Equanimity Chapter 20:

No.

No they weren't okay.

What?

Ash watched her carefully when her hips twisted from his direction, to the unspoken destination ahead of them. The way her shoulders stayed high, and her head tilted down and the down-sloped curve of her perfectly pink lips. She said no.

Why.

"What do you mean?" he finally snapped, grabbing at her wrist to keep her in place. He was never any good at private conversations, and so when heads turned at him on the street and cameras flared, he hardly noticed. She did, however, and the wild look that flooded her eyes almost went unnoticed. Of course, Ash wasn't aware of the cause, or the reason she would ever look at him in such a bizarre way, so his eyebrows knit together worriedly.

"Did something else happen?" He managed with concern as he stepped closer with his voice dipping into a whisper. He didn't like this, the feeling of a knife carving a hole into is chest, and he didn't like when Misty was so passive-aggressive, either.

When he pressed nearer to her, the few inches he had on her height was overly apparent, and she wriggled out of his grasp and down the street without missing a single beat. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew her well enough to know that her heart was racing, and the steadiness in her steps were a practiced walk. Ash followed her closely.

"I'm fine." She mumbled once they were a block away from the initial grab while wrapping her arms around her chest so he couldn't grab her hand again. Ash settled for walking beside her, instead.

"Okay." He quirked an eyebrow. "Now what's really the matter?"

"Nothing." She said hastily, feet moving faster to reach their destination. "Don't worry about it, I just want to get to the tournament." She assured him, a soft smile over her lips—a forced smile, he might add.

Ash thought for a while while she pressed forward. He wasn't stupid, he knew that something was wrong. Her eyes never strated from the focus she had on the ground ahead of her, and his heart swayed. If she was going to be pushy, and touchy, and all sorts of passive without any hint that he did anything wrong; then he could play that game, too!

"Fine." He hissed, darting past her quickly with pikachu staring after the two of them in mock confusion. "If you don't want to tell me then you don't have to!" He shouted back at her, chest puffed up angrily while he approached the upper-class pokemon center where the rest of the group would be waiting.

Upper-class wasn't wrong, as the building was mostly made up with tinted windows, pristine, and flawless metals down every pillar, the sign didn't have that terrible buzz that normal pokemon centers did. It didn't flicker once. Ash might have noticed her awestruck gaze on the center, if he hadn' barreled inside to avoid exactly that. She wilted at his reaction; probably more so than he did when he realized that she didn't immediately regret shutting him out—playing the I chase you, you chase me game they always did. No, she let him storm off without hesitation, but that didn't make him feel any better. When his feet clomped through the ceramic tile, through the entrance and directly to the extravagant lobby where his companions looked at him like a deer in headlights. Misty trailed in moments after.

Ash didn't realize the silence at first, taking the first available seat he could find to slump into with Pikachu on his shoulder, the worried glances that passed over him while Misty wandered from the door. He hardly noticed the stares, because they were what he couldn't get used to. His and Misty's issues being out on display, providing a show of the three-headed monster that was their life.

He refused to warrant them any reaction other than sulking until Misty's voice ripped through his vices.

"What's with the stare?" The tension shattered when she took a seat on the armrest beside him after his hasty entrance, and for a moment, Ash dared to watch the way her face brightened up when she saw May. The looks that Ash so very much disliked dissipated, and conversation resurfaced.

"I'm so glad you're here." Bonnie chimed in from across the lobby, leaping to Misty. "I have a million questions to ask you about battling."

"..that you couldn't get from someone else?" Misty laughed nervously, and Bonnie scoffed.

"Well, I could, but no one other than Ash is really a battler, right?"

"Hey!" Max grumbled from the side, practically elbowing his way into the conversation.

"She was my friend, first! I should get first dibs at her advice!" Max glowered while Bonnie shot him a nasty glare, and Misty's face twitched. Least she was spared from any actual criticism. Ash rolled his eyes, lucky her.

"What do you need my advice for, anyways? This is just a tournament—ahh..." She mumbled, their fighting ending what ever advice she was supposed to be giving either of them. Ash's arm accidentally brushed against her leg when he leaned forward.

"I wonder if they fight like this all the time?" he wondered aloud to no one in particular, almost missing the way that Misty jerked away from him, and nearly fell onto the floor in her attempt.

May didn't miss it, however, and while Ash stared down at her in confusion, wondering how she wound up on the floor, May keyed in, and stepped forward right as Ash was about to ask what Misty's problem was.

"Shouldn't we get going? I mean, Clemont and Serena look like they're about to pass out." May announced, drawing Ash's attention to the duo who's eyes hadn't left the floor since Misty walked in. By the time his gaze fell back onto Misty, May had already helped her up, and stared questioning to Ash.

"Whatever." Max sighed. "Of course we couldn't get there without your help!" Max barked surprisingly, drawing stares from across the pokemon center before he bolted out of the front doors; leaving May standing with her lips pursed.

"..Did I miss something?" Misty asked the brunette while Bonnie rubbed her nose in a classic, Ash fashion and snorted.

"He's worried he's going to lose!" She chirped confidently and May crossed her arms, agreeing with the blonde.

"That's it?"

"It's..." May struggled to find the right words. "A bit more complicated than that, don't worry about it." She sighed, approaching the two of them and brushing Bonnie off with so much of a flick of her wrist.

"You, my friend, need to tell me everything you've been up to lately! It's been forever since we've seen each other!"

"...Actually, it's only been a few months." Misty corrected, but the wave of May's hand told her it was unnecessary technicalities. Just like that, Misty and her odd behavior were whisked away by none other than his old companion. Ash felt oddly grateful for it.

XOX

On the way to the stadium, Ash listened to the two girls talk about battles, and events, dresses, and parties, and siblings being frustrating once Bonnie and Max were leagues ahead of them. How could he not? Misty wouldn't speak to him—and if she did, it was in broken sentences, or not directly. Occasionally, it would be with her candid cynicism that he wasn't finding as funny as usual. Otherwise, she at least stayed at his side as to not draw attention to the two of them. That, or it was so familiar neither one of them knew where else to stand.

So he listened, and he smiled when he was supposed to, and provided input in when it was expected, and kept to himself. Serena and Clemont hung closely to the back of the group, minding their own business, so Ash had himself and pikachu to converse with.

Man, he never felt so alone in a crowd of people before. And never because of Misty before.

No. repeated back to him—to think he was under the belief they were okay! Why else would she come all the way to Kalos, after all? It wasn't like they hadn't fought before.

I don't need you! And he winced.

When she would look at him, for fleeting, small minutes, it was a distracted gaze—sometimes a bit hostile, other times guilt ridden. He knew that look only because it was the same expression she would make after a rather unsettling argument when they were children—but Ash hadn't seen it since.. not since... Well, not since they started dating. His eyes shifted across the streets they crossed, passed the many difference faces of people smiling up at him and shouting. Time and again, distracted by his own thoughts; by her words, and he sighed.

No she told him, and then immediately went back to acting like nothing had happened at all. No, she told him then denied she had said such a thing. No, she said then followed immediately with I'm fine, and smiles that he could see were forced by years of practice.

They weren't okay or maybe she wasn't okay—maybe something else happened that he wasn't told about. He had only spoken with his mom for a few minutes—and his mom had only gotten a few words out of Misty—did something...

And like clock work, his mind raced to the worst possible scenario, as any hero's mind would. Did...did he—the man that broke into her apartment—did he hurt her?

So, of course when Ash marched up the isle, breaking the group walk to the stadium field by grabbing her arm with a distinct jerk- he still had to work on the whole gentle approach thing—she spun around with wide, blinking sea-green eyes.

"What?" the painful noise that escaped her mouth was nothing akin to the familiarity he knew from Misty. The long, whispered agony of her voice made his heart pound against his chest. He couldn't have picked a worse place to talk about this—and her eyes reflected that, her muscles so tense she felt like concrete in his grasp.

Are you okay? He wanted to ask but the words lumped in his throat while she wriggled from his grasp with a tired huff. Unaware, or painfully optimistic, May started to swat at him playfully and pointing ahead with a cheerful demeanor. He was acting weird, he knew that. His brain was fuzzy, his arms felt heavy and pikachu on his shoulder felt like air. Misty didn't so much as look at him when she spun back around to follow May into the building, leaving his head a bigger mess than it was, with no better answers than he had to start. His fingers felt numb where they touched. In a handful of people, all he could see was her figure walking away from him—among the many different flashes, and cameras and beady little voices of trainers wanting his attention while they entered through the envious staff room. When his feet stopped moving, stunned by whatever concoction he created in his thoughts, Clemont and Serena ran into his back, and shoved him forward to the safety of the closed staff area.

"Ash, are you okay?" Serena's voice pierced the fuzziness in his head, and he turned around to look upon her face and shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just spaced out for a minute there. Whew, that was weird." no.

Ash grinned at his two friends, that boyish smile a beacon of light in the otherwise confusing situation, and while they were perfectly convinced that their growing friend was just having a moment, pikachu peered at him from his shoulder.

"Pika." the mouse scolded while Ash watched Misty scuttle away from him with an unknowing May. She looked at him, watched him. She knew this was happening to him, whatever it was, and he wanted to know why.

No, he didn't want to know why! Not even an hour together and he was already miserable, from his head to his toes, and every nerve in between—she barely spoke two words to him—if it hadn't been for May, she might not have responded to any form of human contact and...

He couldn't do this right now!

"And meet our contestants this year!" The tournament announcer's voice projected over the noise in his mind, and Ash moved into characteristic heroism—his auto pilot system. If Misty was going to ignore him then he would just...

he would just..

He would just do what he always did, too. Smile until the pain in his chest stopped, until the blurriness in his head stilled, and the feeling returned to his finger tips. Holding back the inevitable shout in his throat, he rushed forward, past the estranged redhead, and into the private stands allotted to him, and people like him at the tournament—upper-class citizen.

"Look!" Ash hummed, the forced excitement in his voice squishing the fear in his chest for only a few minutes while Max, followed a few trainers later by Bonnie, entered the stage to wave at the guests.

"Wow, they look so grown up! What kind of tournament is this?" May gushed while standing next to Ash, who immediately started up the concrete stairs to get a better look at his former traveling companions in all their first-tournament glory.

"It's a battle tournament." He started, but as Clemont followed after him with rivaled joy at seeing his sister so big and ready, he chipped in.

"But with specific requirements: this year it's all about over-coming type advantages!"

Misty sputtered. "What?" She hissed—that pitch in her voice reeling Ash back in with a great concern. "They're going to make them battle against the type they're weak to?" She asked, while apparently the cruelty of that skipped over the Kalosian individuals in the group.

"...It's tradition."

"So who gets to be the unfortunate one?" May echoed Misty's concern with a twang of excitement, and this time Clemont and Ash shared a look.

"They draw names."

"Well this is going to be interesting." Misty commented while moving up the stairs to watch the groups of trainers while they circled around the announcer at the center field, and each of them grabbed a object from his hand. Her face screwed up as she watched them.

"It's..." cruel Misty might have added, but Ash wouldn't give her the chance.

"Luck." Ash finished for her, pointing down the the stadium while May waved appreciatively at Max who smiled weakly at her. That rage he had for her boiling down to an embedded gratefulness for her presence. He waved back.

"So the unlucky person who draws the short end of the stick has to go the whole battle with a type disadvantage?"

"Well-" Ash hummed, personally upset Misty was so displeased by the idea. "The fields are set up so you can still win, it just forces the battler to think outside of the box. Be a little more creative in the heat of the battle... and..."

"And our battle tournament creators are also here with us today, experiencing this event for the first time since it last aired in 1990!" Lights turned on in the grand stadium, while others clicked off to illuminate the stars—Kalos was known for its grand exposition. Inside the crowd of people sitting in the front stands, a few people lit up, and names were rattled off—most of the names Ash didn't have memorized. He knew a few, like Siebold and Malva—two members of the Elite Four—but when the light flashed over him, the rest of the group took a step back.

"And our regional champion, Ash Ketchum!"

"You helped with this?" They asked, voices cross with amazement and judgment when he waved to the crowd of people that reacted with a deafening, white-noise.

He didn't have time to respond, or answer before a reporter dressed all in red, with light brunette hair pinned into a french twist cornered he and his friends at the base of the stadium.

"Ash Ketchum! What are your thoughts on the tournament?"

"Uhh." Ash started, face flushing over from being put on the spot, then he looked over at his companions who watched eagerly from the battlefield and shrugged. Cooling his head. Like his manager said, it was just small talk—all he had to do was be generic.

"Well, we haven't done one since before I was born, and if everything goes well, it could be a major learning experience."

"Since before you were born? You are pretty young, after all—tell me, what were you three thinking when you suggested a battle tournament where someone would always be at the disadvantage?" She edged him on, the camera gleaming in the corner of his eye, the darkened area masking the rest of the field and viewers. His eyebrows twitched while he searched for the appropriate answer.

"Well, when I was traveling I often met with great adversaries who had a type advantage over me...and with a little practice I think everyone could learn from it, I know I did." Ash scoffed, that conceited, better-than-thou scoff he did—a nervous tick most of his companions knew he had-before crossing his arms and gesturing to the group on the field. "Besides, it's a little exciting to see what these trainers will do when their backs are up against the wall!" He cheered with a wide grin that the crowd echoed.

"Well it's good to see you're active in the community—unlike so many regional champions! You're very appreciated here." The reporter expressed while offering a calculated smile, then twisting her concerns to Serena who stood off center to Ash, and out of view of the camera.

"You brought your friends?" The reporter asked and Ash, having almost forgotten about them turned quietly to the group who pursed their lips while the trainers started back into their huts for preparation.

"Yeah, they came to watch some old friends—Clemont's-you know, the Lumoise City gym leader- little sister is in the tournament."

"That's wonderful!" She egged on, her ruby red lips curling into a boorish grin. "And you brought your girlfriend?"

"Yeah! Of course." Ash muttered the last part, having not realized the camera was still focused on Serena. He spun to see Misty, who was standing perpendicular to his left side, but wide blue eyes shook back and forth vehemently. Well, great. He sighed, immediately noting his mistake.

"Oh-" He gasped, then shook his head at the reporter

"Thanks for the info Ash, we'll talk with you again soon!" She interrupted before he could snake another word in, and the lights flickered back on while most of the crowd seemed indifferent to what had just happened.

"Not Serena, not—I brought Mis—uugh." He should have known. Very few pretty reporters ever contact him unless it was for blackmail and headlines. He should have known better, or at least checked before...

"That's great Ash." Misty's voice sent shivers down his spine. "Do you ever open your eyes before your mouth?" Misty sneered venomously before brushing past him and up the stand, away from the group. While Ash hung back, stunned by the slip and pressing his fingers against his temples, pikachu followed the red head up the stairs and Serena covered her face with her hands.

"I didn't—" he breathed, flicking his wrist forward while May winced for him.

"It's okay, the reporter did kinda set you up for that."

"Really, it's okay." Serena nodded, then while nudging Clemont up the stairs after Misty, she followed closely behind and Ash watched his red-headed maiden flop angrily into the seats they were assigned and wrap her fingers angrily against her cheek while pikachu nudged onto her lap and smothered his face into the hem of her shirt. Least he could always rely on the pokemon to offer up a field of apology he could otherwise never manage to spit out.

Not that he did anything wrong! She was the one—she was—she was..!

"Don't dwell on it so much! Let's just go get our seats, and some nachos—you guys get personal service here, don't you? No standing in lines or..." May mumbled while coaxing Ash slowly up the stairs while he laughed dryly, in spite of himself.

"Yeah, we get personal service here."

"Hey, you with the hotdogs!" May screamed from across the stand and Ash slapped his forehead, and pointed at a sign before making his way up the steps and quietly laughing to himself.

Please raise your hand for assistance.

May's face flushed.

"Oh."

Least he could always depend on May to keep things simple. Unlike Misty, who was borderline brooding now—well, it wasn't like she was the beacon of heavenly affection right now, anyways! Like she could get mad at him for an accident, when she had hardly said anything to him all day! He made sure she knew he was mad at her when he took the seat between she and Clemont with a frustrated huff and carefully brushed her shoulder in that I'm not talking to you unless you say something first way. Like they did when they were kids, and he felt the pins and needles down his back.

Were they reverting? Acting like children? Should he say he was sorry now, get it over with and enjoy the rest of the match.

He thought to—meant to, then he looked at her. Eyebrows knit so close together, jaw clenched, teeth grating and legs crossed at the knees. She would sooner bite her tongue off before giving in—so why should he cave first!?

Stubbornly, he waved his hand in unison with May. At least he knew what to expect from food.

XOX

Ash wasn't used to the extra attention he received from people; he wasn't sure he ever would be. Simple, Pallet Town farmers son in the big city as the media like to describe him. He showed up to every event, but usually only made minor television appearances. He attended every meeting, ballroom, party, accepted every invitation—whether he wanted to or not, and while he wasn't comfortable with the bustle of the busy regionAsh tried his best to stay relevant, to help when he could, and stay out of the spotlight.

Sure, it was nice knowing that people were now acknowledging his feats on a grand scale, offering him peace prizes and medals for his selfless valor and kind actions. He also couldn't complain about the free meals and fortune that being a regional champion brought him—correction-being a famous regional champion.

Therefore, when meetings turned into battle preparation, into ideas to bring in more trainers—no one was better than Ash. He liked wild ideas, a good underdog story, and of course, a great challenge. The recreation of this tournament was his best attempt to bring in strong, new trainers to the Kalos region, and give the underdog something to look forward to. Ash, above all else, was proud to sponsor this tournament after two months of planning. Eventually, the lineup would allow for trainers of all ranks and levels, and most importantly, offered the chance to grow. However, he didn't expect to feel so broken up now that he was here. Her foreboding presence was a nagging reminder to him that he was walking on eggshells in his own domain, and while he tried to watch the battle before him; he drew questions on why he invited her here in the first lace.

If she was so unhappy, why would she come anyways?

Watching a leafeon take on a charizard, made his skin crawl. Both from the natural trainers instinct he developed over the years, and the honed senses that reminded him leafeon could get seriously hurt. Her voice cut through his silent anticipation.

Damn, he almost went ten seconds without thinking about her—not that it wasn't insanely difficult when she was sitting right beside him, every time her leg would shift against his, it was like a hot poker digging into his side.

"Is this what you've been working on?" Misty questioned, craning her head over to talk quietly among the blaring crowd.

"Off and on." Ash mumbled, missing a rather daring stunt from leafeon when he tried to catch a glimpse of her expression. Her too-short to be successfully braided, hair fell into her face by the strands and she swiped at them with pale hands he so very much wanted to hold. And stopped himself from trying. Because he was mad at her, after all, and if she was talking first, she was expecting a reaction from him. His breath hitched.

"I didn't know Max and Bonnie meant this tournament, if that's what you're asking. Otherwise I would have told you about it sooner." He mumbled, recalling the last minute invitation he gave her—it wasn't like he read minds. Or thought about work once he was finished with it. He had so many projects on the go, that he had to be involved in, one tournament felt like child's play.

"I didn't mean it like..." Misty huffed then returned to her brooding stance, leaning over pikachu, elbow parked on her knee and lips drawn into a purse. The conversation was over. Or at least it should have been.

Then, the reaction.

"Well what do you think I'm doing all day? Just going to board meetings for fun? Playing tic tac toe until six every night because sitting in a stuffy office is fun?" he gasped, voice sharp and quiet in her ear when she sat up to glare at him. His heart was pounding, deafening him as he watched her jaw lock.

"Do you have to be such an ass about it? I was just going to say that you did... just.. never mind." She huffed, on the edge of a compliment.

Yes, I do, especially when you're being so... He cracked the best, forced smile he could manage, knowing well enough not to give a livid reaction in such a public place. If being famous taught him anything! Ash exhaled, feeling his insides contort with the restrained comment.

"Sorry." he forced out instead, but knowing how insincere it was, and how little she cared about the cameras right now, she leaned forward. Funny how their roles would reverse in the drop of a hat.

"Ash I didn't-"

"And leafeon wins the match! Charizard is unable to battle!"

Both trainers eyes snapped naturally to the field, now that the announcer had deduced the winners, both of their faces grew pale while Clemont, Serena, and May all rose from their seats to clap appreciatively at the victor.

"...What happened?" Ash mumbled, the last he checked in, leafeon was on the ropes! What—what did he miss? His eyes flooded with that intense gaze, which didn't get better when Clemont sat down, huffing.

"You didn't see that? It chucked a rock at charizard!"

"Took him clear out of the sky!"

Now it was his turn to glare at the redhead who sat back quietly and shrugged innocently. "Sorry." She tossed out—and his turn to brood commenced.

Oh, the games they would play.

XOX

It was painful, watching as Max's marshtomp was knocked backwards several times in the third match.

"This is looking bad." Clemont muttered under his breath while a rather benevolent bayleef vine whipped successive attacks directly at marshtomp, knocking the pokemon backwards and into a pool of water.

"Counter it with watergun!" Max yelped instinctively, only to immediately flinch at his call.

"Max what are you doing!" May screamed, fists balled while Misty shouted alongside her.

Ash was supposed to remain neutral on all counts—so he couldn't tell Max how he should win, focus on using physical attacks and marshtomps secondary typing—but May was already trying to do that, loudly, and in his ear—drawing everyone's attention to their seating. He could imagine the headlines now—not that he ever...Since when did he care what people said about him?

"Counter it with muddy water—or mud slap! Cloud their vision, do something!" May screeched through her fists. The match was already winding down, and other than marshtomps amazing stamina, both trainer and pokemon were tired, and the event was drawing to a close.

"Dodge it, then use razor leaf!" The younger trainer opposite Max—Crystal, they came to find her name—shouted loudly, her confidence brimming from the near victory she was going to experience.

"Do something!" May shouted once more aggressively, but Max only watched in awe as the leaves flew out from the grass pokemon's collar, and launched from the sky. He couldn't hear her from where he was. Watching a battle as a spectator with the experience to counter the attack was awful, because Ash wanted to help. But he couldn't just help Max, now. He had to help Crystal too—and the jarring notion to just keep his mouth shut while Max leaned forward to prepare his next attack.

"Marshtomp, it's all or nothing! Leap and use take down!" at his shout, the water pokemon dodged forward, the gust of wind circulating at his feet knocked the leaves away from him when he was up in the air. The strength of his lower body pivoted him forward until he lumbered over bayleef, and swooped down.

The entire audience grew silent once the pokemon hit the ground in a cloud of smoke.

"No! Bayleef get up!" She yelped and Max pumped his fist up.

"Marshtomp!" Ash had even gone from sitting to standing and grasping the railing directly in front of them in anticipation for the dust to clear.

"C'mon Max!" May screamed in support; but there was little they could do in this event. It wasn't like their cheers could return health to a pokemon—in fact it was..

"Could this be a double knock out!?" The announcer cheered—not that they were uncommon, but if a victor couldn't be called then they would have a death-match. A new battle with new pokemon... As if Max's luck was only as good as his sisters, bayleef slowly rose from the dirt of the field, and collected herself from the rumble, limp and bruised, and stood proudly in front of the crowd.

Silence.

Then, screaming.

"It looks like bayleef is our victor!" the announcer shouted and the look of complete devastation beneath Max's glasses made his small group of friend's heartache.

"Good match, marshtomp!" Max chirped, red lightning engulfing the stadium when he returned the exhausted pokemon to the ball.

"And a good battle. Thank you!" He added against the heat in his chest, while his rival nodded gleefully.

"You did a great job, too, thank you!" Not good enough, Ash thought ominously, watching as Max's face darkened.

A full moment passed while the crowed cheered, and they sat in quiet at the defeat of their friend. Not very often did they watch a well-rounded trainer like Max lose in the first match, or call the same bad moves. It was like watching a toddler and a racing game—he was all over the road!

"I should go say something to him." May muttered quietly while the three of them took their seats once more, and watched both trainers leave the stadium.

"That's the point of the battle...sometimes you lose." Ash offered weakly—he would have rather not seen Max lose so early.

"Yeah, but he should have won."

"He did have the type disadvantage?" Misty offered, but that didn't appease May, who huffed.

"I know, but... " Her eyes drifted to the door where Max went, Ash thought he saw a bit of herself reflect in them when she stood up "I'll go. Let me know if Bonnie's up any time soon." She offered while dusting off her palms to maneuver out of the stands. Misty whistled at her, and nearly knocked pikachu off in her rise.

"I'll come, too." She offered, then unknowingly—habitually, more than likely—she then passed a glance to Ash who only managed a shrug.

"Yeah, no problem." Ash did his best to smile when she left, resulting in pikachu parking himself on Ash's lap rather than Misty's, and his eyes glazed over the next battle.

He hated watching her go, and if it hadn't been for the wonderful display of assorted colors, he might have only been able to focus on himself, and his thoughts—instead, he had many reasons not to—like watching the threads of the tournament he sponsored unravel. Max didn't start out horrible—he fumbled in the center and panicked. Everyone has that panic the first time they realize they're at the immediate disadvantage, and while some trainers thrive off the challenge, others fall short of victory—Max only hesitated for a minute, and the battle was lost. He had his thoughts in the correct corner, without any of the follow through.

"I wonder when Bonnie will be up!" Clemont mumbled, feeling antsy in his seat. "More importantly if she is going to be the one with the short stick!"

"I wish they could have battled each other..." Serena hummed. "Would have been nice as a send off, wouldn't it?"

"A send off?" Ash asked, head craning to look at his former companions while the battle below started. "What do you mean?"

Serena blinked. "Haven't you heard?" she asked quietly while dodging his eyes. Since the—well since a few months ago she had a hard time looking at his eyes, and found any excuse to dodge them. Ash didn't blame her.

"We're splitting up after this. Bonnie wants to go challenge the Kanto region—and Clemont is taking over the gym." Maybe he should have been more surprised by the news—but it wasn't like he kept in great contact with them.

"...and what about you?"

"Me?" Serena gasped, folding her hands over her lap and fidgeting. "Well, huh.."

"She's going to Hoenn to compete in contests, since she doesn't feel comfortable-" She nudged Clemont hard to get him to shut his mouth, and being the small inventor that he was, he rubbed his arm where her elbow connected. Ash didn't seem to notice.

"That's really sudden!"

"Not really, I've been preparing to take over the gym for awhile now, we just finished repairs on the mainframe a few weeks ago—and since Bonnie wants to travel to other regions, now seems like the perfect time." Clemont breathed, a spark behind his glasses that made Ash weary.

"And I've already compete in all the showcases once...and while I'm doing okay in them now.. it would be nice to improve my team before coming back for the title of queen." Serena muttered confidently with a charming smile on her features. A forced smile, but Ash said nothing. A boggled Ash, shook his head.

"But, you already have a few keys and.. ngh. When were you going to tell me?"

They looked at each other concerned.

"Well, you've been kind of busy." he smiled. "Besides, you would have figured it out at some point, anyways! We're all moving forward just like you!" Clemont was excited, pumping his fists back and forth the same way Ash used to and the view came as a bit of a shock.

Ash sat back, and looked to where Misty had been sitting and looked back to the battle, a bit disjointed himself.

"...Yeah... moving forward." he sighed while twisting his lips and rubbing his neck. Oddly enough, he felt like that was the least of his worries.

Author's Note:

Misty's behavior is not excusable (As someone pointed out, she was acting like kind of a bitch) BUT, let's not forget that Misty -is- sometimes kind of a bitch. She drives with her emotions, especially when it comes to situations with Ash. She's mixed up because she doesn't like to feel vulnerable, and it's something that keeps happening. I intentionally left her thought process out, but wanted to include that May isn't as 'naive' as she makes herself out to be around her friends. At least, in regards to Ash, who she is most like, she understands when there is an issue that needs to be deflected. Whereas Ash is just doing his best to keep his head on right after her little revelation. I don't want to spoil anything, but in a few chapters you'll see the foreshadowing leading up.

Ta-ta for now.

Love you guys. Thank you for all the reviews. Honestly. :) you guys are awesome.

Also, Happy new year. To ring in he new year, I'm going to update this three times.

NINT