Even if you don't read the story (Why you wouldn't, though, I can't imagine...) please read the author's notes. That goes for all of my stories and all of my chapters! Thanks~! But especially this one; I'm proud of it. :)

Geez, it's been a long time, hasn't it! Sorry, guys. :( Okay, so I am not a fan of EgoShipping, whatsoever. But I figured, eh, why not? So, this can be taken as: brother/sister relationship; boyfriend/girlfriend relationship; rivals (within knowing Ash, not necessarily trainer-wise); or friends. So when the word "love" is used, take it however you like. :)

"You're an idiot." Those were the three words out of Misty's mouth when she looked at Gary one drab afternoon. They had bumped into each other, literally, and now Misty was brushing herself off, Gary was smirking, and both were glaring at the other. Gary had no spoken words in response, but it was clear that her little remark would not go unnoticed as the two stood there.

You could nearly see the emerald green grass swaying in the wind on the makeshift battlefield. Though why they were fighting was a mystery.

It was an unseen battle between them, each trying to gain the upper hand. If there were anyone passing through the park, they wouldn't have had the slightest idea what the two young teenagers were doing, facing off with each other from about ten feet away [a little more than three meters, I think]. As a matter of fact, there had been a young man in the park at that very moment when the two crashed into the other. He had backed away pretty quickly though, and who could blame the poor guy.

The hate and desire to claim dominance over the other practically filled the park and warned people to stay far, far, away.

This rivalry had gone on forever, since the two had first come within glance of each other. Misty could simply not stand his cocky smile, his (allusion of his own) perfect-ness, the way every eye in the room was drawn to him when he steep foot across the doorway, the way his huge ego was almost tangible. It was...ugh.

And Misty-! Her temper, always snapping back at him, and how she wouldn't admire him like everyone else did and didn't bask in his total awesome-ness. How she was always hanging around Ash-y-boy instead of him.

It had been many, many, long minutes since the two had gotten to the positions they were in, but it was only then that they spoke. "So, Misty," Gary started off, "-what're you doing here?"

"What's it to you, Oak?" she shot back, and he couldn't help but wince inside at the bitter sharpness of her words. Do you want the truth? Well, if we have to be honest...

Truth be told, the two trainers had grown rather close the past few years. However, neither of them knew the other felt the same way, as Misty would never hear the end of it if Gary heard about her slight change of heart. And Gary? Well, his pride simply would not let him even let her know anything of the sort.

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt when every run-in had each trainer holding his/her breath as he/she searched for any form of the same feel for the bonding he/she felt so strongly while hiding his/her own longing.

"Just asking a question, Red. You gotta problem?" Gary finally managed.

Misty bit her lip when she found no show that he held any of the same want to become more than pure haters for the other. "N-Nah. Just with you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really, Red."

"Stop calling me that!" Really, she didn't mind at all. It was a sign that he actually acknowledged her.

Gary felt a pang hit his heart again, though he angrily stomped it down. 'I'm supposed to hate her! Why...why don't I?' "Red, Red, Red," he taunted instead, though he was actually relishing hearing the nickname escaping his lips.

A thrill went through the redhead, though she only glared. "Oh, shut up, Oak!"

"Make me, Red!"

"Ugh!" He fake-frowned at her, teasing as she pouted for real. "Gary, you're such a...you are a pure jerk, you hear me?!" It was all a ploy to Misty. Maybe, just maybe, if she said it enough, it would be true to her mind once again. "You're a jerk, Gary!"

"But you know you love me for it, Red." It just slipped out, and Gary cursed himself for showing weakness, though he tried to play it off with a sly smirk and a wink.

Misty sighed to herself, but grinned fiendishly at the boy in front of her. "Sure, sure."

They have another stare-off, though inside all they are thinking of is, 'if only you meant it.'

But fate has a funny way of bending things to your advantage, and suddenly the heavens split and began to dump water over the two teenagers. Of course, only Misty had an umbrella. They might have shared, they might have pushed each other into the rain like kids. And they both felt that battlefield becoming a playground for those little kids who only wanted a friend.

:) So cute, I think.

So I've been on a pretty long break, haven't I? I hope I haven't lost anyone...*the crowd of readers has severely shrunken*...ahem, anyway. So, there is a poll on my profile; please check it out! :)

More importantly, I (obviously) have not updated since late October (2014) and it is already the middle of November. So, I am sorry about that, but I've a lot that I've been dealing with, writing-wise and other. Writing-wise, I just have too many projects going on at once (Song Fic Collection, Anime Anecdotes, Happy Birthday to the Dex Holders, and Stranded) and because I adamantly refuse to scrap any of them, it just is hard to balance. So this weekend (from Friday the 7th to Tuesday the 11th) I will be updating the best I can to make up for the past few weeks. Thank-you to everyone who has faithfully hung on with me! :) Love y'all!

Reviews and PMs are appreciated! :)