he felt sweaty under his winter coat that kept him so warm in the otherwise brisk weather. Actually, he imagined that walking nearly six hours straight would be daunting on anyone's physic. He was impressed Misty lacked the confidence to complain about it—though, they weren't exactly on talking terms. Well, at least he wasn't. She talked, and he mostly nodded; only now that she couldn't see him, he tried to speak a few words.
He was still mad at her—sort of. Kind of? Since the return of pikachu, and meeting his mother; and his little brother, he was in a forgiving mood—yet, something still nagged at him. She was so closed off, even now, when she should have been naturally apologetic... and she was... sort of? His head spun. Even though he joked about it, maybe he was worried that she was only here to rub his nose in his failure, a part of him wondered if that really was her intention. He rubbed his face with the back of his hand and exhaled loudly.
"Mist, what's up with you?" He voiced his concerns, eyes narrowed. Had it not been so dark, he might have seen her face screw up at the comment.
"What do you mean?" She said, her eyes snaking to his voice.
"You said you couldn't travel because of the gym." He offered, unable to directly rephrase his question.
Tired, frustrated, and hungry, she huffed; "That's right."
"But you're here?" he inquired, glancing at her shadow.
"Only because I asked for a favor from Daisy," she said nonchalantly.
Whether it be because of his exhaustion or general discomfort with her, he growled lowly. "You couldn't have asked before?" When I actually needed your help. He added bitterly in his thoughts.
She sighed loudly. She didn't want to be the person to say this to him, but between freezing, and the complete lack of depth perception, she relented.
"Not everything is about you, Ash." She said with a snarl. Though he shouldn't have taken offense, emotion mixed with his tiredness made his jaw lock angrily.
"Not everything is about you." He countered, not sure of what to answer; his brain was ticking. Talking, or rather, trying to fight with the redhead just for the sake of passing time. Misty, feeling this as well breathed out cautiously.
"Perhaps the best course of action would be to continue our bout of silence?" She suggested, rubbing her tired eyes. Ash sighed to himself but agreed.
The wind picked up a few minutes later as the Viridian Forest seemed endless in the dark night. The bristle of the leaves found comfort for Ash, who had been lost in his own thoughts, mulling over his brain why he would be mad at Misty still. If she had told him sooner, he could have... He looked down frequently listening to the sleeping purrs of the pokemon in his bag, and it filled his chest with great relief. Nothing in this world could have been more satisfying than finally hearing that someone else knew what he knew... More importantly that he had his old friend back. Even if such a news was shrouded in the embodiment of his mother's rejection. He stuttered and his heart stung with each step as he relived the rejection of his mom. The sound of sleeping forest-pokemon reverberated from every corner, but the sound of none-sleeping pokemon rang louder; finally, Misty stopped, affirmative in her objection to continuing.
"We're stopping for the night." She said, swinging her purse down gently against the forest floor, hearing the gently purr of togepi in her pack.
"I'm sure we're almo-"
"Ash, my feet are tired. My head is killing me. My muscles ache; I'm freezing and I'm tired. You're tired. We haven't eaten since this morning. We can't see anything, and at this point, we're probably moving into dangerous territory walking at night like this. We could get lost without supplies, and winter doesn't offer the best wild food as you can see from the lack of berry bushes thus far."
While speaking, she shifted her phone out of her purse around togepi, and flashed the light on to use as a temporary flashlight. When the glow illuminated her face, Ash finally saw the flush of her pale cheeks, unkempt, windblown hair in every direction, and the puffiness of her tired eyes. First, he felt bad because she hadn't said something sooner. Looking at her made his own confidence dwindle and he looked longingly into the distance. Pewter City couldn't have been too far... but she had a point. Getting lost would be a far more detrimental problem to their situation. Following her lead, he slithered off his backpack, gently setting pikachu on the ground beside the green pack, and fully unzipped the zipper to rummage inside. Misty came to his side a moment later, standing so close he felt her shivering. Damn.
"I think I stored some water bottles at the bottom of your bag." She motioned, squatting shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Couldn't have mentioned that sooner?" Ash snorted while revealing the small bottles of water. Misty smacked her lips together, taking one.
"Would you believe me if I said I forgot?" popping the lid off, she placed the tip to her mouth and sighed gregariously, taking small sips. Ash followed suit with his own; but struggled with sips, wanting to chug the bottle instead. How did he not realize how thirsty he was? If he hadn't been hungry before, the feeling was now amplified and his stomach gave a loud growl. Misty replaced the cap of her bottle and then hunched over slightly to dig through his pack without permission.
"We will build a fire first; afterward we will scrummage for anything to eat nearby, berries are always a safe bet." She assured Ash, revealing the box of matches he stuffed in his back that morning, and then placed them into her coat pocket. Now that they had become stationary, the chill flood beneath his coat and Ash exhaled, seeing his breath thanks to Misty's phone light.
"I'll go get some firewood." He suggested, sticking his hand out to collect her phone. He saw her face scrunch up. "I'm better for it. You're afraid of bugs, anyways." he retorted, watching how quickly she slipped the phone into his hands at the mention of bugs. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.
"I'm not afraid of them. I just don't like them." She corrected him, her shoulders dropping as she turned to rummage through his things to set up camp as he stalked off into the forest. Fighting or not, at least he could depend on her in this way. He had to admit; if she didn't show up in Viridian City earlier that day; where would he be right now? Surely, Gary would have shown up—maybe talked him out of walking into the depths of the forest, but he wasn't so sure now.
Perhaps it was the calm before the storm, but the forest of subtle sounds seemed to halt entirely when they stopped moving, the wind only casually blew a heavy gust, but even then, it was only ever enough to cause a faint chill. They had been really lucky to have such nice weather for early December, usually, the frost would have eaten them alive by this point. Not wanting to wander out too far, mostly because he feared he might not find his way back; Ash grabbed a few pieces of kindling first, recalling his time at the pokemon camp as a child. He stacked the kindling with larger twigs, then finally some broken branches, and stalked back to camp where he found Misty trying to flatten out his single-man tent. He hadn't noticed she even packed such a thing for him!
She had also found a light; and was using it the best she could, placing the tent off-center of the road so that they wouldn't be in direct line of the blowing wind.
"I found some wood." he said, dropping the sticks near the resting pokemon. Watching their sleeping forms in the night made his own body ache; he was ready to fall asleep on the road if the weather would have permitted it.
"Awesome. Switch me, then. You set up the tent and I'll start the fire." She suggested, handing him a post while squatting next to the bundle of sticks. Ash's face fell.
"I can start the fire." He said smoothly, watching her press the kindling at the bottom of a quickly formed teepee.
"Have you ever made a fire before?" She asked, her hands stiff from the cold. Ash leaned over to watch her work.
"Once, when I was really young." Ash mused, face falling while Misty spared him a brief, tired glance. Surprisingly, instead of fighting him on the matter, she slipped him the box of matches carefully, and then turned and walked away to the tent without another word. Watching her careful motion, he sighed gently. She was trying; in her own stubborn way, she had already apologized. Why couldn't he? What was scarier, Ash glanced briefly back at her before fixing the fire himself, was that he noticed it at all.
Resting the kindling at the bottom, as well as pulling out a little bit of pocket lint from his pocket, he swiped the red tip of the match against the rough side of the matchbox and then watched the small flame engulf the tip. Pressing the lint to the top of the fire, he pressed the now-burning fuzz to the kindling at the bottom and watched the flames slowly trickle against the cold wood. He had only picked up the dry stuff, but it still struggled to catch. Impatient, he lit another match and dropped it into the kindling while listening to Misty fight with the stakes.
The ground had been soft enough to stomp the stakes into place since they didn't have a hammer; with the small tent prepared, she trudged back to the campfire and collapsed next to Ash. He didn't bother to look at her as he, too, fell onto his rear end where they simultaneously blew out a sigh of relief at the ticking heat that spread over the sticks in front of them. Glad to be resting and sitting stationary for a few moments, Misty finally leaned forward to pull her purse into her lap.
"Didn't find any berries or fruit?" She asked shortly, Ash shook his head, which she watched from the corner of her eye.
"I didn't really look. It's too dark even with a flashlight." he murmured, feeling his shoulders sag of exhaustion.
"Probably safer that way. We could accidentally pick a few poison berries and make the situation worse." She added as an afterthought to his explanation. Eyelids lowered he watched her dig through her purse after carefully placing togepi into her lap. Watching the sleeping form of pikachu across from him, he leaned sideways to drag his bag nearer as well as pikachu into his lap. Taking the small water from his bag once more, he sipped it tiredly.
Since the start of their journey, they hadn't stopped for breaks; they were both too prideful or determined to admit when they needed to stop. Plus, that added to the awkward air they were forced to share until they reached Pewter City. Instead of stopping, they had slowed their pace at several intervals due to waning exhaustion. Two hours after nightfall, sitting in the winter chill was the very first time they had given any thought to rest; and doing so was like a flash flood of emotional trauma. They were done.
"Ah-ha." Misty chimed, gathering Ash's attention back at her from the fire. He blinked once at her as she revealed a crumbled granola bar. His mouth salivated. "I guess I should thank my sisters after all," she added while ripping open the bar.
At first, he watched the dried oatmeal and fruit with eager eyes, hoping she would share the subsistence, but when she pulled the full bar from the package and didn't give much of a glance at Ash, he forced his eyes forward. It wasn't like he was going to ask, or anything! He was fine! He wasn't hungry; touching his hand against his stomach which ached in return of his thoughts he fought the urge to droop his head.
"Here." Her soft voice brought his attention back to her as he watched her snap the bar in half and hold out one for him. Unsure of what to think at first, he took his half greedily and pressed it to his lips. Why was he surprised she'd share? She'd never given him a reason to think otherwise.
Ahhh, food, how he missed thee. However, he also knew better than to eat the whole thing in one bite; as that would not alleviate his hunger. Slowly, he nibbled on the corners of his half in silence.
"...thanks." he offered quietly, to which she did not bother to respond while she crumpled the wrapper into her purse and gently rubbed circles on togepi's shell to calm her nerves.
Time passed watching the fire grow with each branch they placed over it. In zombie-like states, they weren't aware of the gentle chill from the air. The fire provided enough warmth to subdue nature and Misty poked her frosty hands out to warm them. Watching her subtle movements irked him; perhaps it was his own inability to think straight given the circumstances, but he cocked his mouth to one side and blinked tired eyes at her.
"Why did you come to Viridian City?" he asked again suddenly, pressing his chin into his palm. Misty's frown deepened but he wanted a full answer.
"I already told you." She offered, but Ash shook his head.
"No, you said you were sorry; but not why you showed up." He said nonchalantly, mirroring her callous procedure. Misty mimed him and exhaled.
Too tired to avoid the question, her shoulders slumped. "Because no one should have to go through that alone."
Ash's face scrunched up. "How did you know it was going to be... like it was?"
"Well, I don't know how it was, exactly. All you've told me is that she had a son; otherwise, you've been pretty quiet about the whole thing." She looked at him with her sea-green eyes, flashing emerald at the dance of the fire within them. Ash's face flushed.
"No...I guess I hadn't mentioned what happened, huh?" He said watching the fire again.
"You don't have to. I know it was bad given that she called the cops on you." Misty assured him, rubbing her eyes with her wrist.
"She thought I was there for money," he admitted, though he couldn't peg the reason why his mother would ever think that, "She also said that Professor Oak was the person who paid for my extended stay...I honestly think if she had it her way, she would have pulled the plug on me years ago..." he said pathetically, earning a look of sympathy from his companion.
"But you have pikachu now... and Cole adores you. That's two good things, right?" Misty offered in light of the situation, and Ash forced a smile over his cheeks.
"...I suppose." he pet pikachu's head, scratching his ears as the tubby pokemon breathed a sigh of happiness in its sleep. Even in this world, it was as charming as ever to have the pokemon around. Actively participating in all of Ash's actions and comments. He wondered if the pokemon still battled—or if he needed to retrain him; the same way Ash needed to retrain his own body.
"Besides... Maybe Delia needs time to adjust. The late professor's passing might have shaken her up a little. Just give her some time?"
"...You think so?" he asked, but his voice betrayed him. He was doubtful.
Ash's eyes lowered, he wanted to believe that it was temporary insanity, he did. But reliving the moment of his mother's harsh words in his head, he shuddered—he wasn't sure it was that simple. She had been cut and dry with him, not inching emotionally until it revolved around Cole. He, too, hoped there was something more...but he couldn't fathom a decent reason for her cold behavior, at least none that made any sense in his mind.
After a wash of silence, Ash glanced upward at his friend.
"Misty," He called for her, tucking himself into a ball by wrapping his arms around his knees. "I know I keep asking, but why did you lie? If you had told me sooner, you could have...we could have..." he trailed off, thinking that perhaps, it really wasn't her job to take care of him. It wasn't part of her job to help him with these things. Truthfully, she had no reason to follow him anywhere. He was stupid to think that she maybe wanted to. It was ridiculous to ask so much of her.
"I'm sorry for being a jerk." Finally rolled out of his mouth, breaking eye contact as warmth flooded behind his eyes.
She responded by shoving him slightly, but not providing an immediate answer. Instead, she said quietly: "You're not a jerk."
Visibly, she was uncomfortable, mentally, she was on the verge of unconsciousness, nearly slipping in and out. If it hadn't been for the gentle breeze or the occasional smoke of the fire hitting her face, she might have already slipped and fallen into a dream world where she was asleep in her soft, warm bed and not the cold dirt. Unable to keep eye contact, she let out a dramatically loud side and shifted her attention to the crackling flames. She crossed her legs, brought them close, and leaned on them with her elbows.
"My parents...er.." She stumbled, unsure of how to bring about the matter. "They left when I was really little... Around the time Daisy turned ten," she muttered, hoping that was enough of an explanation and he wouldn't press the idea any further.
However, it was Ash, and not only that, he was exhausted; so he poised the question further. He already knew her parents left her because of a few comments made by her sisters, but he never realized it bothered her so much. "Why would you not tell me because of that?"
Well isn't it obvious? She thought with an eye roll, but inhaled bravely. "My parents left my sisters and me because of the rigorous schedule of the gym..." She started, but then shook her head, too tired for the sentimental stuff.
"My parents didn't want us, okay? It was a horrible experience and after finding out that she lived only a few blocks away from the hospital but never came back... I don't know. I'm sorry. I didn't want to see you go through what my sisters and I went through. I was selfish and thoughtless, but I really thought it was for the best... I... I wish that I had never..." she trailed off and exhaled, defensively tucking her arms around togepi. "I thought life at the gym would be better than walking into that because I wished that I never saw my parents after they left. It's... horrible." She offered pathetically.
Without asking, he saw the own hurt on her face from her own parent's rejection, and finally understanding, he made a brief "oh" and leaned forward, eyebrows lowered.
"Would you have told me if I didn't say I was leaving already?" he asked shyly, glancing at her from the corners of his eye. Misty huffed.
"I thought about it every day. Gary promised to smooth things over with tour mom, and never explained why. Really, that's all I was waiting for but he made no progress with the woman and so... I don't know. I guess I would have told you when I thought you were ready." She said pathetically, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was caught between thinking I waited too long, or not long enough and I didn't want to hurt you."
Ash spent enough time with Misty to know that she wasn't keen on crying, so watching her eyes water as she stared at the fire, his anger fled and he inhaled.
"You should have pushed it off on Gary." Ash tried to joke, but the strangled laugh that came from her throat twisted his insides. She covered her face with her hands and slumped forward without another word.
"...Thanks, Misty." was all he managed, watching the embers of the fire as she awkwardly dusted off her tights with an ever-present frown. "...and your parents suck."
Misty finally did laugh at that, and he wasn't certain, but he thought she used the edges of her fingers to wipe unfallen tears, cleverly hiding them by pretending she was scratching her eye.
"So does yours." She added and he snickered, finally comfortable sitting in the quiet.
Really, there wasn't a lot more to say; in the end, she had only been looking out for him—whether or not he needed it was not up to him. Even after blowing up on her, she followed him, apologized, stood tall for him even after his own mother—his family—rejected him. There was no good reason to be upset with her. He glanced at her figure, watching her head bob gently, sleep drawing ever closer as the tall flames bled into short embers. Surely, he might not ever blindly follow her again—but maybe that was a good thing? She had always pushed him to be independent and better for himself, perhaps this was what she meant by it? Even Agatha made a point to tell Ash to never follow blindly.
Standing up, Ash watched Misty snap away as he football carried pikachu and tapped her gently with the heel of his foot.
"We should sleep since the fire is dying." He suggested calmly, getting a lackluster reply.
"Only one sleeping bag..." She grimaced, rubbing her temples as she pulled herself to stand alongside him.
"Then we'll play rock, paper, scissors. The loser gets the blanket." Ash grinned, watching her lips curl in disapproval.
"Alright." She said motionlessly, both popped their hands forward; as they would play many times in regards to chores around the gym, neither were strangers to the rules. Best two out of three.
"Scissors beats paper." Misty chimed, feeling gleeful in her timidness, Ash puckered his lips bitterly, going again.
"Hah! Rock beats scissors." Misty threw up a peace sign at him, but he seemed unaffected by her victory—when in reality, he usually threw a fit. This time he only offered a weak smile in lieu of their situation.
"Alright. You get the sleeping bag." He grumbled halfheartedly, dropping his bag to the ground to pull out the neatly rolled covers.
Misty took them happily; not a sense of remorse in her entire body. He saw her legs shaking as she moved away from the dying fire; she was dressed much less efficiently than him, and for that, she was probably much colder. Had he won the match, he would have given the woman the sleeping bag anyways—save himself the worry of her freezing overnight.
He grinned at her as she tossed the sleeping back onto the floor of the tent and then collapsed inside, following shortly thereafter by Ash, who wrapped himself, togepi and pikachu like a burrito with his black blanket. He curled up as close as physically possible without actually touching the girl now curled inside of his blue sleeping bag that she bought for him. His head landed against the dirt with a satisfied sigh as he inhaled. The tent was no more than a pop-up, enough to break the wind and save them from rain, but it provided the bonus of keeping their body heat as well, and so for that he was grateful.
"Hey Ash." she mumbled, surprising him; her soft breaths would have convinced him that she was already sleeping.
"Hmmm?" He grunted, already half asleep the moment his body laid flat. He heard the smile in her voice.
"Thank you."
"Mmhmm." He grumbled turning over to face away from the redhead. Still chilly himself, it was going to be a long night.
XOX
Morning came with a wrecking ball. The small splatters of rain against the plastic tarp of their pop-up tent lulled them both from sleep. Ash shivered under his blanket, content with never moving again, as doing so only provided a breeze to catch under his body. Misty, on the other hand, slept three times better than the coma patient, and sat up tiredly, green eyes blinking at the sound of rain.
"Ash?" She called after him in a raspy voice that made his head spin. He grunted in response; the best he could offer her at the moment.
"It's raining."
No, really? He thought bitterly, but instead, replied with a grunt. He wasn't ready to get up yet. Hearing her shift, she began rubbing her jacket's arms for more warmth as she looked at the murky light outside. Their bags had been only partially stowed into the tent, and so she cursed quickly, lunging forward to drag them inside, accidentally rolling the egg away from her body and onto the cold dirt as she did. It didn't wake but started to shiver none the less. When did the egg move into her sleeping bag? She looked down at her lap and saw that Pikachu crawled into her bag at some point last night, as well.
Ash must have been freezing!
"Shit, we didn't bring our bags in." She grimaced, a statement finally important enough for Ash to crack one eyelid open to see the faint glow of morning staring back at him. He shifted and stared down at his empty arms. He heard pikachu snoring loudly from Misty's lap and scoffed. Rude.
"Are they soaked?" He asked with an ever-present yawn. Misty lifted her purse, feeling the extra weight from the water pooled at the bottom and grimaced loudly as she reached for her phone.
"Wonderful..." She sighed, flicking the water off the screen; Ash didn't see the problem as he scooted his greenbag, which he had closed before crawling into bed, closer to him. The water rolled off the green fabric, and Ash blinked once or twice.
"Is it waterproof?" He asked, forgetting her angst over her damp phone she tried to shake the water out of.
"My phone? It's supposed to be." She grumbled, unaware that his question was directed at the bag.
"No, my bag."
"Yes. Most things I buy are. You know, because of it being a water gym and everything." She muttered while watching her phone click on with a sigh of relief. At least that still worked! The rest of her items in her purse were ruined, however. She fished through the objects, careful not the wet the sleeping bag while Ash yawned tiredly beside her; trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. Last night's words and actions were foggy at best in his mind, but he no longer felt the searing anger he had for the redhead. Instead, it had been replaced with a bit of admiration.
"When did you find out about your parents?" Ash asked suddenly, and Misty groaned her disapproval of the subject.
"Can we not talk about this?"
"You seemed so talkative last night." He said playfully, while she scooped out the last of her valuables and glared at him.
"I was also exhausted." she reprimanded him, only earning herself a grin in response—damn him and his morning personality. Hers was as vicious as usual. Only made worse by the thought that coffee was not an option.
"Why does that matter? You can talk to me about stuff like that; I won't judge you, Mist." He assured her calmly, eyes shut, possibly still half asleep. He missed the blush that traced over her features, even the skip of her heart as she furiously, tossed her water-soaked purse out of the tent once more.
Unsure of why she felt so embarrassed, she shifted out of the cover of the sleeping bag carefully and once the cold hit her legs once again, she let out a long sigh.
"You seem awfully happy with me, considering how angry you were yesterday." She chortled, but Ash raised an eyebrow; she couldn't let it go, could she? He pursed his lips.
"I forgive you." He said naturally, also removing his blanket to prepare for the trip that was going to be cold, wet, and damp. Misty eyed him from her corner of the pop-up, less than a foot away, and gnawed her lips.
"...thanks..." She offered awkwardly, feeling her face heat up as he turned at her mischievously.
"That doesn't mean you weren't wrong." He added with a sheepish, daring grin that made her skin crawl. He knew how much she hated being wrong or even told that she was wrong.
"It wasn't wrong to want to help my friend!" She denied, starting to roll the bag up. Ash whistled, folding his blanket into the bottom of his green backpack while pikachu stirred from its slumber. He looked worse than Misty in the morning, one eye lazily opening while the other remained glued shut.
"But it was wrong to lie to that friend for an entire month, Misty." He placed careful emphasis on her name teasing her as he watched her shoulders shudder as she stomped the bag into its smallest form.
"I only did it to help you." She growled under her breath, snatching the green backpack from him aggressively and stuffing the tied sleeping roll into the confines of the bag. Ash whistled once more.
"But if you had told me sooner. I would have met my brother and pikachu so much sooner."
"Why are you still on me about this!?" She yelled, waking both stirring pokemon with her shrill voice while simultaneously standing upright fully, accidentally unhooking the tent from the stakes and letting loose a howl of laughter from Ash, who held his stomach. It was at that moment, fighting to wrestle herself from the tarp that she realized Ash had been playing with her, and she huffed dangerously.
"Ash Ketchum..." She growled as he helped untangle the mess of the tent overhead, and fold it into a believable square that he tucked into the outer pocket of his bag to make sure nothing else got wet. Unmoved by her threat, he only shook his head at her while throwing on the hood of his coat. She collected the stakes from the ground and tucked them away into her already ruined purse—what could a little mud do? The cold rain felt like needles, but she was thankful they both had waterproof jackets.
"Misty Waterflower." he challenged, which she clearly did not like and stomped her foot. Beside them, pikachu stretched, shaking the wetness from his fur now that his trainer had robbed him of his own protection and sniffled as he made his way to protect togepi while Ash and Misty traded glances.
"Piiiika!" he chimed, patting the egg on the back with a hopeful demeanor.
The small egg glanced at Misty once more and made a soft chirping noise to better reflect pikachu who looked at his own master. They were at it again, bickering; but not as hostile as yesterday; for that, he was thankful. The small mouse looked up at the sky, hearing the distant crack of lightning, caused his cheeks to spark with electricity before it ran to paw at Ash's leg. He was busy mocking Misty as they scattered the remains of the charred fire and cleaned up their damaged area. The rain was coming down just enough to be a disturbance, but not enough to soak through their clothes right away.
Really, it was the wind that cut through them the quickest. Misty, having Ash's attention stolen away by pikachu, turned to fetch the egg pokemon which had been waiting so patiently for her return. It smiled happily at her grasp and the moment she scooped it up, it nuzzled into her bosom and she turned to face Ash while unzipping her jacket to tuck togepi in.
"What is it, pikachu?" Ash asked neatly while pikachu pointed up at the oncoming thunderstorm. Ash's face and spirit fell dramatically as he shared in his companion's worry.
"Not to worry, pikachu. Just don't do any electrical attacks." Ash smiled as he scooped the pokemon up into his arms.
"Pika, pikachu." it groaned, rubbing his face to indicate that he couldn't help himself; but Ash narrowed his eyes.
"I swear if you put me in another coma, buddy. I'm going to wake up and..." he stopped himself short of threatening the mouse jokingly as a shot of booming thunder ragged overhead, indicating the start of a downpour.
"Forget it!" Misty pat Ash on the back aggressively, launching him forward. "Just run and stay beneath the tree line!" She yelled, her voice suddenly being covered by the sound of pouring rain that nearly soaked through his jacket.
XOX
In the end, it had been a good decision to camp when they did; as the path split up ahead; one leading further into the forest, and another that would take them to Pewter City. Ash growled, looking as Misty sighed from their cover under the trees. They were still five miles out—but he supposed they made some decent time after all.
"I thought there was another city somewhere between Viridian City and Pewter City?" Ash asked, practically yelling as Misty pounded forward.
"Maybe in Ash Ketchum dreamland!" Misty mocked carefully, pulling him along with her.
"Caaa!" The rodent squealed in return, defending Ash. Ash nodded his approval and then launched himself forward, chasing her back.
"That's still about an hour out of town! So much for that hour marker!" he chanted back, getting a snarl from Misty that was hidden by the rain.
"If you would run, it'll go faster!" She yelled angrily back at him, though their stamina was depleted, even after sleeping last night. They still hadn't eaten, and thought of finding something in the storm was impossible. Figures it was their luck.
Ash made a face, running beside Misty. His legs being just slightly longer than hers, his strides were more natural. "In my dream, Mist, Brock made a joke."
"He did?" Misty groaned, trying to fight the urge to rub her face.
"Yeah, he always cooked everything for us, because, apparently even my imagination knew that we were absolutely terrible cooks..." He said, leaping over a small rock as she groaned her annoyance, telling him to get on with the story.
"Anyways! He carried a frying pan with him at all, times, right? I don't know where or how he managed that—but...!" He was laughing at the memory, pikachu wailing in return to Ash's comment. The familiar nature of running through crying forests left him tickled.
"What's the joke!?" Misty yelled, patience shot.
"He held the frying pan above his head and declared:" He paused, mimicking his best Brock voice, as well as his actions as Misty watched him. "I guess it's a drying pan!" he finished, laughing as a huge grin tugged at his lips. Unexpectedly, Misty's feet gave out beneath her, and she landed flat on her face at the terrible pun—covering herself in the mud.
Panic filled Ash's eyes as he came to a roaring stop to collect Misty off of the ground. She laid there for a moment, hunched upward enough so that togepi wouldn't have been crushed from her weight and breathed into the dirt.
"You're killing me slowly, Ketchum." She groaned, but her response only made him laugh louder as he helped her out of the mud. Thankfully, it'd wash off with the rain.
XOX
An hour later, they arrived at the Pewter City pokemon center. Most of the mud that had covered Misty was washed off by the blowing rain as they trudged through the forest. They were disheveled, Ash was filthy, though not nearly as evident as Misty. Her normally spiky hair was matted to her neck and forehead, laced with clumps of mud while Ash had his hat to cover most of his damage. His jacket was also black, where hers was a lighter tan, so the stain of her fall was ever apparent on both her arms and her pants.
The nurse who stared at the two of them from her seat behind the desk watched with wide eyes. Misty's voice boomed before she could voice her concern.
"We need a room." Misty motioned, the drip of her clothes not lost on either of them. Now that they had arrived in the center; Ash read the time as being only a quarter after nine, and he grimaced slightly.
"A room? You need a shower." The nurse half-mocked Misty, her blue hair reflected in the soft light.
"There isn't a nurse Joy?" Ash asked carefully, whispering into Misty's ear. She twitched in turn of his question.
"Only in Viridian, Ash." Misty chimed as the lady wagged her eyebrow.
"I'm Joy's cousin, but it's nice to meet you." She spat hostility while slipping Misty a key when the redhead traded her a few bills. Ash felt alarmed at the hostility but scrunched up his eyebrows and shifted his gaze around the room.
"...Was just a question..." he mumbled while Misty tugged him away from the counter with a bit of disparity. He watched her water-soaked head with only the slightest amusement as she dragged him from the counter to the room number provided on the key she received. Outside, the storm only grew worse as the chuckle of opinions of trainers seated in the lunch area and waiting room roared around them.
"Why would they be out there in that weather?"
"They must be new!"
"How stupid!"
Misty slammed her fist against the door, causing it to give away after the twist of the key and stormed inside. The only thing she hated more than being lied to was nosy people. Nosy, unhelpful people that would rather mock the duo than help them. Catching her anger, Ash and pikachu cowered into the corner of the room at the western bunk and dropped his pack on the ground as she quickly stripped off her practically ruined coat and tossed it onto the wooden chair at the corner of the room. Togepi hoped from the trainer's arms and onto the table at the motion. Meanwhile, Ash's breath hitched in his throat and he tore his eyes away from her wet body and focused on pikachu as he peeled off his own damp jacket.
"I didn't know you had to pay for rooms in pokemon centers," he revealed honestly, getting a nod from pikachu.
"Of course you do. Nothing is free here." She sighed, kicking off her mud-coated shoes. Her socks sloshed against the wooden floors and Ash let himself snicker, mimicking her actions with his own shoes. He wasn't nearly as wet as she was, though, as he did not fall into the mud like she did, aside from the cuffs of his jeans, he was mostly dry. He hoped that she would dry off a little, but drying in a storm was like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.
"I'm going to have a shower." She gasped, yanking her ponytail out so that the rest of her hair fell to her shoulders. Daringly, he looked at her again, her wet, skin-tight clothes leaving little to the imagination; though he was not entirely sure why that affected him the way that it did. It must have been because she was cold—he felt bad for her. That was it.
"Do you have a change of clothes?" He asked suddenly, shuddering.
She paused thoughtfully, glancing at her purse for a moment and then back at Ash. "Can I borrow some? You packed a few changes, didn't you?"
"B-borrow?" Ash asked nervously, though unsure of why that would bother him. Misty turned on her damp heels to face him.
Short, Misty nodded skeptically, holding out her hand as if he would drop clothes there soon enough. "Right. Otherwise, I'm sending you clothes shopping. You decide."
"You didn't even ask." He chided in return, pouting his lips as he pulled his pack nearer him.
"I don't have to ask! I went shopping for you!" She yelled, patience short; Ash grinned at this response but felt his mouth twitch nervously.
"I didn't ask you to!" he bit back with a smile.
She growled with a sudden approach, closing the short distance between the two of them and then without permission slipped her fingers around his bag and with one reef pulled it from his grasp and dropped it onto the floor.
"Misty!" he yelled in laughter, determined to retrieve the pack. She waved him off, unzipping the smaller compartment where his clothes were stored. Her purse was stuffed tiredly at the entrance of the room where the door had still been cracked from their entrance.
"C'mon, don't be so weird!" She whined, shrugging off his hands. "It's not like I haven't seen your underwear—I bought those for you, too, remember?"
"That's not the point." He offered, eyes closing and face turning red. Misty's eyes snaked up at him.
"Then what is the point, Ash? I can't walk around naked, can I? Or would you rather I get hypothermia in my wet clothes?" She glowered dangerously, keeping a tone so innocent his stomach dropped. Her uncouth glare taunted Ash's next comment before he opened his mouth. His face was shaded by a deep red and he threw up his hands in distress; alerting her that she won this argument as he stepped away. Pridefully, she grinned while snatched a pair of his dark blue jeans and his black shirt with white sleeves before standing upright.
"You can shower after I'm done. In the meantime, why don't you check out the pokemon center? Pewter City center is known for its odd trainers—maybe you'll find someone to battle." She courted while shuffling into the washroom. Pikachu's ears perked up at the mention of a battle, as did Ash who looked between pikachu and togepi eagerly.
"I thought I wasn't allowed to battle other trainers?"
"Oh...right. I forgot." She motioned, looking at him helplessly, mournfully. "Then I guess you can just sit and be bored..." She mocked him with upturned eyebrows and lowered eyelids. For a moment, Ash wondered why he wasn't still mad at her as he started to fume.
"You did not forget!"
"But you did." She stuck her tongue out at him before slipping behind the closed door. A silent warning that he was not allowed to mess up under her gym's name.
"...Pika..." Pikachu motioned, scratching his head as sweat fell from the back of his head.
"Bbbriii" the baby pokemon echoed and Ash folded his arms in agreement.
"You're right. She will never change." He said determinedly while scooping up togepi and allowing pikachu to climb onto his shoulder awkwardly; he struggled to grip his arm.
"Let's go ask around about Brock—maybe find some food." He added the last part, remembering the pit in his stomach with faint regression as the sound of the shower started to run. He grimaced.
"Maybe even find some coffee for the demon in the next room." Ash mused playfully, looking at togepi who blinked in confusion.
Carefully, he slipped from the room and back into the hallway, clicking the door shut behind him so no one would intrude on Misty's privacy while he ventured through the complex. Beneath his clothes, while they were mostly dry, his skin still felt clammy from the rain—moist from the exertion of running for so long. Tiredly, the memory tugged at his aching muscles, reminding him about his body's own weakened state. He glanced at the trainers sharing short battles together; some as young as ten, others as old as him or more as he turned the corner of the room with a shudder—trainers later.
Food first.
Pikachu sighed and patted Ash's damp hat with a sympathetic paw. At least Ash had his priorities straight.
...