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Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.

7. Rudy Ahoy!

"And so you can see—what makes a great trainer is someone's ability to think on his feet," Ash said with a smile as he watched the screen. Dragonite hit the ground hard with Pikachu landing easily on his feet. The referee ran over and declared Ash the new champion. The scene faded against the screen as the lights came back on. Ash gave a slight wince. An hour ago, it would have brought searing pain to his head. It was a wonder what food and an aspirin could do.

His grin was greeted by the blank stares of his younger audience. He shifted his weight between his feet. How could someone do this sort of thing full time? Only twenty minutes into it, and he was starting to lose them.

"Erm," he said. "Of course the most important thing of all is to have strong relationships with all of your Pokemon. Having an unbreakable bond with them is vital when it comes to victory. I owe all of my success to my ability to become friends with my Pokemon."

"Yeah, but didn't your Charizard only battle Drake's Dragonite because it saw it as a challenge? It wouldn't listen to you otherwise," said some teenager sitting in the second row.

"Uhh," Ash faltered. How did this kid know that? Ash had been purposeful in which battles to showcase in his talk. Charizard's performance prior to the Johto League was out of the question. What did he do? Scrounge up some archives of his old battles as a kid?

"Well," Ash said, clearing his throat. "There are some exceptions. Charizard was a special case. He's mellowed out since then."

"So," the kid shot back. "When you said always—"

"I meant," Ash interjected, "that I always treated my Pokemon with love and respect, even if they didn't immediately warm up to me. Pokemon are like people. You can't expect all of them to like you. Sometimes you have to put a little work into wearing them down before they will let you in."

As those final words fluttered out of Ash's mouth, a flash of red hair entered his brain. That's right. It had been so long that he had forgotten how rocky their relationship had been at the start. Misty could hardly go a few minutes without accosting him for something stupid that he had done. He found her to be obnoxious back then. But eventually, they wore each other down, opened up a little bit, and became close friends. And now—well now he wasn't sure what he was feeling.

"Uh Champion Ketchum," a tiny voice popped up, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Huh?" he said, staring at the small girl in front of him.

"Were you done? You haven't talked for a few minutes now."

"Oh jeeze," he said. "Sorry about that. Must have spaced out for a moment. Does anyone have any questions?"

A sea of hands flew up in the air.

It felt like an eternity for the boat to get back to the island. Misty tried not to gaze at Rudy as she steered the boat into the dock. Brock was giving her a look that was a mix of concern and 'you only did this to yourself.' What was she meant to say to him? In all that time, she hadn't thought of a reasonable explanation to why she had been out all night. What could she say? 'Yeah Rudy. Don't worry. I was only having a dinner date with the guy I used to have feelings for at the same restaurant where you proposed to me, but I got drunk and ended up spending the night in his hotel room. And then we went out to brunch after with Brock like old times' No—the truth would kill him.

She parked the boat with ease, something that she had done hundreds of times, though none of them had ever been under such circumstances. She killed the engine, her hands shaking. There was no use delaying the inevitable. She would have to face him eventually. She inhaled sharply before moving to the edge of the side of the boat. She placed a foot over the side and onto the dock. Her other foot caught the edge of the boat as she lifted her body over, nearly sent her flying. Rudy stood before her, appearing even angrier than he had from a distance.

"Uh hi Rudy," she said sheepishly.

"Don't 'hi' me. Where have you been?" he growled.

"I—uh—"

"What was I supposed to think when I woke up this morning and you weren't there? You didn't even have the courtesy to leave me a note. I had to go to your sister—"

"You went to Daisy?" Misty interrupted. "What did she tell you?"

"It doesn't matter what she told me—"

"What did she say?" Misty pressed. It did matter. If she had gone back on her word—

"She told me that you had taken the boat, but that you should have been back by now. So the question remains—where the fuck were you?"

"Don't be angry with Misty," Brock's voice carried over from the boat. He hopped out to join them. "It's my fault. I asked Misty to come with me to a couple of the clubs on the island. We lost track of time, and it got to be too late. We ended up spending the night at the Pokemon Center."

She whipped around to view her best friend, stunned. Misty owed Brock her life for that moment. Relief spread through her body, leaving it basked in the warm glow of the sun. She closed her gaping mouth as she turned back towards Rudy, transforming it into a sheepish grin.

"You should have called to let me know," he muttered.

"I didn't want to wake you."

"But you thought letting me worry would be better?" he snapped.

Misty's eyes welled up. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what else you want from me."

Rudy's eyes softened. He sighed before enveloping Misty into a tight embrace. "It's fine. Just don't ever do that to me again."

Misty didn't say anything back. She merely nodded, still locked into his embrace. How on earth had she gotten away with this? Ash's face swarmed into her brain, and she felt a twinge of guilt. That was behind her now. She saw the last of him for a while. What Rudy didn't know wouldn't hurt him right?

Rudy let go of her and latched onto her hand. He started to head towards the cliff. However, Misty stood rooted on the spot. He halted suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed. He let her arm drop.

"You go on ahead," she said with a reassuring smile. "I just want to rig up the boat properly. I'll be up to the house in a few minutes."

"Well…okay," he replied. "Don't be too long. There's only so much time I can spend trying to entertain your sister before I start to run out of ideas."

"Just wait until there are three of them."

Misty watched as he casually strolled away, hands tucked into his pockets. Anyone else would say that he seemed fine, gazing at his nonchalant gait. Misty knew better than that. He was still furious. He knew how to hide it well. He would carry on like nothing was wrong for her sake. It was stupid to keep it in like that. He should have carried on yelling at her. She grumbled as she began wrapping the rope against the old weathered wooden post. At least in that case, it wouldn't linger over their heads.

"Thanks for bailing me out," she called over to Brock once she knew that Rudy was far out of earshot.

Brock appeared with his backpack in hand. "You owe me big."

"What do you want?"

"Well, you know you could always—"

"No, I am not setting you up on a date with one of my sisters."

"Well, I guess I should go run to Rudy and let him know about your other activities from last night…"

He eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

He gulped, looking panicked for a second before starting to chuckle. "It was worth a shot."

She shook her head as she finished wrapping the rope tightly around the post, finishing it off in a bowline knot. She brushed her forearm against her brow, wiping away the sweat. She stood up and joined Brock as he began walking towards the cliff.

The heat was blistering that day. She felt the sun scorch her skin as she and Brock made their way up to her cottage. Misty had removed her heels, choosing to walk barefoot on the hot sand.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky. By the time they made it up to the cottage, Misty was dying to take a shower. Her hair had begun to frizz, causing her hair to fly in all sorts of directions. The hairspray that had been leftover from the night before had not been any help.

She opened the screen door, a rush of cold from the air conditioning hitting her face. She closed her eyes as she let the cool air calm her nerves. Her head was still pounding slightly, her hangover lingering like an unwanted houseguest.

There were voices coming through the doorway leading into the kitchen. Brock walked through the archway without hesitation. Misty knew that he would be looking for Daisy. Her other sisters would be arriving shortly as well. If he had it his way, he would have had the Sensational Sisters give a riveting performance as part of the entertainment at the reception. Thankfully, she shot down that idea before it even flew out of his mouth. He would just have to settle for crashing Rudy's bachelor party.

She passed the kitchen and climbed the stairs. She heard the murmur of voices below her as she reached the landing. She wasted no time going into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

A gentle breeze was coming in from the small window in between the shower and toilet. Misty strolled over and snatched the sheer white curtains, pulling them closed. She yanked the shower curtain open slightly and reached for the faucet. She turned the water on, letting it heat up as she peeled the dress off her sticky body. The clothes dropped in a heap on the floor.

She stepped into the shower, letting the hot water to envelop her entire body. Even though it was summer, she head needed the steamy shower. It helped to clear her head, her thoughts being a mess since that fateful lunch. She closed her eyes, letting the water beat against her back. It was complete bliss. As she stood there with the waterfall of bathwater cascading down the length of her body, her mind began to wander.

Ash Ketchum had reappeared into her life. What a thing to happen the week of her wedding! Not that that would ever matter to Mister Pokemon Master. Pokemon was always at the forefront of his mind. People and feelings were never his forte. It was no wonder that he was still seemingly single—a fact that, for some reason, brought immense relief to her.

Why should she care if he had someone anyway? She was getting married. She should think that she would be happy for him he ever got his act together and started dating. Then again—there was the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that maybe she wouldn't be. As she started to shampoo her hair, she recalled all of those girls begging for his autograph. She was miffed about it—that much was true. At first, she had assumed that it was due to them holding them up for breakfast. But now, she wasn't so sure. All she knew was that she hated them for accosting him—but was that all there was to it? Did this mean that she might have feelings for this guy? Impossible! So much time had transpired. How could that possibly be so? They hadn't spoken in years…although…when she had been with him that night…she felt more like her true self than she had in years.

She finished rinsing the soap from her body and shut the water off after a few more minutes. She exhaled deeply. It was much too short. It would have been nice to have taken a much longer shower, but she didn't want Rudy to think that she was avoiding him. She pulled back the curtain and grabbed the towel from the rack on the wall next to her.

When she started to dry off, she continued to mull over her feelings. Even if she did feel something for him again, it wouldn't matter anyway. Ash would never think of her in that light. Pokemon was his true love. And Rudy must be hers. He was quiet and romantic. He took her on dates and swept her off her feet. Sure he could be a little haughty at times and absolutely had to have it his way, but everyone had their faults. Ash didn't matter anymore. He couldn't matter anymore. So what if the sight of his face made her heart skip a beat? So what if she laughed hardest at his silly antics? He was in her past. Rudy was her future. She was going to marry Rudy that Saturday, and that would be the end of it. No more Ash. No more teenage crush.

She wrapped the towel around her body and snatched her other clothes, clutching them against her chest. Tiptoeing, she opened the door and went across the hall into her room, closing the door behind her with her foot. Holding the towel tighter, she dropped the dirty clothes into her hamper. Wasting no time, she took out a pair of shorts and a blue tank-top. She took a pair of fresh underwear from the drawer and slipped the lace over her legs. There was a bra on the floor from which she snatched, sniffed, and continued to slip her arms through the straps.

Once she finished dressing, she took a hair elastic from her nightstand and began to gather her wet hair. There was no point drying it in this heat. She pulled the ponytail through and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, causing her to halt.

Her appearance was fine except for the giant raccoon markings under her eyes. Cursing, she dug a wipe out of the package from next to her make up on the dresser and started to furiously scrub under her eyelids. After a few minutes of rubbing, she looked like a normal human again. Sighing, she tossed the balled up make-up remover wipe into the waste basket as she exited the room.

She went back downstairs and into the kitchen to find her sister laughing with Rudy, Mahri, and Brock. As soon as she came through the door, Rudy enveloped her in another hug, making a face when her wet hair brushed against her cheek. She knew he was still furious underneath it all, but he was making the effort to forgive her. How did she ever deserve him? She put her arms around him, her eyes darting between Brock and Daisy. They broke apart and Misty gave him a small smile. He kissed her on the cheek before heading to the doorway.

"Well, it has been lovely catching up, but I must get back to the gym. Duty calls," he said.

"Rudy—" Misty began.

"I'll see you tonight. Can you have dinner ready for six?"

"Uh sure," she replied.

"Thanks."

He put on his sunglasses and with a flick of his hair, he left the room. Mahri went after him, being the gym's apprentice. Misty was thankful that her future sister-in-law hadn't been there when they first ran into Ash. She would have said something to her brother by now, and then she would have been in big trouble then. Fate could be kind and on her side some of the time.

"You had the right idea," Brock said.

"Huh?"

"Taking a shower. I feel so gross right now."

"Well go take one," Misty replied. "No one is stopping you."

"True," Brock said. "Yeah, all right. Be back in fifteen."

Like the two before him, Brock made his way through the kitchen and entered the hall, leaving Daisy and Misty alone. A silence fell between them once he had gone. Daisy began putting dishes away from the strainer when Misty broke the ice.

"What did you tell Rudy?" she pressed. It wasn't the best way to start the conversation. She did acknowledge this factor. However, she had to know and this might be the only opportunity that she would have the entire week.

"You know, you put me in like a really bad position here."

"I know," Misty said. "I'm sorry."

"You could have like called," she said, turning to face her sister. "Rudy wasn't the only one who was like worried about you."

"Okay, okay," Misty said impatiently. "I get it. I already said I was sorry."

"You owe me a shopping spree."

"Fine." Misty rolled her eyes. "Just tell me what you told him."

"Pushy today, aren't we?"

"Daisy—"

"Oh relax," she snapped. "I said you and Brock were still on the island, but I didn't know what you were up to. I didn't like tell him about Ash. Your secret is still safe with me. Though, I still think it was a stupid thing to do."

"Well, it's over with," Misty said, taking a seat at the small table.

Daisy finished putting away the giant stack of plates, leaving a few glasses. She put one of them away and the other two onto the table in the center. She went over to the fridge and procured a pitcher of lemonade. She poured each of them a glass before sitting in the opposing seat.

"So, what happened?"

"Nothing," Misty replied. Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Really. Nothing happened."

"So, uh, like why didn't you come back last night?"

Misty sipped her lemonade. What would Daisy say to her? There honestly wasn't much to tell. Nothing had happened—or at least nothing that would ruin her relationship with Rudy or the wedding. What could she say?

"I stayed over in Ash's hotel room," she finally said once her glass had been emptied.

"You—WHAT?"

"Relax," she said, a grin forming on her face. "Like I said before, nothing happened."

Daisy narrowed her eyes at Misty. "But you stayed in his hotel room."

"I only slept there. Ash didn't want to me to drive the boat back with the amount of wine we had had at dinner. My clothes stayed on, so again, nothing happened."

"Okay, fine," Daisy said, putting her hands up in resignation. "You know, for someone who insists nothing happened you're awfully defensive about it."

She got up and picked up her glass, still half-full. She poured it into the sink, leaving the glass still inside. She didn't utter another word to her youngest sister before exiting the kitchen. Misty sat there for a few moments, chewing her tongue. She put her head in her hands. This was going to be a long week.

"Well, I think that's everything," Ash said as he pushed down on the pile of clothes inside his suitcase. He closed the lid and flopped over on it. He did this several times before finally managing to jimmy the zipper until it closed.

Exhaling, he took a gaze around the room to see if he had missed anything. Pikacha was sat on the bed, along with his hat. He still had another two days left of his reservation, but he had no other reason to stay.

Some of the trainers invited him out to a party later that night, but he gently declined. He knew how that would have gone. He would have spent the night giving autographs and fighting off fangirls.

He ran his hand through his hair, wondering if he was doing the right thing. If he checked out, he wouldn't be able to come back if it didn't work out. It didn't matter though. He'd figure something out in the end. He always did.

He got up from his seat on top of his suitcase. He bent over, grabbing the handle and shifting it upright. With his free hand, he picked up his hat and secured it on his head. He extended his arm once more so Pikachu could climb up and onto his shoulder. Pikachu bounded up without hesitation.

Ash walked out of the hotel room, suitcase in hand. He double checked to make sure that he had all of the essentials before shutting the door. He glanced down at his watch. Cursing, he yanked the suitcase and began to book it down the hall, Pikachu clinging to his neck. He fumbled with the elevator button, hitting it several times, as if that would get it to go faster.

"We're going to have to hurry if we want to make the last ferry of the day," Ash muttered to himself.

The elevator started moving. Ash watched as the numbers started to change, counting down to his floor. He gripped the handle harder. It would be there any second.

"You ready to go to Trovita?" he asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Pika!"