A Jewel in Water
Part 22
AN: Every time I write this I realise how similar (and miserable) all these pairings back stories are…
Brock was sitting in the garden with Caterpie. Ash was taking his sweet time to get the food for his Pokemon. If he didn't know any better he would have thought Ash was trying to get some alone time with Misty. He watched absently as Charizard assessed Caterpie. Caterpie shook in fear as the giant fire lizard observed it, but at the same time did not move from its place. Charizard gave it a nod of approval and lay down to nap.
Seeing Iris today was not what Brock was expecting. It took him back to the old days, when he was still an aspiring breeder. It was also a time where he still wasn't as adept at handling women as he was now. It was Iris who made him change. It was Iris who became his first true love. It was Iris who broke his heart into the jagged shards that prevented him from really loving anyone else again. No matter how he looked at it, Iris was still a child. Maybe she didn't understand the intensity of his feelings for her. Maybe she was too young. Brock sighed. Where was Ash? Sitting here and dwelling in the past was not what he came over for. If he knew this was going to happen he would have stayed back at the lab, Brocks workplace.
Meanwhile, May had gone upstairs to her room. Elliots' hidden side was a surprise. Who'd have known that he was hiding an inner 'queen' all this time? The more she got to know him, the less like Drew he actually was. The Drew she knew would never ever dress the way Elliot did, even as a joke. He was far too pompous for that. And the gold teeth… and the eye shadow. May started laughing upon recalling Elliot's shocked face as he realised he was bleeding. But being friends with Elliot would never work. if he was going to reveal himself for Misty, he must be serious about her. A little part of May was happy. No matter how benevolent Misty was, there was no way that she would accept him like that. That's the problem with being a Princess: appearances matter far far too much. May on the other hand… she pinched herself. She could feel the dark feelings spreading through head. It made her feel bad and guilty. These feelings that she had for Elliot were not real. She needed a replacement for Drew it seems, and Elliot was conveniently there. She needed something to distract her from this. She recalled what she said to Dawn. Maybe it was time for a new adventure?
"I'd rather not divulge into what happened between me and Misty. At the moment it's the past and I don't think I am in a good position to dwell on it." Ash stated. "But on the other hand, I would very much like to know what all this is about," he motioned at Drews' attire.
"Don't' I look good? I would have added some roses to it, but I felt like it would be a bit of a close call if I did." Drew started, "To get straight to the point, I'm trying to get out of this marriage."
"As another candidate, I cant say I'm disappointed," Ash confessed, "And as a guy in love with the Princess, I'm ecstatic actually. But can you not just break of the engagement yourself? Why go through all this?"
"I think you roughly know. My parents would never let me reject this. The only way is for Misty to reject me. I'm pretty glad you're here though. If it was just me and Rudy in the running I don't think I would have a chance at all. But now I have a reason to get rejected faster than I anticipated."
"Is that why you are trying to steal the Trick Misty plan from me?"
"Well I'll admit that I didn't want to become quite as camp as this. The beautician I employed dyed my hair and started my makeup. One thing lead to another."
"I might need to borrow him in the future," Elliot laughed. "Anyway I'll leave you now. Got a lot of Pokemon I have left hungry." Ash turned to open the door.
"Sure just tell me when you need it." He lay back on his bed. "I'll tell you one day. About me."
Ash stopped but didn't turn back so Drew couldn't see his face. "Thanks bud. Appreciate the offer." He opened the door and left Drew in silence.
Paul staggered out of the bathroom. What exactly had been in that food to make him so sick? Looks like he was going to have to stay a bit longer than he anticipated. He sat on a desk chair and got out his phone. He dialled a number and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
"Hello?" said a voice on the other side.
"Hello Reji, its me."
'Oh hi Paul! What's up? What time are you coming tomorrow?" he asked. Paul groaned. "Well I'm excited to see you too!"
"It's not that…" Paul said supressing the lump that was rising in his throat. "I wont be able to make it…"
"What?! Why not?" Reji exclaimed. Paul was about to answer but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. He tossed his phone onto the bed and ran into the bathroom. He was going to need someone to help him out here he thought as he stuck his head down the toilet.
After being escorted away by the King, Rudy found himself strutting around the Royal halls again. Without Misty there was nothing else for him to preoccupy himself with. He went to his room and got out his laptop. Looking through his emails he found a never-ending list of errands to do. His workload was piling up. Peace meetings to attend, finance briefings to hear, everything to make sure his small kingdom didn't fall into turmoil. When did he become as pathetic as to leave all his work behind to chase a girl who didn't even look his way? And despite his bad temperament, how did he suddenly become the enemy to all as soon he entered the palace? He found himself, for the umpteenth time in his life, wondering what on earth he was doing. Was this marriage really what he wanted? He knew that the thrill of having such power excited him much more than being a gym leader. But what did he actually want to do with this power? By marrying Misty, he wouldn't necessarily have more power; he'd probably just end up the royal househusband. That's why, before he found out it was Misty, he was going over to outright reject the offer of marriage. He then wondered if Misty was free at the moment. After thinking about it, he realised that the way he had been acting the whole day seemed pretty desperate. Maybe he should lay back a little. He sighed and turned back to his laptop to get back to work.