"Misty." Called Ash through the closed bathroom door while resting his head against it in frustration. She had spent the last three hours getting ready, just to go out for dinner. What on earth did she have to do for three whole hours in there. Resigned to her "Just five more minutes!" he walked back to the lounge area of their room to fall into an unoccupied armchair. If she took any longer they'd lose their table and he'd spent hours persuading the rather snooty head waiter to give them a table at just a few days notice. He had reserved them a table at the prestigious Golden Pokeball in Goldenrod City but by the time he'd caught up with Misty, they would never have made it in time.
Slumping in the armchair he observed Pikachu on the sofa, munching his ketchup covered popcorn and watching TV with Azurill by his side. "You gonna be ok buddy?"
"Pika pikachu. Pi, pika chu chupi pi pika chuchu?" (Of course. So, are you going to tell her?) He replied, his eyes glued to the screen where the cartoons of Jom and Terry, the Meowth and Pikachu were dashing about.
"Tell her what?" he asked, already suspicious of his rather too much of a know-it-all pokemon.
"Pi pika"
"No, I don't know...go back to your popcorn!" he stated, now in a huff. He knew what was meant.
The door behind him opened and he jumped to his feet, ignoring the tittering sounds of amusement from the sofa behind him while he lost his breath at the sight of her.
Her elegant figure was clad in a pale blue silk dress, expertly cut to hug her every feature with a stylish hem, cut at an angle to be longer on the left than on the right. A thin slit ran up the right to show a sliver of her pale skin that ended not too high and not too low. The dress was fastened behind her shapely neck by two wide straps that melded into the dress itself to leave her back to be covered only by the matching shawl that hung from her elbows. The dress itself was a master piece, shimmering in the light from the thousands of tiny white gems that flowed from the right strap and down to spread out in a cascade down her legs.
The contrast of her vivid hair was softened slightly by the elegant knot it had been expertly pulled into at the back of her head to be held off her face by two black chopsticks while two small strands either side of her face had been singled out to line her lightly made up face perfectly. A pair of blue crystal drop earrings, a gift from her mother before she had died, hung on her ears while her newest gift, the stunning pokeball resided around her neck where it had remained since Ash had done the clasp for her the day before.
She giggled slightly at his shocked face, mouth slightly open and performed a small twirl to show off the back of the dress that cut low to expose the skin that was masked by the pale shawl. "What do you think?"
Brought back to the moment by her question, Ash closed his mouth and shook his head slightly to approach her and murmur under his breath, "You look perfect." He slowly bent down to place a soft kiss on her cheek and offered her his arm.
Gently placing her perfectly manicured hand through his arm, she allowed him to escort her out of their room to the escalator that awaited them.
Once the pair had left, Pikachu found he was unable to contain himself and began rolling around on the floor in uncontrolled merriment. Waddling to the end of the sofa Azurill stared down at
the helpless Pikachu and was able to make out one saying, "Pikachuchu!" (Finally!)
Regaining his composure, Pikachu briskly got to his feet and bounded over to where Ash and Misty's pokemon were resting in their pokeballs. Tapping each ball once he hopped along the line until all were assembled. "Pika! turn pokemon translation on It's finally happened! I'm sure that tonight they will confess!" This sent the others into fits of merriment and cheering that after so many years of obvious affection for the other, their trainers would finally unite as one, unbeatable team.
"Here's what I think we should do." said Pikachu with a rather wicked grin once the excitement had died down to a more contained degree. Feverently he went into detailed plans of what was to be prepared and sent the others to do their own jobs and use their skills to the maximum. It didn't take long however before it was decided that it really was too crammed for Bayleaf, Politoed, Totodile, Staryu, Phanpy, Azurill, Corphish, Psyduck and Pikachu to go about their designated tasks. Between them, it was decided that Psyduck, Corphish, Staryu and Totodile would return to their pokeballs to give the others room to prepare.
turn pokemon translation off
Leading her through the city, Ash could barely keep a straight head, mesmerised by the beautiful young woman who walked beside him. The warm sun was low in the sky, casting its rays across the town to bathe their world in gold and to sparkle over the jewel around Misty's neck. Arriving at their destination, The Blue Lagoon, Ash opened the door to allow Misty to enter the warmth of the restaurant before him.
Once seated and casting their eyes down the various specials and delicacies Ash found he was finally able to say, "You look really beautiful this evening Misty. Even more so than usual."
Allowing a faint blush to rise to her cheeks she replied, "Thank you Ash. You don't look too bad yourself." She was right. Able to be free of a hat for longer than one evening in the last six years his hair had begun to lie in a more appropriate manner and a bit of self grooming on his part had finally been able to tame the black mass. The matching black jacket and trousers fitted him perfectly while a pale blue shirt complimented not only Misty's outfit but Ash in general.
The evening began to pass while the two enjoyed the others company in a rarely visited environment, free of pokemon who were far too smart of their own good and tended to only cause mayhem once let loose.
Ash found that if anyone had asked him what he had eaten that night, or what the waiter looked like he would have been unable to answer as his attention was completely captured by Misty. Every move she made, every comment she had spoken and every detail of her face was permanently engraved into his mind to store among his treasure trove of Misty memories, just in case she vanished after what he planned to say later that evening.
The only major incident that occurred during their conversation, that was able to flow uninhibited now that they were completely on their own, was when each reached for the small pot of milk that had been provided for their coffee towards the end of the evening. Their hands had met over the cold handle with Ash's closing around Misty's which had reached the jug before his and the two had pulled away quite quickly, almost knocking the white liquid out of its container. Both had been rather shocked at the unexpected close contact and immediately blushed while looking away from the other.
Thankfully the awkward silence was interrupted by their waiter, checking that their meal was to their liking before sauntering off again. He had been rather strange, their waiter, his eyes always seemed to be on them to make sure they were enjoying their meal to its full potential. It could be that he wanted to make sure all his guests enjoyed their evening, but if either of them had seen a small transaction that had taken place between the waiter and a small creature in a grey hat and coat earlier in the evening, other ideas may have come to mind.
Through the windows to their left they could see the sun as it bid its last goodbye for the day and sank into the horizon. They left the restaurant with many, "I hope you have iloved/i you meal here at The Blue Lagoon.", from their waiter, who watched them eagerly as they left the restaurant.
Strolling through the partially deserted streets in the twilight, they came out into the park situated at the centre of the town. The late heady smells of summer were still abound and a soft breeze rustled the leaves to the music of a far off Pidgeotto, calling its mate back to the nest.
Fatigue washing over Misty as she locked her arms around Ash's arm and leant her head against his shoulder, her eyes partially closed as she trusted him completely to lead through the safest routes.
After the disastrous misunderstanding the previous day, Misty could not think of a time when she had been happier. Ash had been a true gentleman for the whole day, bringing her breakfast in bed, taking her to the mall and was even pleasant when asked to leave her alone to choose her outfit for the evening on her own.
Their afternoon had then been spent with Misty trying out her newest pokemon and going up in their ultimate water pokemon battle of Tentacool versus Totodile. It had turned out the Tentacool was barely a baby, innocent and kind to all around it but became utterly terrified once Totodile had begun dancing during their match.
The lamps either side of their pathway had reached their limit and they were plunged into darkness while walking beneath a canopy of overhanging trees. They suddenly emerged into an open area at the edge of a steep cliff, filled with a silvery light that could be traced up to the full moon, high in the sky above them.
At the railings over the cliff face, Misty detached herself from Ash to take in the glorious site before her. A large, peaceful lagoon lay far below surrounded by trees, bushes and if you looked closely enough, the paths of many pokemon could just be seen where they went to drink every day. The light of the moon cast its beam over the entire landscape to give the world and un-earthly feel of silver and light that danced over the still surface of the body of water nestled in the valley below. The entire picture looked as if it had been painted for the use of a fairy tale rather than something that actually existed in real life. From beneath Misty's chin, her new necklace containing Tentacool shone in the moonlight to reflect upon her pale skin and give her an angelic appearance.
Ash stood beside her while her mouth opened slightly at the pure essence of beauty of the valley. However, his eyes were not at the lake, or the trees, or the moon itself but on the young woman. To him, she was the most beautiful sight on the planet and he just couldn't believe that it had taken him so long, not only to truly realise her beauty but also to realise that he needed her, more than anything else in the world. When she had agreed to travel with him through Kanto, supporting him every step of the way whenever things got tough or if he began to lose hope, his heart had soared, but he still wanted more.
He wanted more from their relationship, more than the great bond of friendship they already held. He wanted to take her in his arms, hold her tight, kiss her hands, her hair, her face and be there for her every single time she needed him.
Catching his gaze out of the corner of her eye, Misty turned her head, smiling at his awestruck face. "What?"
Shaking his head slightly, Ash hurriedly protested that it was nothing and turned to look out at the landscape, looking slightly away from Misty to hide the faint blush that threatened to emerge.
Trying to follow his example and look at the moon lit landscape, Misty found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. His kind and gentle face that had never held anger directed towards her, Pikachu or any other kindly being they came across. Through ever adventure she had travelled with him, she never felt like she was in any real or serious danger, just because he was there. There to catch her, there to smile at her and light up her whole world and there when she felt at the lowest point in her life to pick her up, out of that monotonous Gym to see the exciting world beside him.
She could honestly feel that there was no one else she had met in her entire life that was quite like Ash. He was special.
Her thoughts had taken her away from the moment and she suddenly realised he was staring right back at her, smiling his special smile that had the power to take her breath away. She weakly smiled back at him and felt the heat rising to her face but however hard she wanted to look away, he held her captive with his loving chocolate brown eyes.
Breaking their eye contact for a moment, Ash reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to produce a box, identical but a bit smaller to that which had contained her pokeball necklace.
"I decided that as you got the necklace before your actual birthday, you should still open something today." He explained, holding forward the ribbon bound box.
She took it with a small smile but still protested, "Ash, you really didn't need to-"
"I know Mist, but I wanted to." He gave her another lopsided smile and watched as she gently pulled open the delicate ribbon and removed it to reveal, nestled on the same black velvet, a pair of pokeball earrings to match the necklace. "I thought you'd like them for Azurill and any of the others you treasure. Maybe…Psyduck?"
Laughing, she pretended to punch him on the arm at the absurd suggestion of her pathetic excuse for a duck. "They're beautiful, thank you." Leaning forward, she placed a small kiss on his cheek while moving her arms over his shoulders to pull him into a tight hug. She rested her head on his shoulders, closing her eyes and savouring the warmth around her from his arms before pulling back slightly.
Their eyes locked. Both had been caught off guard by the other and remained motionless, their faces barely inches from each other. Slowly, as if pulled by invisible strings, they moved towards each other, closing their eyes as their lips came into contact.
Everything else vanished. Their senses became overwhelmed with the shear bliss of finally being together. Finally able to release their feelings for the other in a way that could never be misinterpreted. Finally, what each had been hoping for for so long held the possibility of becoming a reality. Passion for the other began to be let loose as their kiss became deeper and deeper while their time stood still for their minds to halt and dance in shear bliss, radiating in the other's presence.
As a clock in the distance began to chime the hour, the contact was broken. Each looked down, their minds a complete blank. Gently, Ash placed his hand against Misty's cheek, making her close her eyes and relax into his palm before opening her eyes to catch him straight through his own.
Like a Stantler caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, fear spread through ever fibre of Misty's being and she gaped wildly for a moment before spinning around and vanishing into the darkness.
"Misty! Misty!" cried Ash with desperation. He was about to follow when he saw one of the earrings had fallen to the ground, enlargening on impact. Pausing for a moment to bend down and pick up the object, he felt tear accumulating in the corners of his eyes. He'd blown it. Completely and utterly. Who was he really kidding? She would never be able to love him in the way he love her so.
'No!' argued another part of his mind. 'She returned the kiss didn't she? Why would she do that if she didn't feel the same way?' Growling angrily at the air he took off as fast as he could in the direction he had last seen her. He was not going to give up. Not until he had told her in his own words how passionately he felt for her and she had either shot him down or made his dreams come true.
Darting through the park where everything was a blur he emerged into the harsh lighting of the streets. Gazing wildly to his left and right, his instincts told him to pursue the path to his left which lead around a corner into the main high street which was still busy at that time of the day.
Forcing his was through the crowds he saw the hem of a blue dress disappear down another street on the opposite side of the road. He shot through the parked cars by the pavement, narrowly avoiding a moving car and thrust his way through the packed sidewalk.
The new street was dark and deserted with a one way system in operation and a broken lamp midway along the alley. A figure could be seen further down, resting with their back to a lamp post and breathing heavily.
"Misty," he murmured under his breath, slowing to a walk to try and regain his breathing pattern to speak to her without the need for interruptions on his part. He stopped a few feet away from the lamp post once the figure beneath it noticed him and froze, their eyes locked. "Misty." He repeated.
Again, she fled. "Misty wait!" he cried, running after her again. From a darkened doorway on their left, a small purple creature ran across Misty's path, tripping her over as she glanced behind her to see Ash calling for her and running a few feet behind her. She landed heavily on the pavement while the Rattata responsible for her fall vanished across the road. Ash knelt down beside her, murmuring her name and placing his gentle hands around her arms, helping her to her feet but keeping a firm hold of her to prevent her running from what had happened.
She refused to look up, her eyes glued to the floor with the box containing the remaining earring clutched tightly in her left hand while sobs from shock and fear racked her slender frame. Gently, he hushed her and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug until her sobs subsided. She remained looking at the ground until Ash softly placed his hand beneath her chin, raising her face up to look straight into her eyes. "Misty, why did you run?" he asked.
She tried to pull away but he held her firmly in place, forcing her to talk to him. Gazing into his brown eyes, she could see they were full of concern and caring, as well as something else she couldn't quite see. "Because I lost control." She whispered, "I couldn't stop myself and now I've ruined our friendship. You should have just let me go back to Gym, then this wouldn't have happened and we could get on with our lives. I just can't take this any more." She seemed to be fighting a part of her inner resolve rather than speaking fully to him.
"What do you mean?" he asked with a worried frown over his face. This was not going how he had envisaged and the evening was growing steadily harder and more painful as it continued. To see her in such a state knowing that it had been his initial actions of leaving her in Saffron that had brought out the last few days of severe insecurity. Misty had been insecure before, she has spent the first ten years of her life being insecure while her sisters had grown up to become the popular "Sensational Sisters of Cerulean" as she had been spurned as the "runt" of the family, constantly teased and shoved to the bottom of the social ladder. When he had met her, she seemed so confident and sure of herself but as they had grown older, he'd understood that her initial anger and temper had been used as her armour to stop any tears or signs of weakness from showing to the outside world. Gradually throughout their first time in Kanto, the Orange Islands and then Johto, she had matured and her armour was gone to reveal the happy, cheerful girl that lived beneath.
But when she had read that note to call her sisters after the Silver Convention and she was told she had to return to the Gym, she had been so sad. From then on, every time he had called her from Hoenn, she appeared to be happy and cheerful but he could tell she was bored, lonely and wanted to get out of her responsibilities of the Gym.
Since she had joined him over the last few weeks, she had become steadily more and more cheerful, like her old self but now…she was terrified. All he wanted to do was hold her tight and help shield her from her fears and see her smile again.
"Please Ash, just let me go. I can't do this any more, constantly having to lie about how I feel and just worried you'll find out and leave me somewhere where I'll have no choice but go to the Gym. Please let me go." She pleaded with him, her shining blue eyes brimming with tears and the stray strands of fiery hair that had fallen from the elegant knot were faded and lifeless around her face. "Please…"
Her desperation was so great, Ash could feel his grasp around her softening as she steadily took a step back. He had let go with one hand and she turned her back to him but just as she took the first step, his grasp around her wrist tightened to prevent her escape. "Ash, please." She tried again.
"No." he stated, holding her eyes with his own. "No, not until I've told you what I should have said a long time ago."
"Ash, I don't want to hear. Will you please just let me go, leave you and go back to the Gym where I can do no more harm." She pulled against his grasp, trying to get away as hard as she could.
"Misty will you please just listen to me." He found his determination to tell her was so great, he had taken a hold of her shoulders to stop her from leaving before she heard what she had to hear.
She silently mouthed his name that tore his heart in two, but he had to tell her, he couldn't let her leave without her knowing how he felt.
"Misty-"
"Ash, please let me go, I don't want to hear, just let me go and I'll never bother you again, please, just let me go" she interrupted, blind to what he was saying.
"Misty, I-"
"Ash plea-"
"Misty will you be quiet!" he suddenly yelled, cursing himself. This was not meant to happen. Misty had fallen silent, her body still trembling with fear. "Damn it Misty. I'm trying to tell you something and you're not making this easy for me. I am not going to let you just leave, not until I've explained for what happened." He stated with frustration.
Her mouth opened again but she remained silent, a captive of his desperate and pleading eyes. "Since…since you appeared at the end of the Hoenn League and then travelled around with me. I began to remember the old times, when it was just you, me and Brock and I realised that that was why I was, deep down, never really happy when getting my badges for the Hoenn League. It's cos you weren't there. From the start of my journey when I was ten, you were there to support me, help me and put me in my place when I got carried away with winning and there to get me back on my feet again when I lost. When I was younger, through the later stages of Kanto, the Orange Islands and throughout our years in Johto I began to regard you as something more than my best friend. I began to have different feelings for you but I was too young to ever figure out what it meant, until I saw you again at the Mirage Kingdom." He paused for a moment to wipe a small tear from Misty's face. She was still now, captivated by the sound of his soft voice that was full of caring over the background noise of the bustling streets behind them.
"Saying goodbye to you after seeing you for just a day or so was more painful that I could imagine and I wanted you to come back so much I found the last few Gyms to the League difficult without your support but when I saw you, rampaging in the cell at the security check to the Trainer's village, I knew right away that with you there, I was going to win. How could I not?" She smiled faintly at his comments but still frowned slightly in confusion as the urges to run were still present, but for now the ones that wanted to listen to his sweet voice were stronger and kept her to the spot. "Since then, my feelings for you have only grown stronger and, and I know that I can say with, with all my heart that I love you." Now that he had said and explained all that he wished, Ash fell silent to gaze into Misty's hypnotising eyes that could catch him so easily and completely that every other thought was always banished from his mind. "I love you Misty." He repeated while his heart began to wilt throughout her silence.
She took a step back and his hands fell loosely to his side while their eyes remained locked. She could see the honesty shining through his golden brown eyes alongside the worry, doubt and sadness that began to cloud over their crystal surface. But she still took another step back before spinning around and running off again into the darkness.