DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon.

CHAPTER 3: Misty's Master Plan

In the heart of the Seafoam Islands, just south of Fuchsia City, three weary teenagers leant casually over the railing of the ferry, staring downward at the neat lines their transport sliced in the calm, grey sea. The fierce wind stung like ice against their skin, but they appeared not to notice, all but desensitised to the harsh weather by their many years of travelling. The trio remained in a peaceful silence for quite some time, eventually broken by an exaggerated yawn from the bandana-wearing girl in the middle.

"How much further, Max?" May sighed, stretching out her arms in front of her. "I could kill for a bath and a mug of hot chocolate right about now."

The younger boy next to her adjusted his large glasses studiously. "According to my calculations, we should reach the next island in about two hours. By then, it'll be dark, and since the ferries don't run at night in the Seafoam Islands, we'll have to spend the night there."

"Aww man," she whined.

"But, assuming we catch a boat early tomorrow, and assuming you still want to stop at Cinnabar for some last-minute shopping…" the boy let out a groan that earned him a glare of annoyance from his older sister, "I estimate that we'll arrive in Pallet Town by about 7 or 8 o'clock – just in time for the party."

Instantly, May was back to her usual, bubbly self. "Yay! I'm so excited! I can practically taste all of that delicious party food already, and if your mom's making it, it should really be something, right, Ash? Ash?"

To her left, the pokémon trainer stayed silent, his back against the railings and his red cap casting a shadow over his eyes. His expression was one of deep thought, a look he was not exactly known for sporting, as he stared intensely down at his hand, in which an object the size of an oran berry rolled animatedly around his palm.

"Pikapi," squeaked Pikachu on the railing, jumping up and prodding his master's cheek with his paw. Ash looked up with a start, turning around to see his three friends staring at him inquisitively.

"Huh? Er, whatcha say, May?"

The young pokémon coordinator frowned. "Ash, are you feeling ok? You've been weirdly quiet ever since last night."

"Who, me? Y-Yeah, I'm fine…er, thanks."

It was evident that her older friend had not fully returned from Cloud 9, so she persisted. "You don't sound fine. You sound nervous."

A brief look of irritation flashed across Ash's eyes before he simply sighed in defeat. "It's nothing, really. I guess I was just wondering…" He gestured towards the item in his hand. "Do you think she'll like it?"

May could not help but giggle. "Of course she will!"

Sensing the impending question of "How do you know?", she decided to beat him to the punch. "Ash, you two are probably the most important people in the world to each other. She'd be overjoyed with anything you got her, but this – after how much effort you put into it, after all those nights you went without sleep, after you were prepared to spend Christmas in a cave instead of your bed at home – trust me, as soon as she sees it, she's going to lose her goddamn mind."

"May said a bad word!" Max chanted boyishly. "I'm going to tell Mom!"

May blushed, scowling at her brother. "Don't even think about it, pipsqueak!"

Amongst the impromptu squabbling between his two travelling companions, Ash broke into a wide grin, instantly feeling better after those words of reassurance. "You know what, May? You're right. She's really going to love it, isn't she? Oh man, I can't wait to get home now!"

As the sun began to set on the islands of southern Kanto, a smiling May and Max watched their friend gazing peacefully off into the horizon. Though they may have had to sacrifice a warm, comfortable Christmas Day in pursuit of Ash's perfect gift, the duo could rest assured that the look on Misty's face would be more than worth it in the end.

Meanwhile, back on the mainland, Misty, Brock and Tracey were gathered around the coffee table in Professor Oak's living room, their faces still slightly red after the run of a lifetime. Evading the biker gang had certainly been no easy task, forcing them to take all kinds of twists and turns around the city, and once they reached the road to Pallet Town, the three almost broke the sound barrier in their haste to escape.

"Okay, Brock, once more, and this time without the snivelling," Misty snarled, pacing back and forth along the rustic, square room.

"But it was so awful!" he wailed, shivering as though he had gone through a major trauma.

"What did I just say?"

"Okay, okay," he spoke more calmly, sitting up straight on the leather sofa and taking in a deep breath.

"So after you left, I thought I might as well give it one more shot, you know? I saw a girl in the plaza who was really hot, like a supermodel, and I went up to her like I did with Sally, the geodude girl. But as soon as I introduced myself, she totally flipped out!"

"You mean like they normally do?" she asked cynically.

The pokémon breeder immediately shook his head. "No…not even a little bit. She was screaming at me, shouting at the top of her voice about how I wasn't worth her time and how she could have anyone she wanted. Then she said something about setting her 'Daddy Giovanni' on me, and the next thing I know, this whole gang of bikers showed up, and-"

"Yeah, okay, thanks, Brock, I think I can work the rest out from here," Misty interrupted in the driest of manners before running a hand through her orange hair. "Well, whoever she was, she was clearly crazy. Let's just agree to never speak of this again."

Tracey nodded, while Brock suddenly looked concerned. "So the deal's off?"

She stopped pacing and turned to face him. "What? No, of course not! When did I say that?"

"But I thought you just…"

"Look, not counting that last unfortunate, er…incident…you've come so far in such a short space of time – further than I would ever have guessed, to be honest – so what makes you think I'm going to give up on you now?"

Her spiky-haired friend was both confused and relieved. "I, um…thanks, I guess."

Taking a seat opposite the watcher and the breeder, she spoke up again. "That being said, I think we've been going about this the wrong way. That's why I've come up with an idea."

Brock and Tracey leaned forward in their seats.

"Come to think of it, I should probably have done this from the start," pondered Misty as she plucked a piece of paper and a pen from the desk in the corner of the room. "I want you to describe to me your perfect girl."

Curiously, Brock was not instantly enthralled by such an idea. "My what? But, er…why? Isn't that kinda…unrealistic?"

"Hey, it's not as if I'm expecting whatever you describe to come strolling right through that door," she clarified, "but surely it'll help you to think about what you really like and value in a woman, right? It's worth a try, at least."

He shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "I suppose."

Putting pen to paper, Misty began her grand interrogation. "So, er, shall we start with personality?"

"Sure."

"How would you like your perfect girl to act?"

"Well, er, kind, I guess? And, um, caring, you know, funny, good with kids, that sort of stuff."

"Okay, good, good…interests?"

"Oh, well, I think pokémon is kind of a given; also, I guess it'd be nice if they were interested in breeding, too. I've never really had many people to talk about that with before."

"Aww, that's sweet." Misty smiled before swiftly continuing. "So, onto appearance now. Pale or tanned skin?"

"Hmm. I mean, I do like both…"

"Come on, Brock, you've got to be a bit more picky or this whole exercise is pointless."

"Right, gotcha. Er, pale, I suppose."

"Eye colour?"

"Ooh, it's got to be between blue and brown…I'll go with blue. No, wait, brown! Yeah, brown."

"Hair?"

"What about it?"

"I dunno, anything! Length, style, colour, pick one!"

"Are you sure all of this is relevant?"

"We'll never know if you don't answer, will we?"

"Okay, fine! Well, I like long hair – not too long, mind; sorta like how your sisters have theirs, hehe…I mean, er, nothing, never mind! – and style's not really a big deal. As for colour, well, I kinda like all of them, you know? Although, I've always found blue hair to be quite pretty…"

The more Brock revealed about his supposed perfect girl, the more Misty began to think. The speed at which he answered most of her questions was suspicious, to say the least, and the things he said seemed oddly familiar. She drummed the tip of her pen against her lip as she reviewed the notes she had written down, trying to deduce some sort of pattern from the tiny fragments of evidence scattered around the page.

And then, with a jolt of her heart, it hit her. She had always suspected that Brock's feelings ran deeper for this particular person than for the girls he usually pursued, but even she could not have guessed that he had it this bad. Thinking back, it was indeed peculiar that he failed to mention her during their conversation that morning; it was almost as if he had placed her in a different 'category' to all the other women he listed. She was Brock's image of perfection, and so it had to be her. This was how she was going to win their bet!

"Uh, Misty, are you okay?" Tracey's distinctively high-pitched voice sounded through the redhead's musing. She looked up, placing her pen on the table and stared vacantly between the two men opposite her. Moments later, she quickly rose to her feet, reaching for the pokégear in her pocket as she headed for the door.

"Be right back!" she squealed excitedly over her shoulder, disappearing around the corner soon after.

Brock and Tracey stared at the door in a stunned silence. For the second time that day, they had watched their unpredictable friend run away from them without so much as an explanation, and her increasingly secretive behaviour was becoming rather unsettling. Brock turned to look at Tracey, his eyebrow raised and his hand behind his head in confusion.

"Was it something I said?"

After Brock's bizarre and disturbing near-death experience in Viridian City, the group decided that it would be best to suspend the rest of his 'training', as it were, until the next day. There were, of course, immediate concerns that this would be cutting it way too close; yet, his progress leading up to said experience had Misty completely convinced that Brock was now fully able to talk to – and, indeed, court – a member of the fairer sex. For the rest of the day, Brock and Tracey performed various chores around the lab, while Misty took the time to focus on creating Ash's Christmas-slash-New Year present.

The gift had required a lot more assembly than she had anticipated. Once she explained her plan to Delia and Professor Oak, both were more than happy to lend a hand in its construction (she could have sworn she even saw Delia shed a tear at the very idea of it). The task involved multiple trips between the lab and Ash's house in order to collect the things she needed, something that tired her out immensely, and as soon as she was done, she politely excused herself before retiring for the night. It had certainly been hard work, but she could not be more proud of the end product, and hoped with all her heart that Ash would appreciate it just as much.

It was now late afternoon on New Year's Eve, and most of the day had already been taken up by last-minute preparations. Brock and Delia had been cooking the buffet since shortly after dawn, while Tracey, Misty and Gary were tending to the large, fenced area on the reserve that was to house all of the guests' pokémon during the party.

"Are you sure the pokémon will be warm enough out here?" Misty asked, her teeth chattering slightly as she spoke.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Tracey replied as he propped up another tall, cylindrical object along the perimeter of the pen. "The amount of heat these lamps kick out, it'll probably be warmer out here than it will in the lab."

"Speaking of heat," Gary chimed in mischievously, "how's the bet going, eh? Beginning to feel the pressure now there's only half a day to go?"

She shook her head nonchalantly. "Nope, why would I? I told you I had this thing in the bag."

"Oh, really? Because I can't help noticing that our stony friend is still completely girlfriend-less, and I doubt he'll have a minute to himself today until all that cooking's done."

Misty grunted. "We're working on it, okay?"

The underlying stress in the young girl's voice was evident, betraying the confident exterior she was putting great effort into maintaining. Gary smirked as he set down the last of the heating lamps and walked over to her.

"You know, Red, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you almost wanted to fail," he remarked, provoking a look of horror from his addressee. "After all, a chance to kiss your one true love like this doesn't come around too often, now does it? Win or lose, I don't think you'll be able to resist when the time comes."

Had they not just installed all of the lamps, the heat from Misty's face alone would have been more than sufficient to warm up the entire reserve. As much as she had tried to supress it, the thought had crossed her mind numerous times over the past two days. Did she actually want to kiss Ash? She had promised Brock that she would help him find a date tonight, and that was exactly what she was going to do, but something in the back of her head forced her to consider the possibility that, should she fall short of this goal, would her so-called punishment really be so bad after all? Regardless of her answer, however, Gary Oak had no right to talk to her like that.

"THAT'S THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" Misty shouted, her cheeks alight with a brilliant crimson. "I'm not going to fail, and I don't want to kiss Ash, you hear me?! And stop calling me Red!"

Announcing that she wanted to see if Delia needed any help in the kitchen, she quickly turned tail and started back towards the lab, briefly looking over her shoulder. Much to her annoyance, the arrogant pokémon researcher simply smirked again. "If you say so, Misty."

She scrunched her nose up at his mocking tone. "Ugh. On second thought, Red will be fine."

A few hours later, and the earliest party guests had begun to arrive. Bright and cheerful holiday music echoed throughout the halls of Professor Oak's vast lab, and the fairy lights of the gigantic Christmas tree in the main room projected a tapestry of colour onto the high walls and ceiling. Although the room had been mostly cleared of lab equipment, the units that were too big to be moved were covered with festive-themed tarpaulins, looking oddly fitting alongside the streamers and hanging decorations littering the building. The place definitely looked the part, and as more and more excited Pallet Town residents poured into the large ballroom, the joyful gathering seemed from the outset to have all the makings of a truly memorable New Year's Eve celebration.

Not long after 6:30pm, an excited Misty Waterflower came scampering daintily down the stairs from hers and Delia's dressing room, re-entering the main area to be met with looks of shock and awe from passing partygoers. The deep red of her silky, strapless dress perfectly complemented her pale complexion, and the jewelled starmie brooch on her chest dazzled beautifully in the festive lighting of the venue. Just for the occasion, she had foregone her signature ponytail, instead letting her orange hair fall freely around her face in subtle curls while a silver barrette rested by her left ear. Though she could not presume to know how tonight's events would turn out, the one thing she was sure of was that she wanted to look her best for when Ash came home.

Misty quickly spotted Brock by the opposite door, sporting a navy blue two-piece suit and a white shirt, and, walking around the edges of the ever-growing crowd, the duo casually observed the goings-on of the still-nascent party. While the young girl seemed to be at relative ease, her friend wore a markedly nervous expression, biting his nails and muttering to himself uneasily.

"What's wrong, Brock?" Misty asked as she caught a glimpse of his curious behaviour.

He looked around with caution before opening his mouth to speak. "It's just…do you really think we'll be able to pull this off?"

"You mean the deal?"

"Yeah. I mean, the party's already under way, and I'm still no closer to finding a date."

Misty smiled playfully at her older friend. "Trust me, you're closer than you think. I came up with a plan yesterday that I believe will solve all our problems."

"Really? What is it?"

"I can't tell you yet," she affirmed, causing Brock to furrow his brow in confusion. "Sorry, but you're just going to have to bear with me on this one. I promise, though, it'll be totally worth the wait!"

"But I-"

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay? I'm not worrying, so you shouldn't either."

Though Brock was not entirely convinced by the cryptic lines his redheaded friend fired at him, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, er, okay, I guess. Thanks."

The pokémon breeder then excused himself to go to the bathroom, whereupon Misty continued to weave slowly through the party crowd, humming along contentedly to the music with a confident smile on her face. She understood Brock's concern, of course; as scenic as Pallet Town was, its entertainment value for young people was all but non-existent, and most people left the sleepy little town at the first chance they had. As a result, there did not seem to be many party guests in hers or Brock's age range, something that, at first glance, was sure to be a problem as far as their deal was concerned. But Misty had her master plan, a plan so perfect and immaculate that, suddenly, the scarcity of potential partners for her friend did not seem at all like an issue. On any other day, she would have considered herself a fool to put all of her eggs in one basket like this, but tonight was different, because she was so sure that it was going to work. It had to – otherwise Ash would be in for quite a shock.

Absentmindedly, she made her way over to the pop-up bar at the end of the room, climbing onto one of the barstools and reaching for a slightly damp drinks menu. As soon as her eyes met with the three instantly recognisable figures behind the counter, however, the redhead let out a long and exaggerated groan of annoyance.

"Well, good evening to you, young lady!" chirped the 'barmaid', her long, crimson hair flowing down from underneath a small, black hat. "What can I get you?"

"Might I recommend a smashing sitrus berry surprise?" the blue-haired man to the right of her gushed as he quickly whipped together a glass of luminescent yellow liquid to demonstrate.

"Or even a Jubilife ginger ale?" said the third member, a pokémon standing on a box between his two human companions. "It's da bomb!"

"How's it going, Team Rocket," Misty replied in as dry and unmoved a manner as she could manage.

Naturally, the trio were shocked that the girl had managed to see through their ingenious disguises. "Oh-hoh, you must be mistaken, dear girl!" Jessie grinned guiltily. "We are but three humble bartenders, here to ser- ugh, what's the point. How'd you know it was us, twerp?"

Misty shot the woman a look of pure incredulity. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," James huffed, clearly offended that his costumes had proved ineffective.

"You actually want me to explain why stupid glasses and a couple of fake moustaches aren't enough to keep me from recognising three people I saw nearly every day for five years?" she exclaimed before her gaze shifted towards the pokémon directly in front of her. "And this may come as a shock to you, but a talking meowth with a hat on is still a talking meowth."

Growling, Meowth unfurled his long claws and jumped up to scratch his two incompetent teammates in the face.

"You morons! I told ya deez disguises wouldn't woik!"

"AYYYYYEEEEEEEEEE!" they screamed in unison.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Misty finally asked, causing them to cease their wailing. "I really don't have time for your games today."

"For your information, twerp," James crooned, "we're not here to try and steal your pokémon this time. Believe it or not, we're actually doing a bit of honest work for a change!"

"And it's definitely not because we're stone cold broke from chasin' da twoip all over da woild!" clarified Meowth rather unconvincingly.

"Clearly, that doddering old coot of a professor had no problem with our disguises," Jessie added smugly.

"Sure." Misty smiled sarcastically. "Well, since you're here, I'll have a soda."

"Coming right up!" Jessie and James sang enthusiastically.

As he handed over the chilled beverage to the rather confused redhead, James stroked his chin in thought. "Say, you're looking awfully dolled up tonight. Any particular reason for this uncharacteristic display of glamour?"

Misty twirled a strand of her curled hair around her finger, blushing slightly. "It's a party, why do you think?"

The smirk on the older man's face remained in spite of her explanation. "That may be, but are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with the imminent arrival of a certain cap-wearing twerp?"

Startled, the blushing teenager choked on her mouthful of soda. "That's none of your business!" she spluttered angrily.

"Ooh, how cute!" Jessie joined in, clasping her hands together. "The two original twerps together again after all this time!"

"They're still loveboids!" chuckled Meowth.

It was one thing for Team Rocket to gatecrash the party that Misty and her friends had worked so hard to put together, but another thing entirely for them to start toying with her feelings for Ash. "That's it!" she bellowed at the audacious trio. "If you three clowns aren't out that door in ten seconds, I'm going to call Officer Jenny and make sure you spend New Year's Eve in a jail cell!"

Contrary to the expected reaction, Team Rocket simply laughed heartily. "Your threats don't scare us, twerp," Jessie stated cockily. "The boss always bails us out anyway."

Their dismissal, however, did not so much as scratch Misty's resolve. "Actually, I've got a better idea. How would you like to come outside with me and say hello to Gyarados? He hasn't eaten for a while, and he gets mighty cranky when he's hungry."

The expressions on the trio's faces changed in an instant. "Hehe, that won't be n-necessary, twerp, it's about t-time we were on our way; happy New Year!"

Before Misty had a chance to react, they bolted towards the door leading to the entrance, their disguises flying off as they ran.

"Thank god for that," she muttered airily, holding her cold glass up to her forehead to quell the incoming headache. "Hopefully that's the worst this night's going to get."

Try as she might, Misty could not shake the feeling that Team Rocket's appearance at Professor Oak's New Year's Eve party had had a kind of foreboding effect on the whole evening. At the very least, the encounter had certainly ruined her optimism, and with every little tidbit of conversation she absorbed from passing friends and strangers, the stress of fulfilling her end of that accursed deal began to weigh on her more and more:

"Great party, huh?"

"Oh wow, I love your dress!"

"Have you tried the punch?"

"You remind me so much of my daughter!"

After about an hour of being buffeted by such colourless interaction, the poor girl was forced to retreat to the back of the room, finding an empty table and sitting down in an attempt to process some of the wilder thoughts floating around in her head. For the first time since she thought it up, Misty found herself expressing doubt over the feasibility of her so-called 'master plan'; what if the person failed to show up? Was it a good idea to have left it this late? Should she have told Brock instead of insisting on it being a surprise? With her head in her hands, the conflicted redhead tried to block out the overwhelming sounds of the party as best she could, until…

"Misty, dear, are you alright?"

The gentle, compassionate voice of Delia Ketchum was one she would recognise anywhere, and as much as she probably needed to be alone at that moment, she had not the heart to turn away the woman who had been like a mother to her.

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum." She smiled as Delia sat down beside her. "Everything's fine, thanks. I just needed a little rest."

"Are you sure?" Delia persisted, a look of sincere worry on her face. "You look a little flushed."

Misty did not want to lie to her close friend, but she also knew that telling her about the deal was very much out of the question. Delia was one of the only people she had ever confided in about her feelings for Ash, and it occurred to her that, whatever she said next, the older woman would likely pick up on the real root of her dissatisfaction anyway.

"I, er…" she began, trying to mould her words so as not to mention anything specific. "I guess I just feel like it's not right to celebrate properly until everyone gets here…you know?"

Delia smiled lovingly, placing her hand on her young friend's shoulder. "Of course, Misty, I understand. I'll let you get back to your rest, then; I'm over by the tree with Samuel if you need anything, okay?"

She then rose from her seat, taking a few paces away from the table before turning back around. "Oh, and Misty?"

Misty looked up, saying nothing but attentively awaiting the woman's next words.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Then, with another smile, Delia cut neatly through the crowd, the gap she created closing almost immediately after. A warm feeling danced around Misty's body as she took in the meaning of that final statement. Regardless of the high stakes of this particular reunion, seeing her best friend again was an opportunity she would always unconditionally welcome.

As it turned out, Delia's words of reassurance were scarily well-timed. Not five minutes after their conversation, a sizable commotion at the entrance to the lab led Misty to go out and investigate. Over the shoulders of the people in front of her, she could make out four silhouettes in the doorway, and although the two on the far sides were not instantly recognisable, she knew they had to belong to May and Max. The two in the middle, however, she could identify in her sleep. Even though there was quite some distance between herself and the front door, one of these figures seemed to spot her, wasting no time in darting over to her and jumping straight into her arms.

"Pikachupi!"

"Hi, Pikachu!" Misty cooed happily, cuddling the yellow mouse as it curled up in her embrace. "It's so good to see you!"

"I guess some things never change, huh?"

By the time the young girl looked up, the source of the deep but childish voice was standing before her, his brown eyes staring straight into hers. The black hair creeping out from under his cap was dripping wet, and his cheeks and nose were tinted red from the cold, a stark contrast to the sudden warmth that Misty was currently experiencing in her own face.

"It's great to see you again, Mist." He grinned in his trademark boyish fashion. Before the redhead had even a chance to blush at her nickname, she suddenly felt herself enveloped in a tight embrace.

In that moment, there were no words that could possibly have described the cocktail of emotions bubbling within Misty's chest. Ash Ketchum was hugging her. It was a feeling she had fantasised about for as long as she could remember, but never once had it actually happened until now. For the precious few seconds that the embrace lasted, the smitten young girl was powerless to keep herself from melting in his tanned – and very soggy – arms.

"Ash, you're soaking!" she barked at him as they pulled apart, brushing a few droplets of water off her bare shoulder. Something about the action caused Ash's eyes to flick involuntarily up and down her body, and, as an awkward blush made its way onto his face, he cleared his throat before taking in a short breath.

"Wow, um, you, er…I mean, y-you look…er, that is…is that a starmie?"

Misty looked down at the brooch his eyes were bizarrely fixed on, slightly disappointed that he had not said what she thought he was going to say. "Er, yeah. It was my mother's."

Just then, May and Max appeared behind Ash, waving excitedly over at their older Kanto friend. The group exchanged a quick round of hellos and 'how are you's before May announced her desire to get to the buffet table as soon as possible, racing off into the main room along with her brother quickly thereafter.

"So, er, I should probably go and get changed for the party." Ash laughed, breaking the short silence that had grown between the two.

"But you just got here!" Misty argued. "Shouldn't you go and say hi to everyone first?"

"Like you said, Misty, I'm soaked through," he reminded her. "I promise I won't be long."

Ash then bolted up the stairs towards the bathroom while Pikachu scurried outside to the heated pen, leaving Misty to wander lethargically back into the main party area. She knew to her cost that her best friend's post-travelling showers were anything but short, so there was no telling when he would end up resurfacing. For some reason, the fleeting nature of their interaction irritated her greatly, a feeling that only reminded her of what she was obligated to do with him if Brock did not find a girlfriend before the end of the night. This realisation inspired a sudden wave of motivation in the young girl, and she ploughed through the middle of the crowd in search of the aforementioned loveless pokémon breeder.

"Ah, Misty!" Brock called over to her as she caught sight of him in the corner of the room, gesturing for her to sit with him on the sofa he was currently sharing with Tracey and Daisy. Misty, however, remained standing.

"The guys were just, like, telling me about this little bet you've got going on," her older sister teased, winking playfully.

"Were they now?" she snarled, shooting looks of annoyance at her two cringing friends.

"Hey, chill out, sis." Daisy grinned as she swished her shimmering golden hair over to one side. "Like, even if you lose, you're finally gonna get to kiss your little boyfriend; it's gonna be, like, totally adorable!"

"Thanks for reminding me," Misty acknowledged cynically, the sickly feeling in her stomach getting stronger and stronger.

"So, er, about what you said before," Brock began somewhat tentatively, as if he could sense the girl's steadily growing agitation. "The 'plan' you were talking about, is it still happening?"

"Of course it's still happening," she replied emotionlessly.

"Oh good, good…er, any idea when?"

Whatever steps she was taking to maintain her composure, Misty could tell that they were rapidly failing, and a sudden wave of anger all but pushed her over the edge.

"Look, I said it's happening, so what does it matter when? God, first Ash, then this; everyone just get off my case!"

"Wait, what happened with Ash? Is he here?"

"Yeah, and it's not important."

"And, more to the point, don't you think I have a right to at least know what this plan is?"

"I told you, it's a surprise!" Misty shouted fiercely at the group. A moment later, she recoiled, a remorseful look flashing across her eyes before she quickly turned away from them.

"I'm sorry, I…I need some air."

Having not the stomach to wait for their inevitable words of comfort, Misty made a swift beeline for the back door leading towards the pen of pokémon she saw Pikachu escape to moments earlier. While she would be the first to admit that her temper got the better of her at times, shouting at her friends was something she was not overly used to – excluding Ash, of course. Now that he was here too, it was almost as if both the 'win' and 'lose' scenarios of this bet were staring her right in the face, and the dilemma of what to and what not to focus on at any given time was more than overwhelming for the troubled redhead. What on earth had possessed her to agree to this confounded deal in the first place?

Just when she thought things could not get any worse, Misty heard a series of distressed growls and screeches coming from the outside area. Throwing open the back doors, she gasped as she noticed every single pokémon trapped in a large net being lifted up into the air by a regrettably familiar-shaped hot air balloon. Needless to say, this was where she finally lost it.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"Prepare for trouble this holiday season!"

"And make it double, there's no better reason!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James."

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

The spectacle, if one could call it that, of the Team Rocket motto gradually drew people towards the back of the hall, a phenomenon that only increased when it became clear to them what was going on.

"Oh no, my pokémon!"

"Stop, you thieves!"

"Somebody do something!"

Misty watched with disgust as Jessie and James hugged each other dramatically from within the basket of the balloon.

"Ooh, it feels so good to use our original motto again!" James squealed.

"I know! Why did we ever change it?" Jessie agreed merrily.

"Am I interrupting something?!" Misty yelled up at the startled trio. "I knew I shouldn't have believed you when you said you weren't here for our pokémon!"

"In our defence, we were actually telling the truth at that point," Jessie stated.

"But when we saw them all on our way out, we just couldn't resist!" beamed James.

"And now we're takin' all deez pokémon straight to da boss!" Meowth sneered.

"Including Pikachu!" they cheered simultaneously.

Soon after their exclamation, Misty spotted the spiky tail of the pokémon in question sticking limply out of the reinforced net. The saddening image brought to mind an infuriating realisation that almost caused the girl's eyes to roll out of their sockets: of course Ash would choose this exact moment to go and take a half-hour-long shower.

The majority of Misty's friends emerged from the lab, flanking her on both sides as they looked up at their pokémon helplessly ensnared in the net. To her right were Delia and Professor Oak, looks of sheer bewilderment on their faces.

"What in the blazes is going on?" Professor Oak barked towards the sky. "First, three of my bar staff go missing, and now this?!"

"We've got to cut those pokémon down," Tracey observed as he held onto a whimpering Daisy.

"With what?" Gary retorted. "None of us has any pokémon to battle with!"

"Can't we call the ones on the reserve?" Misty suggested.

"Quite impossible, I'm afraid," dismissed the professor. "We've only seconds until that wretched contraption is out of our reach!"

"Grrr…!" growled the frustrated redhead, wincing every time she caught a hint of Team Rocket's smug laughter on the wind. Without pokémon, the group was virtually powerless to stop the pokénapping trio in time. She frantically looked around the area, trying desperately to think of something, anything, that she could do to stop them, when, all of a sudden…

"Vulpix, Flamethrower!"

Within seconds, a stream of fire shot over the heads of everyone in the area, quickly burning through the cord holding up the net, and before anyone could react, the thick mesh crashed back down to the ground, its former captives spilling out all over the grass. As the party congregation collectively rushed forward to tend to their liberated pokémon, Misty and Brock turned around to trace the source of the attack only to be greeted by a very familiar face.

"Vulpix!" Brock cried, bending down to embrace his old travelling companion. "I can't believe this! How did you get here? Unless…"

"Hello, Brock."

Standing up straight, the pokémon breeder's heart leapt as the sight of a lithe figure with flowing teal hair reached his eyes.

"S-Suzie?"

His old breeder rival smiled warmly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? And hello to you too, Misty."

Misty returned the sentiment, sighing inwardly with relief that things finally seemed to be coming together.

Up in the hot air balloon, Jessie, James and Meowth were beside themselves with rage. "Who do you think you are?!" Jessie growled. "How dare you steal those pokémon we just stole?!"

"Pikachupi?" Pikachu squeaked as he bounded up to Misty's feet.

"What's that, Pikachu?" she asked mischievously. "You wanna give our good friends in Team Rocket their New Year present?"

"Pi!"

"You help Pikachu out too, okay, Vulpix?" Suzie chipped in to a purr of approval from the six-tailed fox.

Misty nodded. "Okay, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Vulpix, Fire Spin!"

At the same time, the two small pokémon unleashed their devastating attacks, engulfing the Meowth-shaped balloon in a swirl of fire and electricity and causing it to puncture. A dramatic explosion then sent the hapless trio flying into the pitch-black sky.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off 'til next year!"

As the smoke cleared, Misty and Suzie were greeted by a brief round of applause from the relieved party guests before they all gradually filed back into the building. Brock was beyond perplexed at the sudden appearance of his fellow pokémon breeder, and once they were both back in the comfort of the lab, he wasted no time in starting up a conversation.

"So, er, I guess you showed up just in time, huh?" he began, his voice a little shaky.

"Yeah." She smiled. "I'm afraid I can't stay, though. I promised my parents in Viridian that I'd make it to theirs by ten."

"Oh, I see," Brock said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Is it a party?"

"Something like that, yeah. But I'm glad Misty called me about this yesterday – it's really good to see all of you again."

Suddenly, Brock's eyes widened. "Misty called you?"

Suzie appeared confused. "Yes…didn't you know?"

"Oh, er, I mean, yeah, of course I knew!" Brock lied. "It's good to s-see you too, hehe. So, how've you been?"

A few feet away, from her position next to the punch bowl, Misty could hear almost everything the pair was saying. Her decision to eavesdrop on their conversation was one that did not sit entirely well with her, and she occasionally pretended to pour herself a drink in order to dispel any suspicion from passersby, but the stakes of this particular rendezvous were far too high for her to not know exactly what was being said. If this went well, then Misty would win the bet and Brock would finally have what he had wanted for as long as she had known him. If it did not, then she would have to do something that could potentially destroy her friendship with the most important person in the world to her. Trying to dismiss the constricting notions of staying either 'positive' or 'negative', the girl simply remained focused on taking in the details of such a pivotal moment in the deal.

Five minutes of small talk and humorous reminiscing passed, and Suzie suddenly clutched her handbag to her chest, straightening out her black dress. "Well, Brock, this has been really fun, but I think I'd better be heading off now."

Brock was momentarily stunned, having been thoroughly engrossed in their wholly ordinary conversation, but soon came to his senses when he saw her begin to walk away from him. "Suzie, wait!"

As she turned back around, he reached out to take her hand, then stopped himself when he remembered a certain piece of advice Misty had given him the day before. Clearing his throat, the blushing pokémon breeder stepped forward as he prepared to ask the big question.

"Suzie, I…I've had fun talking to you, too, and I'd love to, you know, do it again sometime. Would you, um, would you like to maybe go out for dinner one night in the New Year so we can, er, catch up some more?" Brock's words were breathy and disjunct, and his forehead was shiny with sweat, but he forced himself to continue, hanging his head and muttering out a final, "It would mean a lot to me."

Misty smiled to herself as she processed her friend's heartfelt words; Suzie, however, simply stared, a redness across the bridge of her nose and a decidedly sorrowful look in her dark brown eyes.

"I…don't quite know what to say…I'm so sorry, but I thought you knew."

A churning sensation brewed within Brock's stomach. "Knew what?"

The young woman sighed, looking down at her feet. "Brock, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but…I've been married for over a year now."

In a split second, Brock felt as if he had just been punched in the gut by a machamp. "M-Married?"

"Yes, last Summer. You remember Zane, don't you? Well, we started dating not long after I last saw you and, well, the rest is history."

"Zane? Oh, er, yes, y-yes I remember!" Brock drivelled tragically as he tried his best to remain neutral. "He was a g-good guy; I'm, er, happy for you!"

"I'm sorry, Brock," she said softly. "You're an amazing person, and I really value our friendship, but I'm afraid that friendship is all I have to offer."

She then leaned forward, giving the man a quick but meaningful hug before scooping up Vulpix in her arms and looking over to the door.

"I should probably be on my way now. Take care of yourself, okay? And happy New Year."

As soon as Suzie faded into an indistinct shape in the distance, Brock allowed his head and arms to droop lifelessly downward. Embarrassment did not begin to cover what he was feeling. Misty, however, was experiencing a whole other level of despair, a multitude of emotions she did not even think it was possible to feel simultaneously, and she ran straight for the nearest exit as quick as her legs could carry her. The grand plan had failed; Brock was still alone, and it was all her fault. She had been so sure, so adamant that this would work, and now she had let him down in more ways than she probably even realised. On top of that, she now had her punishment to deal with, something that would inevitably also end in nothing but heartache. If Ash reacted badly to the kiss, Misty would never forgive herself for ruining something she had worked so hard to cultivate over the years. But she did not want to think about that right now; all she wanted to do was be alone.

Back in the party room, a fully refreshed Ash Ketchum jogged blissfully over to the dazed Brock, a wide smile on his face and a generously packed plate of food in his hand.

"Hey, Brock!" he greeted innocently. "What'd I miss?"