DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon.

To answer a question posted in one of the reviews, Ash and Misty are both 17 years old. In all of my stories, there is only a six-month age gap between the two of them, with Misty being the older one (I like to think her birthday is around March, while Ash's is in September).

CHAPTER 2: Flogging a Dead Horsea

A ghostly, white midday sky blanketed the whole of Viridian City, and the tall, bluish green buildings lining the streets were topped picturesquely with snow. Though the Christmas rush had passed, the city centre remained alive with droves of hurried commuters and window shoppers searching for the earliest post-Christmas sales. It was certainly brisk out in the open air, but the embarrassment coursing through Misty Waterflower's cheeks was sure to keep her from feeling the cold.

"I can't believe I'm actually encouraging this," she thought out loud as she watched her lovesick friend slalom ahead of her through the small crowds in the central plaza.

"Relax, Misty," said Tracey calmly beside her. "I'm sure he's not that bad…is he?"

Misty shot the pokémon watcher a look of pure disbelief. "Are you kidding? Haven't you ever seen him around girls before?"

He shrugged. "Believe it or not, I actually haven't. I've just been playing along with the jokes up until now."

"Oh boy…well, I imagine you're in for quite a show," she stated dryly, trying her best to keep the walking liability in question in her field of view.

Misty's warning could not have been more impeccably timed, as Brock suddenly bounded over to an unsuspecting young woman, taking her hands in his and kneeling on the ground in front of her.

"My darling angel!" he swooned, his eyes fixed on those of the increasingly uncomfortable girl. "How blessed I would be to spend this magical holiday period with one as beautiful as you!"

Just as Misty was about to step in, the woman snorted contemptuously, releasing herself from his hold and picking up her many shopping bags that had fallen to the floor.

"Nice try, weirdo," she muttered before disappearing quickly out of sight.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Tracey spoke in awe. "I knew I should've brought my sketchpad."

Walking over to the stunned Brock, Misty cleared her throat loudly, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Do you know where you went wrong?" she asked somewhat condescendingly.

The pokémon breeder seemed highly offended by the question. "I didn't do anything wrong! It's her that didn't give me the chance to perform any of my special moves!"

She shook her head. "Brock, you keep introducing yourself to people like that, and the only 'special move' you'll ever get to perform is Seismic Toss."

In an instant, Tracey was doubled over in a fit of laughter, while Misty herself stiffened in surprise at her uncharacteristically crass statement. Then again, she decided a moment later, perhaps her friend occasionally needed such a wakeup call.

"Well," Tracey squeaked, wiping the tears from his eyes, "this has been a truly enlightening experience, but I think I'd better be on my way now."

"Where are you going?" Misty asked.

"Oh, I've just got a few little things to take care of before the party tomorrow," he explained. "I'll meet you back here in about an hour."

After a few quick goodbyes, the mild-mannered watcher took off down the street, leaving Brock and Misty alone in the icy Viridian Square.

"So, what do we do now?" Brock looked over to the exasperated redhead, apparently having recovered from his rejection. In his voice was something almost childlike, a kind of 'wounded' tone that reminded Misty of the perpetually ludicrous truth that he was the older of the two.

"I guess…" she began, sighing inwardly as she realised what she was about to say, "you might as well try again."

The pokémon breeder grinned in a manner that only reinforced Misty's previous thought. "Awesome! Let's go!"

As she allowed Brock to lead her further into the square, Misty could not stop her mouth from cracking into a small smile. His methods may have been in dire need of an overhaul, but there was absolutely no dampening her friend's unwavering enthusiasm, a quality that undoubtedly came from all of his years travelling with Ash. Her smile faded slightly when she realised she had almost forgotten what that felt like. Nevertheless, she had sworn to herself that she would remain positive about this bet, and that was exactly what she was going to do. Perhaps Brock would even end up surprising her…

"No, no, no, no, no!" Misty huffed as she dragged a squirming Brock away from his latest victim by his ear. "How many times have I told you that pick-up lines just don't work?!"

"Th-That's impossible! I've been using those lines since before you were born!"

"Weirdly, I actually believe you," she said, imagining a five-year-old Brock trying his luck with the women of Pewter City.

"See, there you g-"

"And how many girls did you manage to win over?"

A cartoonish droplet of sweat ran down the side of Brock's face. "Well, er…some lady bought me a bag of chocolate pokéballs once…"

"I rest my case."

The deflated pokémon breeder ran a hand through his spiky hair in thought. "Can't I at least keep some of them? How can you not like 'if you were a pokémon, I'd catch you with my master ball because your beauty is truly legendary'? Or my personal favourite: 'girl, you must be a clefairy, because you're out of this world!'"

"Let me put it another way: one more pick-up line and I walk."

"…Fine, I'll stop."

A whole five minutes passed, and the scraping sound of Brock's size twelve loafers dragging backwards along the pavement filled the air once again.

"Ow! What did I do this time?!" he exclaimed, rubbing the ear his friend had recently let go of.

"You really don't know?" snapped Misty, her face flushed and her hands on her hips.

After an innocent shake of his head, she continued her lecture. "So you don't think there's anything wrong with running up to a woman with" – she held up her fingers to mimic quotation marks – "'boobs the size of jigglypuffs' – and then proceeding to describe them as such right to her face?!"

"But I meant it as a compliment!" he cried. "I thought she'd be flattered!"

"And it took her slapping you to realise she wasn't?!"

Brock nursed his raw cheek, sighing in disappointment.

"I think we need to clear something up here," Misty said matter-of-factly, her voice softer but still carrying a subtle note of annoyance. "Are you in this to find love, or just have sex?"

Despite his puzzled expression, the redhead denied him the chance to answer. "Because I didn't sign up to play the matchmaker just so you could go and have some disgusting one-night stand, got it? From now on, no references to…um…well, you know! I'll be damned if I'm going to lose this bet!"

"Yes, ma'am," he complied, hanging his head as they continued on down the street.

Misty massaged her temples, trying to formulate her words into something vaguely intelligible before engaging the pokémon breeder in the wake of his most recent rejection – or, rather, rejections.

"I'll admit, Brock, you've really outdone yourself on this one," she said flatly, pulling down the sleeves of her pink jacket. "To think you could actually ask three girls out at once is really quite something."

"Now hang on a minute!" Brock interjected, holding his hands up in defence. "It's not as if I expected all three of them to go out with me. I just asked the question to the whole group because I figured, 'hey, at least one of them's bound to say yes, right?'"

"Unbelievable."

"Oh no, don't even think about it!"

"What are you talking about? I'm just walking."

"Yeah, towards the pokémon centre. I know you've been trying to sneakily steer us in that direction ever since we got here."

"I, er…well…okay, fine, maybe I have! Where's the problem? Isn't this the perfect opportunity? I've finally got a good reason to ask out the beautiful Viridian City Nurse Joy!"

"No."

"Aww, come on, why not?"

"Because I said so, that's why! You've pestered that poor woman quite enough for one lifetime."

"But I…ugh, whatever. She's not as pretty as the Pewter City one anyway."

"So, where to now?"

"I dunno…ooh, the police station! Nurse Joy may be off limits, but you never said anything about Officer Jenny!"

"Trust me, Brock, you keep going the way you're going, and you'll be seeing Officer Jenny a lot sooner than you think. Or I will, at least, when I kill you."

"Alright! Hey, does that mean she'll use her handcuffs?! Oh wow, I think I'm gonna cry!"

"…Ugh."

It was now close to 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and Brock and Misty were gradually beginning to grate on each other. While the former resented being pulled away from every attempt he made to talk to a member of the opposite sex (as well as ending up with a very sore ear), the latter found herself both amazed and infuriated by her 22-year-old friend's inability to properly communicate with women he found attractive. The duo approached a large park, whereupon the undeterred Brock instantly laid eyes on a pretty young woman and introduced himself. Though Misty was surprised to see that some of her advice had actually sunk in, the man was still not quite ready, demonstrated by the girl's sandshrew performing a large Sand-Attack in the unsuspecting breeder's face.

"Argh! Dammit, my eyes!" he coughed as the woman strode away, unsympathetic to his fate. Misty held out her hand to help Brock up from the ground, failing to withhold the huge sigh that had been threatening to escape her lungs for the past few minutes.

"I know, I know!" he stopped her before she could inevitably tear him a new one. "It was because I held her hands, wasn't it?"

"If you know what I'm going to say, then why aren't you acting on it?" she hissed, rolling her eyes at the annoyed look she was receiving. "Of course it's because of the hands! We don't all live in some tired old romance novel, you know."

In a move completely uncharacteristic of the usually calm and composed Brock, he opted not to take the high road as he opened his mouth to retort. "I bet you'd be singing a different tune if it was Ash holding your hands…"

Misty was briefly stunned at such a spiteful comment from one of her closest friends, but quickly recovered enough to whip out her mallet and bring it clattering down on his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she bellowed, blushing from the swell of emotion churning inside of her.

"Ow! Jeez…I'm just saying, how come you claim to know so much about romance and relationships and whatnot when you've never even been in one? What gives you the right to keep putting me down all the time over something you're no more experienced at than me?"

As flustered as the girl was, she knew immediately that Brock had made a very good point. Now that he had drawn attention to it, she could not deny that this whole situation seemed rather hypocritical on her part.

"Well, you, er…I mean, it's, um…look, we had a deal, alright? I'm trying to help you here, so the least you could do is show a bit of gratitude!"

At that moment, Brock seemed to come to his senses, sighing and shaking his head slowly. "I think we're both a little stressed out right now. What say we go get some lunch? I could use a break from all this walking."

As if by magic, hearing her friend's voice return to normal instantly made her feel a lot calmer. She nodded meekly, still somewhat embarrassed over losing her temper, and the two quietly made their way out of the park and back onto the busy streets.

Thankfully, the inside of the small café was a lot warmer than it had been out in the open, and now that they were rested with full stomachs and peaceful surroundings, Misty and Brock were, once again, feeling comfortable in each other's company. Their table by the glass wall of the building gave them a perfect view of the park they had just come from, an expansive mass of white, snow-covered grass and festively decorated lampposts as far as the eye could see. Misty took a sip from her cup of hot chocolate, humming quietly to herself as she stared out of the window; Brock, however, appeared restless, as if something was on his mind.

"Hey, Misty?" he began, resting his hands on the table.

"Hmm?"

"I'm, er, sorry about those things I said. You know, about Ash, and how you've never been in a relationship. It's not like me to get carried away like that. But I want you to know that I really am grateful you're doing this for me."

Misty smiled. The conversation in question was pretty much the first real argument her and Brock had ever had, and it was the very unexpectedness of it that set it apart from the fights she engaged in with Ash. For this reason, she felt instantly relieved by his apology.

"Thanks, Brock. I'm sorry, too. I guess the pressure of this is really getting to us."

Another short silence passed, but Brock remained fidgeting and biting his nails in a way that suggested he had more to get off his chest.

"You know I mean well, don't you?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

Misty looked up from her cup, her head cocked to the side in confusion. "What?"

"I was just thinking; the way I act around girls, it must be pretty, er, uncomfortable for you guys – not to mention the girls themselves – but you know I don't mean to freak out and act like a creep, right? I just get so excited when I see someone pretty, like I really just want to go and tell them, you know? But I always end up overdoing it, and…argh, this probably all sounds stupid."

"Brock, no-one thinks you're a creep," she reassured him. "We know it's difficult for you to control yourself around girls; but, that's why we're here, right? We've still got a day and a half left of this deal, and I'm not about to give up now. You with me?"

Though Brock had always been something of an 'elder' figure amongst her friends, Misty had seldom seen the pokémon breeder open up to this degree about his feelings. Their brief argument seemed to have teased out his more vulnerable side, and his sudden willingness to reveal the insecurities he had hidden for all these years was both refreshing and flattering for the young redhead. She had known him since she was ten years old, but only now did it seem like Misty was finally getting to know the real Brock.

He nodded happily. "Thanks. I just wish I knew how to, I don't know, tone it down every now and then. Honestly, it's like I turn into a hyper little kid when there's a woman nearby!"

His demeanour was a lot more jovial now, so Misty decided it was safe to return his playfulness with her own. "Tell me about it. Your 'girl mode' is almost exactly the same as Ash's 'normal mode'."

As they both shared a knowing laugh, Misty found her thoughts lingering on the last thing she had said – or, more specifically, the person about whom she said it. A question she had been meaning to ask ever since she arrived in Pallet Town a few hours earlier reappeared in the forefront of her mind, and she did not hesitate to voice it.

"Brock, can I ask you something?"

He gave his old friend a gentle smile. "Sure."

"How come Ash didn't come home at the same time as you?"

Brock opened his mouth to speak, but paused for a second as the minutia of Misty's question reached his brain. Eventually, he managed to find the words he wanted to say. "Well, you see, Misty, Ash has been really busy lately with challenging the Frontier Brains. Last time I saw him, he had just conquered the Battle Palace on Metallica Island. Maybe he just wanted to see how far he could get before he came back to Pallet Town?"

In truth, Brock knew that there was another reason for Ash's delay, a deeper, more personal reason, but had been sworn to secrecy by the boy in question. He prayed that Misty had not sensed he was hiding anything.

"So it's not that he just didn't want to see me?" she murmured, her voice conveying flavours of both hurt and panic. "B-Because I wouldn't put it past him! Knowing him, he'd probably go all the way to Unova if it meant avoiding being yelled at for the whole holidays by his bitch of a best friend!"

Her noticeably hysterical tone at the end temporarily put her friend on edge, but he shook it off and stared sympathetically at the crestfallen young girl. "Misty, how can you say that? Ash thinks the world of you! I happen to know he's been looking forward to this for a long time, so I'm sure he's got a good reason for staying behind. What's brought all this on, hmm?"

Misty sighed, deciding that this was as good a time as any to come clean. "Well, it's just that, it's only been a few months since I last saw you guys, so it's still all pretty fresh in my mind, and, well, I know it's childish of me to think like this, but something inside of me just kinda expected…more…this time around, you know? I got here as soon as I could because I was so excited to see everyone again, and I…I thought that Ash would feel that way, too."

Brock absorbed her saddening speech intently, his small smile fading with every word she said. Taking advantage of their sudden openness with each other, the pokémon breeder posed his old friend a question that he had never dared ask before:

"You love him, don't you?"

Predictably, Misty's face was instantly awash with scarlet, and she quickly looked away in embarrassment. Though she had tried to hide her feelings as best she could over the years, even she could tell how badly her methods had backfired, especially around those who knew her best. To Brock's surprise, the morose redhead sighed before nodding her head in confirmation.

"How long have you known?"

He smiled amicably. "Since shortly after I met the two of you. I always had a feeling you and Ash meant more to each other than either of you let on, even when you were stubborn, bickering little ten-year-olds. Then, before we left for Johto, Tracey told me about everything that had happened in the Orange Islands, and, believe me, any one of those times sounded like more than enough evidence that-"

Brock's words trailed off ethereally as a mesmerising sight from outside the window caught his eye. A huge blush crept onto his face, and his mouth hung open in astonishment.

"Who…who is th-that?" he stuttered, staring fascinatedly out into the distance.

Misty was unprepared, to say the least, for the abrupt detour of their conversation. "Who is…wha…?"

"That girl…" he pressed his finger against the glass.

"The one with the geodude?" she guessed, trying to follow the trajectory of his gaze.

"Yeah…she's amazing…"

Somehow, the pokémon breeder's reaction this time was different than before. The woman in question was certainly very attractive, the type that Brock would normally have gone cuckoo over, but instead of running up to her immediately and professing his undying love, he just sat there, locked in some sort of daze. Misty watched the scene with a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment.

"Well, why don't you go and talk to her?" she suggested in an attempt to break him from his trance.

He turned to face her, a rather bashful look on his face. "You…you think I could?"

Who are you and what have you done with Brock? Misty thought to herself in amusement; yet, despite her scepticism, the fact that he was even asking these kinds of questions spoke volumes about how far he had apparently come.

"Of course, Brock, you're more than capable of talking to her! Just take it slowly, okay? And hey, she clearly loves pokémon, so that's a perfect conversation starter!"

Within seconds, Brock's worried expression was replaced by one of determination. "You know what? You're right! I can do this! Thanks, Misty."

"Any time," she smiled as the gleeful man slipped off his seat and headed eagerly towards the park on the other side of the road.

As per her advice, he started by pointing out the girl's geodude, presumably telling her that he owned one as well, and although Misty could not hear anything he was saying, she had to admit that it looked to be going rather well. A swell of pride bubbled up from inside her as she watched Brock laughing blissfully with a girl who, before today, he would have undoubtedly scared off with his overzealous passion. Maybe she would win this bet after all…but why did something about that make her feel sad?

After a few minutes, however, Misty noticed the girl leaving to walk in the opposite direction, cradling her pokémon in her arms and waving slightly at Brock as she went. Brock himself stood still, a decidedly awkward look on his face that Misty took as her cue to exit the café and join him on the outskirts of the park.

"What happened?" she asked when she approached him.

"We got talking about pokémon and stuff, so I mentioned that I used to be a gym leader and she seemed really impressed. Her name was Sally, which I said was a pretty cute name, and she laughed. Then I asked her to be my date to the party tomorrow, but..." He looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "She's already got a boyfriend."

"Oh…" Misty sighed, picking up on the disappointment in her older friend's voice. "That's too bad. She seemed nice."

"Yeah," he replied vacantly, ushering in an uncomfortable silence between the two.

"There you are!" panted a voice from behind them, rescuing them from their impasse. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh, hi, Tracey," Misty greeted the pokémon watcher with a small smile.

"So, have you guys made any progress?" he asked, running a hand through his dark green hair.

"Um…yes and no," admitted the blushing girl. "I'll explain later. Did you manage to get your jobs done?"

Tracey smiled in confirmation. "Yep, found everything I needed without much trouble. I even picked up some late Christmas presents for May and Max. I know they've never met me, but I didn't want them to feel left out, you know, especially since I've still got Ash's to give him…"

As soon as those final few words reached Misty's ears, a gut-wrenching sickness brewed from within the very depths of her soul, clawing its way upwards and filling every inch of her body. Her limbs felt weak and heavy, and her head pounded with an ache the likes of which she had never felt before. She had gone to every length imaginable to make sure she remembered – videophone alerts, reminders from her sisters, post-it notes practically wallpapering her bedroom back at the gym – but still, somehow, she had forgotten. Tears threatened to fall from her erratic teal eyes, and she forced them shut in order to keep her sudden burst of emotion from spilling over.

"Tracey, I've, er…I've just remembered I've got something to take care of, something, erm, urgent," she gasped, her breathing short and rapid.

"Er, okay…?" he answered confusedly.

"I'll just be…over in the shopping centre…got to…for the…see ya!"

The two young men had little chance to question their friend before she hurtled down the road in the direction of the tallest building in the city, kicking up a small amount of snow in her wake. They turned to look at each other, identical looks of confusion on their faces.

"What was that about?"

How could I be so stupid? Misty mentally chastised herself as she traipsed through the busy shopping centre, eyeing the rows of shops to the left and right of her in search of one that stood out. She had been working on her Christmas present for Ash all month; it was going to be so perfect. The plastic had only just set yesterday, and she had planned to paint it while she was in Pallet Town before the party. Yet, in her haste to leave that morning, the one thing she absolutely needed to take with her was the one thing she managed to exit the gym without.

Ash had, of course, seen many of her fishing lures before, including the previous ones she had fashioned after herself, but this one was special, because she was making it specifically for him. She hoped the tiny effigy of her would serve as a constant reminder of their friendship, travelling with Ash wherever he went as a symbol that a part of her would always be with him. But that plan was ruined, as there was no time now to go back to Cerulean City to retrieve it, especially since she had committed herself to her deal with Brock, and she was not about to trust her ditsy sisters with posting such a fragile and meaningful object.

As imperfect as it was, the only option left to her was to find something else, and fast. Viridian City was the closest city to Indigo Plateau, the site of the Indigo League, so a vast amount of the shops she passed dealt primarily in Pokémon League memorabilia and souvenirs. Ash was a sucker for anything pokémon-related, so something of that ilk would certainly be an easy buy for him, if not a very personal one. Nevertheless, the increasingly agitated Misty decided that one of these shops would probably be a good place to start.

The first place she stumbled upon was oddly nostalgic, something she had not counted on but welcomed nonetheless. The walls were lined with caps and jackets almost identical to the kind of garb Ash usually dressed in, and various types of pokéballs shone brightly up at her in their display cases. There were, indeed, many things in here that Ash would have loved to own, but nothing seemed to speak to her; nothing said, "Happy New Year, Ash, you're my best friend and I love you to pieces". She growled quietly to herself as she tried to forget that last part.

Just then, Misty overheard a group of young children talking in the corner of the shop. They were all gathered around a boy about twelve years old holding a very familiar item in his hands.

"Wow, that's so cool! I had no idea they could do that!" one child exclaimed.

"I know, right?" the boy replied. "I was so close to throwing it away when I got my new one, but the Professor showed me how to do this with it and it's now my new favourite thing!"

Luckily, the redhead had a significant height advantage over the group of children, and, without getting too close to arouse suspicion, she was able to peer over their heads to take a look at what they were so excited about. As soon as she did, her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She now knew exactly what to get him, and she would definitely not find it here. Swiftly exiting the small shop and running the length of the mall to the exit, a victorious smile graced her features once more.

Perhaps she would send him the lure when he completed the Battle Frontier instead.

Yet, her solace proved to be short-lived, as a blood-curdling scream made its way into her ears from the street to the right of the Viridian plaza where she was standing. Moments later, Brock and Tracey emerged from around the corner, sprinting manically away from a mob of furious bikers.

"MISTY! TIME TO GO!" Brock screamed, gesturing for her to start running with them.

"What the hell is all this?!" she shouted back as they came closer and closer.

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, JUST RUN!"

Just as they were about to pass her, Tracey grabbed Misty's arm, leaving her with no choice but to run along with them at the same frantic pace. She had no idea how a previously calm situation had managed to turn into utter bedlam the minute she left; yet, regardless of the cause, there was little doubt in her mind that this would certainly make for an interesting story later.